RETURNING FROM THE IMMORTAL WORLD

Chapter 1251 - Chapter 1260

Chapter 1251: We're No Longer as We Have Been

 

Gu Xiaoxue summed up the report in her mind first and then reported the situation of Tang Xiu's parents and the Tang Family in the past three years. "After Grand Master's parents took the precious elixirs two years ago, their physiques were remolded and their cultivations have been rapidly progressing since. Especially after they went to the pocket world 6 months ago, after which their strength skyrocketed. Both of them have advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, and it won't take long before they break through to the Spirit Formation Stage.

"The cultivation progress of the Tang Family isn't slow, but it's much worse compared to Grand Master's parents. Most of them are at the Golden Core Stage, although their mood is slightly worse. Master has arranged the Heart Tempering Array, so the rest of Tang Family have entered the array and are cultivating inside it."

Having said that, she hesitated for a moment and then said, "Our Tang Sect is developing quickly and most of the children army have also advanced to the Golden Core Stage. A few of them have even reached the Nascent Soul Stage. Aside from that, we've taught all 49 army formations, and they can definitely crush any enemies with similar numbers and cultivation levels. Additionally, there are two people in the Tang Sect whom I think needs further evaluation and appreciation since their cultivation levels have surpassed mine, Tang Guang's, and Tang An's."

"Huh?" Tang Xiu was surprised and asked, "Who are they?"

"Gu Yin and Little Blind," Gu Xiaoxue answered.

Tang Xiu recalled their special physiques and immediately asked, "What cultivation level have they reached?"

"Both have reached the Body Integration Stage; Gu Yin at the mid-stage and Little Blind at the early-stage. Tang Guang has once sparred with Little Master Aunt Gu Yin, and he has been defeated badly," Gu Xiaoxue added.

A smile climbed up on Tang Xiu's face as he nodded. "Their progress is really wonderfully fast, though I've long been expecting it. Anyway, brief me about the rest as well."

Gu Xiaoxue recalled for a while and then said, "Blind Grandma has broken through to the Celestial Master Stage. Compared to the cultivation art we provide here, her power is comparable to experts at the Body Integration Stage. Master Uncle Chen Zhizhong, on the other hand, has advanced to the late-stage of Body Integration."

"What about Xue Yu, where's she now?" asked Tang Xiu.

"I have no news about her," Gu Xiaoxue said.

Tang Xiu nodded slowly and then said, "I give you 3 days to bring all Tang Sect disciples from all over the world back to Nine Dragons Island. Now that the embryonic form of the Tang Sect's force has begun to take shape, it's time for me to reorganize the sect's army."

"Understood!"

Gu Xiaoxue looked bewildered, but she nodded and complied.

In the palace.

Right after Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue entered the palace, a fragrant scent greeted them, and the now young-looking Su Lingyun came floating in front of them.

"Xiu'er, Yan'er!"

Su Lingyun's smiling face was especially bright. Even though they all had been staying on Nine Dragons Island, she only met Tang Xiu once when he left the exquisite pagoda twice in the past 3 years.

"Mom."

Tang Xiu's dream once upon a time was to bring and help his mother embark on the cultivation path. Now that he saw his Mother looking so brilliant, elegant, and full of vigor, he couldn't help but feel a bit moved.

Su Lingyun smiled, pulled Gu Yan'er's hand and said, "You children keep staying in that exquisite pagoda all the time. I've always been wanting to see you there, but Yunde never let me. He said that I'll disturb your cultivation. But well, you've been living with him for 3 years there, why haven't you conceived a child?"

"Ugh, come again?"

Tang Xiu was dumbstruck, but Gu Yan'er blushed and lowered her head wordlessly.

"Yan'er, Xiu'er is rather thin-skinned and his head is always full of cultivation. I know this brat has accomplished big things and his enterprise is very important. But he's grown up already, getting married and having a family is equally important! If he doesn't take the initiative, you've gotta be the one who seizes it. And don't speak about seniority to me, what age are we living in now? So long as you're perfectly suited and agreeable, I don't think it's a problem for you both to get married and have children."

Gu Yan'er suppressed her embarrassing feelings and tilted her head to glance at Tang Xiu. Blushing, she lowered her head and said, "I'll definitely seize the initiative, Auntie."

"Since you're going to seize the initiative, then you must address me as Mother from now on, got it?" Su Lingyun happily said.

Cough, cough, cough...

Tang Xiu couldn't help but cough. He didn't even have the chance to speak up and almost choked. Gu Yan'er was his disciple, yet his Mother only needed one line to mess up the seniority ranks in the family all at once.

"Uh, Mom. Please don't make up such a messed-up notion about us getting married, I..." Tang Xiu said, but he immediately swallowed the rest of his words after glancing at Gu Yan'er, whose expression abruptly changed drastically.

Su Lingyun fiercely glared at him and pretended to be angry. "What's wrong? You don't want to listen to your Mother anymore since your cultivation is great or something? Do you not think that Yan'er is a good child? She's been with you for so many years, and she's definitely a great and hard to find daughter-in-law to have. You don't need to worry about Wanying. I've asked her about this before and she told me that she doesn't mind. She said she's still happy as long as she has a place in your heart."

A headache struck Tang Xiu, and he directly drilled his way out of the topic and said while heading inside, "Please don't worry about our affairs, Mom. Anyway, Dad should be upstairs, right? I'm gonna see him first."

"Hey, you brat!"

Su Lingyun was vexed and glared at Tang Xiu's back with annoyance. Then, she pulled Gu Yan'er and walked inside while muttering something.

When Tang Xiu came to the second floor, he saw Tang Yunde leaning on the wall with a cigarette in his hand with a smile hanging on his face. He obviously had witnessed the amusing scene.

"Hey, Dad!" Tang Xiu called out with a bitter smile.

Tang Yunde chuckled and grinningly said, "You really didn't inherit my good quality at being faithful, Brat. Speaking of which, your Mom would have run to the exquisite pagoda and forced you to marry and have children if it wasn't for me stopping her."

Tang Xiu bitterly smiled. "In actuality, I wasn't like doing it before..."

Tang Yunde raised his hand and smilingly said, "Nah, no need to explain anything to me, Boy. Besides, I'm not that anxious to have grandchildren either. On the contrary, your Mom will definitely make you get headaches in the future about that. Further, all of your women are outstanding, and the emotional bonds between you and them will very likely cause you headaches."

Tang Xiu forced out a bitter and wry smile yet again after hearing the schadenfreude sense from his own father. "Let's say that I'll take one step at a time for those emotional issues! Besides, I don't have much time to deal with it right now. With the big endeavor I need to carry out, I must seize the time to develop my forces and improve my own strength."

Tang Yunde shrugged and smilingly said, "Well, I can help with other things, but I can't help you on this one. Do your best, Sonny."

Unwilling to lengthen the topic, Tang Xiu said, "Be that as it may, there's something I need to discuss with you, Dad. Let's talk about it in the study."

"Alright!"

Tang Yunde nodded. They could talk here if it was just an ordinary issue, but since his son asked him to discuss in the study, he understood that the issues might be very important.

The 200-plus-square-meter study room had a luxurious interior and decorations. After the father and son took a seat, Tang Xiu took a cigarette box from his interspatial ring, gave Tang Yunde one and lit it, then took one for himself before opening the discussion. "Dad, we're leaving Earth for the Immortal in at most 2 years. We're going to develop ourselves there later, but there are tons of things we must accomplish here in these 2 years. The most urgent thing is to get revenge to pay off the old scores. It's time for us to repay the blood debt."

Tang Yunde's complexion shifted and he immediately asked, "You mean... you're ready to strike House Dolan?"

"Yeah, but not only House Dolan." Tang Xiu nodded. "Those top three organizations in the world as well as the world's first intelligence agency, the Darkwind. They are like evil tumors. If we don't exterminate these organizations and clans, it's very likely that they will cause a big mess in the future."

Incredulity on his face, Tang Yunde murmured, "How is it possible to achieve this, Xiu'er? Those organizations and clans have deep heritage and only one word can describe them—terrifying. Can our Tang Sect deal with these many organizations and clans at the same time?"

"Dad, let alone these organizations and clans, Tang Sect can easily conquer the whole world if they are also our enemies. Besides, there's also another purpose that I'd like to accomplish, to begin with," Tang Xiu replied confidently.

"What's that purpose, exactly?" Tang Yunde asked curiously.

"It's about the 200,000 children in the army," Tang Xiu said slowly. "They now possess formidable strength, so I need to find enemies for them to train them as soldiers. Afterward, I want to form the Tang Sect Army."

"You mean, you're going to dispatch those children to deal with the four major organizations and House Dolan?" Tang Yunde was shocked. "No! Absolutely not! They are too young, the oldest among them is just a 17-year-old teenager. You're just pushing them to their deaths if you dispatch them."

"This is something you don't understand, Dad," Tang Xiu went on. "The flowers in the greenhouse can never withstand the wind and rain. The Immortal World is anything but great. It's a brutal place with many intrigues, wars, and killings nearly everywhere. Children must undergo brutal training and fighting the moment they're able to think. That world is an inhuman place where Immortals devour each other, and only those who hone and sharpen themselves to be sharp blades can survive and live longer."

"But..."

Tang Yunde wanted to keep arguing. However, Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and said, "You also know that uncut jades are worthless, and steel won't be made without throughout tempering. The enemies we're going to face in the future are extremely powerful, and if they can't grow up quickly now, they will only meet their deaths in the future in the hands of these enemies."

"Who exactly are our enemies, Xiu'er?" asked Tang Yunde hurriedly.

Tang Xiu thought for a moment, but then slowly shook his head and said, "It's not yet the time to tell you about that, Dad. What you need to do now is to go all out to cultivate and strive to break through to a higher realm earlier. The Immortal World is the place where the strong is revered. If we don't want to get trampled and die under the enemies' butcher knife, we must seize the time to make ourselves stronger. Further, I'll also need your help on this one in the future."

Chapter 1252: The Founding of the Great Tang Empire

Tang Yunde nodded and said in a deep voice, "Blood brothers are those who can rely on when fighting a tiger; while father and son must unite when fighting in the war. I won't be your burden no matter who the enemies are. I'll fight alongside you."

"I'm looking forward to the day when you and I fight side-by-side, Dad," replied Tang Xiu with a smile.

Tang Yunde was well aware of his own strength and how fearsomely powerful his son was. He had made up his mind inwardly that he must go all out in cultivation in the future. Regardless of whether he could catch up with his son in a short time, he swore not to be left behind too far. He smoked the cigarette, tilted up his head and said, "By the way, I'll contact your two uncles immediately to tell them about this matter. They have waited for nearly 3 decades for revenge. I'll tell them to get prepped quickly."

"No, no rushing, Dad," said Tang Xiu hurriedly.

"Why?" Tang Yunde stared blankly and was bewildered.

"I fully trust the two uncles, but I can't guarantee the rest around them not serving the interest of outsiders." Tang Xiu said, "If you were to tell them situation now and their men leak it out, we can expect trouble."

"You're right." Tang Yunde nodded. "Then I'll wait for a while before telling them."

The cold breeze lingered on the vast sea, while the Nine Dragons Island was covered in warm, spring-like weather. On the third day of the secret discussion between Tang Xiu and his father, a bright moon hung in the night sky and sprayed its light to illuminate some parts of the world.

At the center of the island.

In a hall large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people, all Tang Sect disciples had been summoned back, even disciples who carrying out important missions around the world had rushed back at this time.

The meeting hall was deadly silent, and hundreds of high-ranking disciples of Tang Sect were watching Tang Xiu, who sat on the podium silently, waiting for the important announcement that was about to made by him.

Strictly speaking, it was not at all mistaken. They were all people with brains. Such a summon meant that Sect Master Tang Xiu had something important to announce since there had been no precedent of such a meeting ever since the founding of Tang Sect.

"Everyone has arrived, Grand Master."

Gu Xiaoxue, who stood by the podium, placed her right fist on her left chest and reported respectfully.

Tang Xiu slowly nodded. He then stood straight and slowly swept across everyone's faces in the hall before his eyes finally landed on Gu Yan'er's face, who then slightly nodded at him in response. Afterward, Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "There are few things I'll announce this time, and one of them is that I declare the complete disappearance of Tang Sect from now onwards!"

"What?"

The hundreds of high-ranking disciples of Tang Sect wore disbelieving faces.

"I've discussed this decision with Gu Yan'er and thus, decided to dissolve Tang Sect in order to establish a new force. From now henceforth, we will be known as the Great Tang Empire!" Tang Xiu went on in a deep voice.

"The Great Tang Empire?"

Everyone's hearts shook as their eyes fixedly stared at Tang Xiu, wanting to know what other shocking news Tang Xiu would say next.

"Further, I've decided to set a 2-year time deadline before we leave Earth for the Immortal World." Tang Xiu continued, "Therefore, it will be the flag of the Great Tang Empire that will enter the Immortal World—the place we're going to live two years later."

"Could you elaborate about the founding of the Great Tang Empire, Grand Master?" asked Gu Xiaoxue respectfully.

Tang Xiu nodded in response and said, "For now, I'll inform you about the structure of the Great Tang Empire. The empire will be divided into 6 bodies of authorities. They are, respectively: the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Political Affairs, the Ministry of Intelligence, the Ministry of Execution, the Ministry of Finance, and lastly, the Celestial Monster Pavilion.

"Next is the personnel appointment.

"The Ministry of Military Affairs consists of four major army groups, namely: Dragon, Tiger, Sparrow, and Martial Corps. Tang Guang will assume command of the Dragon Army, Mo Awu will lead the Tiger Army, Hao Lei will be the commander of the Sparrow Army, and Chen Shaohua will command the Martial Army. These four major armies will be responsible to guard the territory occupied by the Great Tang Empire in the Immortal World in the future, and they are to be stationed in the four regions in the East, South, West, and North of the territory, respectively.

"The Ministry of Political Affairs will be headed by Tang Yunpeng as the Head and Mo Awen as his Deputy. You both are responsible to manage the imperial government affairs and lead the subjects of the Great Empire into prosperity and thriving lives.

"The Ministry of Intelligence will be managed by Jin Shi and Ye Shisan, where Ye Shisan will act as a Deputy to assist Jin Shi in establishing an intelligence network. The network must be centered on the territory of the Great Tang Empire and then to be expanded in all directions. I hope that the intelligence of the Ministry of Intelligence enters all levels of society all over the Immortal World.

"Tang An will assume command of the Ministry of Execution, along with Feng Yang and Shui Gui as Deputies. Keep in mind that I need a batch of killing machines who can disappear without a trace and stay invisible. I hope that the enemies we're going to face in the future will all be neutralized by you silently.

"As for the Head of the Ministry of Finance, it will be assumed by Gu Xiaoxue, and Tang Min will act as her Deputy. You're in control of the finance and treasury of the Great Tang Empire. The empire will never develop without the assistance of enormous financial resources and treasury, so I hope that you both can manage the affairs well. You must strive not to let the Great Tang Empire lack the supply of cultivation resources.

"Lastly, Teng Nu will hold the position of the Celestial Monster Pavilion's Head along with Star Devourer Insect. The 35,680 Great Monsters will be under your command, all of whom are responsible to guard the holy land of our Great Tang Empire and to eradicate all the powerful enemies with all your power whenever we encounter a crisis."

After Tang Xiu announced up to this point, his expression became stern and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me, are you all up for these responsibilities?"

Drap...

All the people whose names were mentioned got up from their chairs and shouted:

"Yes, Sir!"

Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and continued, "I'd like to emphasize on the four Corps next. In the following days, I want all the 200,000 children soldiers to be incorporated into the four Corps. Each Corp will consist of 50,000 of them. For the next 2 years, I'll choose the enemies you're going to face as a short trail and training to showcase all your capabilities and talents. The targets are the world's top three organizations, as well as the Darkwind and House Dolan.

"I'll also set up a Commander Hall for the next 2 years to train commanders-in-chief for the Minister of Military Affairs. The four of you don't need to worry since I'll preside over the training of these people personally, and they will definitely be able to display acceptable capabilities for you."

"..."

The meeting lasted for four hours. At the end of the meeting, Gu Xiaoxue walked to the podium and respectfully said, "There are two questions I'd like to ask, Grand Master."

"Do ask," Tang Xiu nodded.

"Since we are going to establish the Great Tang Empire, we can't be just a group of people without a leader, I suppose. You've already appointed the personnel in the ranks, but no one has taken over the Sovereign position of the Great Tang Empire," Gu Xiaoxue said.

Mo Awu got up from his chair and said in a deep voice, "Gu Xiaoxue, I don't think it's necessary to ask about this issue, because Sect Master is the only person qualified to be the Sovereign of the Great Tang Empire."

"That's right!"

Hundreds of Tang Sect disciples stood up and shouted while staring at Tang Xiu enthusiastically.

Tang Xiu raised his hand and smilingly said, "We're all very close, so I won't hide it. I'll become the first Sovereign of the Great Tang Empire."

A smile appeared on Gu Xiaoxue's mouth, then she said aloud smilingly, "Since our Great Tang Empire already has an Emperor, then should we also have the Emperor Harem Palace?"

The eyes of Su Lingyun, who was sitting on a chair in the conference hall, suddenly lit up. She looked at Gu Xiaoxue's expression and a joyful look slowly appeared on her face. As she got up and went towards Gu Xiaoxue, she gently hugged her and seriously said, "We won't interfere too much with your relationship affairs and whatnot, Xiu'er. But I'm still your mother, and I've been hoping to see you get married. An Emperor will need wives and concubines since we need a male offspring, to begin with."

"This..."

Tang Xiu glared at Gu Xiaoxue angrily, but his expression quickly turned into a bitter one as he replied to his mother with a forced smile. "Mother, this is an issue we need to discuss privately in the future."

"No. You also know what an empire means, don't you?" Su Lingyun replied categorically, "An empire must have an emperor, a chamber of imperial wives and concubines, and male offspring who will inherit the empire in the future. Xiu'er, if you don't have time to solve the harem problem, then leave it to Mom. Rest assured, Mom won't find you women randomly, but those who are willing to follow you in life and death. You must give these women who have been with you a legal status and you must never abandon them!"

Tang Xiu fell into silence since he was well aware that his mother was right. These women had been with him over the years silently. They kept supporting him without any complaints or regrets, even regarding his life as higher than their own. Now that the empire had been founded, he would indeed cross the line if he didn't give them legal status.

Tang Xiu slowly raised his head and said, "I'm willing to give this status, Mother. We'll have a proper discussion about this issue later."

"My daughter-in-law needs my approval." Su Lingyun insisted. "Xiu'er, you're a man who has accomplished and keeps doing big things, so I'm going to help you solve this issue. I'll never give status to those who are not your woman, but I must give it to those who have become your soul mates."

"..."

Tang Xiu was really unable to refute. He didn't want to disobey his mother's intentions, either. Although he didn't want his mother to intervene in this matter, he was well aware of how bad he was in dealing with these relationship issues. Finally, he could only give his consent on this matter perfunctorily.

However, he secretly made up his mind that if his mother were to find some unfamiliar women besides those whom he was familiar with, he would never agree to accept them.

The meeting then ended and he left tons of trivial matters to Gu Yan'er and Gu Xiaoxue since he needed to take Mo Awu and the rest to organize the four major corps.

****

The moon sent its misted moonlight.

In the living room on the second floor of the palace, Su Lingyun held Gu Xiaoxue's hand. A smile was hanging on her graceful face as she said, "Xiaoxue, you're really my best child. Had you not finally stood up on this matter, I'm afraid that stupid boy would keep feeling reluctant to solve his problems with his women until now. Alas, it would have been great if you were also my daughter-in-law."

Gu Xiaoxue's smiling face suddenly froze, but an extraordinary splendor suddenly glittered in her eyes. Tang Xiu's and Gu Yan'er's faces kept appearing in her mind and triggered a struggle in her heart. Finally, after the continuous alternations in her feelings, she gritted her teeth and said, "In actuality, I'd love it if I can."

Chapter 1253: Candidates with Ulterior Motives

"Ehh? Come again?"

Su Lingyun zoned out for a moment and her eyes turned wide. As she saw Gu Xiaoxue lower her head and blush from ear to ear, she suddenly realized something, patted her hand and laughed. "Hehehe, great, great, great. Xiaoxue, it's truly a blessing for Xiu'er to think that he can obtain your care."

Having said that, she immediately took the red register book next to her and wrote Gu Yan'er's name on the first page, and then Gu Xiaoxue's on the second page.

"I..."

Gu Xiaoxue's mouth opened, but she swallowed back what she wanted to say.

Putting down the register book, Su Lingyun then looked up at Gu Xiaoxue and said, "I understand your concerns, Xiaoxue. Xiu'er is your Grand Master according to seniority. However, I think those who cultivate on the path of immortality don't need to stick to such a trivial thing anymore. Your Master can become Xiu'er's woman, so why can't you? I, too, have always thought that hierarchical seniority was important, but now I understand that as long as you sincerely love someone, what does it matter the gap in generations when it comes to someone you love? Just put down the concern in your heart, I'll speak to Yan'er later."

"En!" Gu Xiaoxue lowered her head while her face turned redder.

Su Lingyun grabbed her hand and smilingly said, "Xiaoxue, the reason I called you is that I need you to give me some recommendations to write some names in this register. You're quite close to Xiu'er, so you should know some of them."

Gu Xiaoxue hesitated before nodding gently. "I do know some of them."

Su Lingyu's eyes lit up. She immediately nodded and said, "Tell me. I'll write their names here."

"Kang Xia, Mu Wanying, and Ouyang Lulu. You should also know the relationship between these three with Grand Master," Gu Xiaoxue said.

While registering the names, Su Lingyun said, "Don't address Xiu'er as Grand Master anymore, Xiaoxue. Just call his name directly. I know these three girls and am very familiar with them too. Who else aside from them?"

"Xue Yu," Gu Xiaoxue added.

Su Lingyun's smile became a bit thicker as she wrote Xue Yu's name on the sixth page. She then asked again, "Are there more?"

Gu Xiaoxue hesitated for a moment and then said, "Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinyue."

Su Lingyun wrote their names on the seventh and eighth pages. Then, she nodded and said, "I love those twin sisters. I do. Xinya used to be a big star and quite a famous goddess in the eyes of many people. I heard that Xinyue is also an outstanding woman. She found and runs her own business and earns herself a great life. Do you know anyone else?"

Gu Xiaoxue shook her head and said, "I have no idea about the others."

Su Lingyun nodded contentedly and then said, "Eight candidates. Even though the number is a far cry compared to the Three Palaces and Six Chambers which housed 72 imperial concubines in ancient times, it's already a lot for Xiu'er."

Suddenly, the door was knocked and a small head poked out. When the female saw Su Lingyun and Gu Xiaoxue inside, a bright smile appeared on the delicate and lovely face and she pushed the door and walked inside. After quickly approaching Su Lingyu, she chuckled and said, "Auntie, I went to Europe a few days ago and bought a Chanel bag for you. Please take a look and see whether you like it."

Went to Europe and bought a Chanel bag a few days ago?

Su Lingyun and Gu Xiaoxue exchanged glances, and both of them were at a loss whether they had to cry or laugh. Andy had been on Nine Dragon Islands for more than half a year. How come she went to Europe a few days ago? That was simply nonsense, though that Chanel bag was indeed beautiful.

Su Lingyun and Gu Xiaoxue held back their urges to chuckle and smile. They could see, Andy's face that clearly portrayed her "ulterior motive". Su Lingyun just received the handbag from her and happily nodded with a smile. "That's very nice of you. This is a beautiful bag, and many others will definitely envy me when I go shopping later. Thanks, Andy."

"Please, nevermind it. It's just my filial piety towards you," Andy hurriedly said.

Filial piety? Well, it does look like filial piety.

Thinking about it deeply with a happy mood, Su Lingyun then said, "Well, I'm currently discussing the list of candidates for Xiu'er's harem, Andy. I've already written Kang Xia's name. Do you have any other name I can list?"

Andy hurriedly squatted and held Su Lingyun's name and replied smilingly, "Why don't you write my name, Auntie? It'd be my pleasure to have my name listed."

"Pfft... Hahaha..."

Su Lingyun couldn't help laughing out loud, while Gu Xiaoxue was at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh, looking at Andy with admiration.

She's really bold, daring to love and face regret alike!

In this regard, Gu Xiaoxue admitted that she was really far from being Andy's match.

Su Lingyun grabbed the register with a smile and wrote Andy's name on the ninth page. Then, she smilingly asked, "How about now? Are you now happy?"

"Uh, en, en, en. So glad and satisfied. Thanks, Mom." A bright smile plastered Andy's exquisite and lovely face as she nodded repeatedly.

Mom?

The happy smile on Su Lingyun's face became more brilliant, while Gu Xiaoxue next to her secretly raised her thumbs up when Su Lingyun didn't notice. Such a quick change of addressing... that was so goddamn fast!

After a while, Andy left the room happily and the door was knocked again when Gu Xiaoxue was about to leave.

Wearing her usual black robe but without her usual mask, Tang An walked inside with her supple black hair fluttering and brought a bowl of Eight Precious Lotus Seed soup. As she casually came to Su Lingyun's front, she gently glanced at Gu Xiaoxue, smiled, and then spoke to Su Lingyun softly, "I haven't seen you having dinner tonight, so I brought this Eight Precious Lotus Seed soup for you from the kitchen. Would you like to have it?"

Having said that, however, Tang An's blushed a bit.

Su Lingyun cast a suspicious look and hesitated. "Who are you, Miss?"

"I'm Tang An," Tang An replied softly.

Tang An?

Although Su Lingyun had seen Tang An many times, this was her first time seeing her true face. She never dreamed that Tang An was such a peerless, soul-stirring beauty.

However, the first thought that came to Su Lingyun's mind was, pity. Such a beautiful girl, yet she had never dressed up properly and always wore a black robe and even put on a bronze mask on her face.

"Alright, I'll drink it. I am especially fond of this Eight Precious Lotus Seed soup."

It was just not long ago since Su Lingyu had a meal, but she didn't reveal to Tang An and took the bowl of soup and drank half of it before she put it on the tea table. Afterward, she grabbed Tang An's hand and pulled her to sit next to her. Her other hand took the register book and then asked in a soft voice, "There are nine names already written on this register. Would you like me to add your name to it?"

Tang An tilted up her head and secretly glanced at Gu Xiaoxue. The latter wore a playful and teasing look on her face and made her heart weaken. She immediately lowered her head and blushed from ear to ear and then slightly nodded.

Su Lingyun's smile was especially brilliant, and she opened the tenth page to write Tang An's name on it. Then, she smilingly said, "Call me Mother later, got it?"

"En!"

The redness on Tang An's face turned redder just like a fiery glowing sun as she nodded gently. Suddenly, she looked up at Su Lingyun and said, "Mother... C-could you write another name?"

"Whose name?" Su Lingyun was puzzled.

"Gong Wan'er," Tang An said.

Su Lingyun was surprised. "Do Gong Wan'er and Xiu'er have this kind of..."

"No. But the feelings can be developed slowly in the future." Tang An shook her head and said, "However, Gong Wan'er's constitution is very special and will be very beneficial to Grand Master's cultivation."

"Did she give her consent on this matter, though?" Su Lingyun hesitated.

"I've talked with her about this matter and she also likes Grand Master very much," Tang An said. "She said that she has never seen a better man than Grand Master in her life."

"If so, then I'll put her on the list too," Su Lingyun said. "But Little An, you're not to address Xiu'er as Grand Master again later. Just call his name directly."

"About this... a-alright." Tang An gently nodded.

A few minutes later, after Tang An left, Gu Xiaoxue, who had long endured her hot, embarrassed feeling, saying, "Mother, would you like to rest or would you like me to stay with you to chat?"

"That's exactly my intention, child." Su Lingyun chuckled and said, "Well, Andy and Tang An have come. I wonder who is going to come next."

Outside the palace.

Kuwako had obviously spent time dressing up intentionally. Her long gown fluttered and she put on various jewelry as she stood at the front door of the place. Being stared at by the two guards outside the door, she couldn't help but feel a hot, burning feeling on her face, wishing that she could find a burrow to drill into and hide.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, her expression shifted and she looked at a beautiful woman whose beauty could ruin a country. The belle who just came out from the inside made her feel incredulous. The aura of this peerless beauty was quite erratic at this time and turned out to be... Tang An?

She...

Kuwako blocked Tang An's path and asked, "Aren't you Tang An?"

"Yeah!" Tang An gently nodded.

Kuwako's eyes shifted to the interior behind the palace's door and hesitated. Then, she asked, "You were inside... for..."

"Registration..."

Tang An replied lightly with one word. Her figure then flickered and she instantly vanished.

Register?

Kuwako seemed to become aware of something and no longer hesitated. She flew into the palace and then came to the second floor. Just as she was about to stop an envoy inside to inquire Su Lingyun's whereabouts, she suddenly noticed Viviani standing on the corridor.

"You too..."

Kuwako came to Viviani and asked in surprise.

"Uh, I'm a bit scared." Viviani forced a smile.

How could Kuwako not have any fear? Just a while ago, she kept holding on for a few minutes, standing outside the palace door and hesitating. If it wasn't for Tang An, she wouldn't have the courage to come inside. Looking at the bitter and forced smile on Viviani's face, Kuwako suddenly felt certain about something and let out a smile. Afterward, she pulled her hand and said, "Actually, I'm also a bit scared just like you. But Tang An has been here, do you think we still need to feel scared?"

"But... what if... Sect... he's not... interested in us. What should we do?" Viviani hesitated.

"I've long observed and inquired his stance on this matter. He never actively pursued any woman, whether they are Kang Xia, Ouyang Lulu, Mu Wanying, or Xue Yu. They were all the ones who seized the initiative to pursue him. If they can do it, why can't we? Besides, I don't think we lose out to them be it our looks, figures, bearings, and cultivation levels, to begin with."

Chapter 1254: Mischievous Stunts

In the living room, Su Lingyun and Gu Xiaoxue had stopped chatting. Both of them had quite a remarkable cultivation level, so they could clearly hear the conversation in the corridor outside. Gu Xiaoxue herself was even able to distinguish the two familiar voices belonging to Kuwako and Viviani.

Creak...

The door was gently knocked twice before it was pushed open from the outside. As Kuwako and Viviani appeared at the door, Su Lingyun got up with a bright smile on her gorgeous face. The two females then came to her and she smilingly said, "I overheard you. You both are good girls, and none of you is worse than the rest of them. I myself am very happy for Xiu'er since he got the love from you both."

"Auntie..."

Kuwako opened her mouth but was unable to say anything due to shyness.

While holding their hands, Su Lingyun smilingly said, "You don't need to say more. I already know what you have been harboring in mind. Later on, you both should also call me Mother just like the rest."

"This..."

Kuwako and Viviani looked at each other and eventually called Mother intimately.

With a beaming, happy face, Su Lingyun said, "You both are also my daughters-in-law since you called me Mother. I won't discriminate any of you based on your nationality or race. From now on, you both are the mothers of the Great Tang Empire as well."

Having said that, she loosened her grip on their hands, took the register and then wrote their names.

After a while, the two females left with happy faces.

Su Lingyun watched their backs as they left and closed the door. Afterward, she turned to Gu Xiaoxue and smilingly said, "Xiaoxue, Xiu'er is really blessed in this life as he can get the love from outstanding girls like you. Relax. Mom will definitely teach him well if he bullies you in the future."

Finding herself a formidable backer all of a sudden, Gu Xiaoxue chuckled and grinningly said, "I'll also treat Tang Xiu well, Mother."

The moment after, Su Lingyun and Gu Xiaoxue stayed in the living room for three hours more before they left since no one else came.

In a forested hill under the moonlight.

Kang Xia was sitting and leaning on a tree with her arms hugging her legs. A faint smile painted her face while Tang Xiu sat cross-legged next to her on a big bluestone wearing a complex expression.

"Why the long face?" asked Kang Xia as she took back her vision from the palace and turned to Tang Xiu.

"You think I should be happy with how things are happening?" Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, "I owe so many sentiments and love. I dunno how I should repay these debts in the future. And Mom makes it worse, making me more depressed with her mischievous stunts. Why would she open such registration, and what makes it different from those Emperors of ancient times?"

"You tell me." Kang Xia grinningly teased. "The founding of the Great Empire itself and with you as the Sovereign, which one is any different from those Emperors in ancient times?"

Tang Xiu rolled his eyes in response and snappily said, "Of course it's different. Big time, actually. Those ancient feudalists regarded women as a second-class group, while some men with unremarkable capital can still have a larger number of wives and concubines, following their emperors, who housed their wives and concubines in three palaces and six chambers. What age we're living now and why should we retain such an idea? Marrying so many women will definitely make me die twisted and exhausted, no?"

"Pfft... hehehe."

Kang Xia mockingly grinned and laughed at it in response. "You know, you really got it cheap and convenient for you, right?"

"Be that as it may, I still really don't want to have such convenience," Tang Xiu reluctantly said.

Kang Xiu's smile receded and she seriously said, "Don't tell me you don't get why Mother is solving your love life problems? She understands how big the endeavor you're going to shoulder is, so she's making a quick cut to clear up the mess with your love life. She is willing to help you give a status to the women who like and care about you into your harem. She even went so far as to help you directly exclude some other women who don't deserve it."

As a smart man, it wasn't like Tang Xiu was unable to understand the situation. It was also the reason he gave his consent to his mother to solve this matter and just took a wait-and-see stance.

And yet, how come Andy, Tang An, Gong Wan'er, Viviani, and Kuwako were also included? Even Gu Xiaoxue must also be included on the list. Isn't that the same as pulling out some mischievous stunts?

Suddenly, he turned to look at Kang Xia and asked, "Don't tell me you're not disturbed by this all?"

"I'll be lying if I say I don't feel anything." Kang Xia shook her head and went on, "Everyone has some degree of selfishness, especially when it comes to partners. But I'm perfectly aware of how brilliant and dazzling you are. You're too brilliant, it's impossible to have you for my own. But no matter how unwilling, bitter, and painful it is for me, I can only suppress such feelings and hold back. I don't want to lose you. I can only hope there's a place for me in your heart—what I'm sure they have in mind as well."

Tang Xiu gently raised his hand as a wisp of energy wrapped Kang Xia, who didn't resist, and pulled her into his arms. He raised her arms and stroked her soft beautiful hair gently and said with an apologetic, guilty face, "I'm sorry for everything."

"You don't need to be sorry to me or anyone else." Kang Xia shook her head and said, "It's a choice all of us made and has nothing to do with you. However, I admit that aside from being your woman, I also want to become a medicine for you."

"What do you mean?" Tang Xiu's hand stopped and a bewildered look appeared on his handsome face.

Leaning gently on Tang Xiu's chest, Kang Xia softly said, "I've long been aware that you've been wounded deep inside, so I want to turn myself into a medicine that can heal your broken heart. If... I mean... if you still can't let it go, you can still go look for her. I know how deep she has been engraved in your heart that even a dozen of us added up won't be enough to compare to her position in your heart."

Tang Xiu's complexion turned frosty and he shook his head. "Kang Xia, I've already cleared up my mind on this matter. The love I had for her was gone the moment she ambushed me, and what's left is regret... and hatred. I've already cut a line between me and her from the moment I told her that I'll walk on my own as does she on her own path. We'll never go back and never have any intersection anymore."

Kang Xia looked up, and her bright eyes stared at Tang Xiu fixedly and emphasized each and every word as she spoke, "Then from where that hate comes from if you don't love her anymore? You have too soft of a heart, especially when you face your former love. You just simply can't let it go. You wouldn't have been thinking about revenge, forming a force, and returning to the Immortal World otherwise. Besides, do you know what I like most about you?"

"What?" Tang Xiu deeply frowned but didn't argue.

"It's your kindness, though it's most likely due to your tender and soft heart," Kang Xia said. "You would have stabbed her heart with your sword already the moment you figured out all the reasons. You would've definitely scattered her soul and made her forever vanish from your heart."

Is this... what it really turns out to be?

Tang Xiu spaced out and looked blank. A complicated look appeared in his eyes and grew more intense the longer this thought filled his mind. It was something he was reluctant to admit, yet he was perfectly aware of how true it was as this was truly the genuine portrayal harbored in his heart. There was... indeed a part of his heart that could... never let her go...

The affection that had lasted for millenniums and all the good things that had happened between them was something that seemed to have been branded deep inside his heart. All those memories had become the lasting marks in his heart which he could never able to erase no matter how hard he tried.

"I'm going back to China after some time," Tang Xiu suddenly said.

"Do you want me to accompany you?" asked Kang Xia.

"No." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "I'm not just taking a break during my return to the mainland this time, but I also need to see the progress of the base being built by the Chinese authority. If anything, I may not be able to do much, but at least before I leave, I hope I can see that humanity on Earth has the ability to protect themselves when facing enemies in the future, no matter how minuscule it is."

"I'm also updated with this base in China," Kang Xia replied. "Duanmu Lin is presiding over the site and the progress is great since authorities have been mobilizing all the state apparatus for the operation and continuously transporting a large number of materials there. Our Magnificent Tang Corporation just provided 10 billion US dollars last year to aid the country. If my guess is correct, the first starship should be built soon."

"What about confidentiality?" Tang Xiu asked.

"The secrecy measures have been perfected and each group from the army has assigned an elite force to establish Shadow Guards to be stationed in nearly every corner of the country." Kang Xia went on, "Other than that, our intel department has been secretly monitoring the situation and providing assistance in the dark. No country has noticed this base in China, though the rivalries between China and various countries all over the world have been growing more intense for the last three years. Especially after the Aeroglider was sold on the market, various countries began eyeing the high-tech technology of the Magnificent Tang Corporation."

"I've long expected such a situation, though," Tang Xiu said.

"Well, even though the struggles between China and other countries in the world have been intensifying, the cultivation forces in other countries became very wary of Chinese practitioners, especially after our Tang Sect destroyed the Celestial Wizard Clan and made them rather afraid. Hence, it caused the intel operatives infiltrated in China to stay very low-key and reduced in strength."

"As the adage says, it's difficult for a mountain to accommodate two tigers or more," Tang Xiu said. "Earth is so small yet it has 200 countries, give or take. The number of countries is just ridiculous and against the natural law of survival for higher civilizations, to begin with. What I can do is make China formidable and become the most powerful country in the world and able to control the fate of mankind on Earth in the future. If in the future those who hold the power in China are far-sighted, broad-minded, and are able to disregard the division in nationality and races, mankind could finally form a new system of power that can unite the entire humanity on Earth and completely integrate to form a new and solid higher civilization system."

Kang Xia hesitated and asked, "Are we... really not coming back here in the future?"

"We will be able to come back, though it won't be doable so soon," Tang Xiu said. "Maybe it will take us centuries, several millenniums, or tens of thousands of years. No one knows what the future holds."

Chapter 1255: Back to Shanghai

Time slipped away and passed quickly.

Half a month after Tang Sect changed its name to Great Tang Empire, Tang Xiu felt like his daily life became deeply harrowing. The harem registration stunt his mother pulled and the names of the ladies listed on it had been spread out and known to all members of the Great Tang Empire.

The most distressing part was the fact that even the lady protagonists stated on different occasions and at different times that it was a great honor for them to be registered as harem members of the Great Tang Empire.

There were also some others involved. But one that Tang Xiu had never imagined was Gong Wan'er. She made a statement that she would be faithful and follow the man she married no matter who he was, and getting married to the Sovereign was truly a blessing. Thus, the sudden appearance of the Great Tang Empire's 13 first ladies.

During the last half a month, Tang Xiu spent his daytime busy forming four major regiments and carried out the drills and instructions for them on a daily basis, whereas he spent the nights accompanying the ladies. Even if he just accompanied them and did nothing else, he couldn't help but feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

I gotta run away.

Eventually, he finally gave in and just left a message to Gu Yan'er and hurriedly set off to Shanghai on a plane. The airport on Nine Dragons Island had been improved during the last 2 years' development and even flight routes from various countries had been running for some time. Therefore, Tang Xiu no longer had to take a flight from Saipan.

In a private jet flying amid the clouds, Tang Xiu sipped fine wine with a slight smile on the corner of his mouth. Only now could he finally relax.

"Master."

Tang Alang came out of the cockpit while holding a thermos pot and put it in front of Tang Xiu. A grin on his face, he said, "Madam Xiaoxue said that porridge works well for stomach and must be served and eaten early. She also said that taking the soup will be great for your body, so Madam Xiaoxue added some congee, saying that not only will it scrape off your fat but also nourish your body and health. That's right, she also said that you've worked hard for half a month and there are some medicines for your kidney added in the Eight Precious Lotus Seed soup as well. She said that it will be very great for you."

Working hard?

Tang Xiu could only feel his scalp going numb. Thinking about it, he indeed worked hard for half a month. Especially because of Kang Xia, Ouyang Lulu, Mu Wanying, and Xue Yu. These four women who accompanied him for four nights and simply turned into hungry wolves and tigers.

"Put this matter off, got it?!"

Tang Xiu then took an array manual he had recently written from the interspatial ring and gave it to Tang Alang. Then, he said, "You've studied the Art of War and familiarized yourself with battle tactics carried out in wars on Earth since ancient times. However, you're also a cultivator, so I'm taking you this time to relax and forget all those battle strategies in your head for a while to prepare to learn the warfare in the Immortal World. This is a record of battle formations and arrays you will be studying later. You need to be proficient in various skills, and array formation is a very important field to study if you want to be the commander of the army."

Tang Ahlang received the arrays manual and took a seat in front of Tang Xiu. After skimming two or three pages, his delicate face looked happy and pleasantly surprised. He had been diligently and tirelessly studying over the past three years, especially in regards to warfare in ancient times and modern times on Earth. Occasionally, he also stayed in the Library Pavilion to read books about arrays and battle formations, so he had a fair bit of knowledge on this aspect.

Yet, he was sure that this battle formation manual was absolutely more profound than its counterparts in the Nine Dragons Island's Library Pavilion.

****

Shanghai Airport.

Right as Tang Xiu stepped out of the cabin's door, he saw two cars parked near the ladder. Four big men came out of the cars the moment the doors opened and a smart and capable-looking female in a white suit came out.

The female's name was Gao Beilei and she was the current General Manager of Magnificent Tang Corporation. She was the person Kang Xia and Ouyang Lulu had repeatedly invited to join previously—a professional manager from the United States' Wall Street.

Tang Xiu himself had never met her in person. But he could recognize her at a glance since he had seen her photo.

"Boss!"

The four big men greeted respectfully as Tang Xiu stepped down the ladder.

Gao Beilei quietly observed Tang Xiu. She had long been curious about this young man. She knew that the famous Kang Xia, as well as her good friend Ouyang Lulu, were this young man's woman, while to her, this young man was her Boss.

"Hello, Boss. I'm Gao Beilei."

Tang Xiu stretched his hand out to shake hands with her, loosened it and then said, "This should be our first meeting. I'm glad you can join the Magnificent Tang Corporation and work for the company. I should give you a gift for this first meeting."

Having said that, he took a jade pendant from his interspatial ring and handed it to her. "Put this on starting today. It will be great for you."

Gao Beilei stared blankly. She didn't expect that the Boss would present her a gift directly the first time she met him. However, after thinking for a while, she received it and smilingly said, "This is a quite late first meeting gift, isn't it, Boss? But it's quite interesting, regardless. I've been working for two and a half years for the Magnificent Tang Corporation and I never thought that it would take such a long time to meet the Big Boss. This would be quite an unbelievable story if the other business people around the world were to hear it."

Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "Well, let's just say that I don't care much about things in the market, so I let Kang Xia handle it and left everything in her hands. Regardless, I hold the same trust in you since they trust you too. Let's set off. It's been more than 2 years since the company's HQ was moved to Shanghai. I've never been there before."

Gao Beilei nodded with a smile and personally opened the car's door for Tang Xiu. After Tang Xiu took a seat, she pondered for a moment and finally decided to sit in the front seat. She had learned about Tang Xiu through various channels for the last two and half a years. Although she dared not say that she really understood Tang Xiu, she still knew a fair deal about him.

Further, Tang Xiu was also one of the few people around the world she admired. After all, he was able to create the Magnificent Tang Corporation before his twenties. He even had the ability to pull Kang Xia to work for him. Aside from that, nearly all the products produced by the Magnificent Tang Corporation came from his hands, all of which could cause a huge sensation in the business sector.

As of today, the Magnificent Tang Corporation's assets had already exceeded 1 trillion yuan. But what she admired the most was the set of rules Tang Xiu made previously and his decision not to list the company. Otherwise, the company's valuation could have been 10 times greater than its current valuation today.

"Would you like to have a meal first, Boss? Or would you like to see the financial statement? But your visit is rather sudden, so the Financial Department can only provide the financial statement from last year, as we have yet to compile the statement for this year." Sitting on the front seat, Gao Beilei turned and asked.

"Nah. I'm not interested." Tang Xiu waved and said, "It's fine as long as the company can make enough money for me to spend. Let's have a meal first before heading to the industrial park. I also need to tend to some other things afterward. Anyways, Mo Yi should be in the industrial park too, right? Has he been well in recent years?"

"Professor Mo has indeed been working in the research institute inside the industrial park." Gao Beilei nodded and said, "His health is great, and he keeps looking younger even though he has a very heavy workload and schedule."

"That's great to hear." Tang Xiu nodded.

The two cars left the airport and entered the highway less than 10 minutes after. Tang Xiu then saw the new sight in the surrounding in the sky. Many people were standing on Aerogliders and flying fast. Some were flying alone, some looked like couples, and husbands and wives hugging or holding hands while flying. Further, the interesting thing was that they were flying on certain flight routes and followed fixed routes above the roads. After a few minutes of observation, he saw at least hundreds of people flying on Aerogliders, but to his surprise, none of them left the flying routes above the roads.

"So, how were the sales of the Aeroglider?" Tang Xiu took back his vision and asked.

"It's been great even though the Aeroglider sales are kind of limited due to the limited number of the product." Gao Beilei nodded and explained, "Yet, the price is very high due to that as well, and we can only sell 1 million units annually. Thus, we only sold 2 million units in the last 2 years at home. We exported 20 million units overseas, so a total of 40 million units have been sold in two years. So far, the total number of the first generation Aeroglider sold by our company is 42 million units."

Tang Xiu was secretly dumbstruck since he himself didn't expect that the Aeroglider's sales volume would be this high. The revenue earned from selling 42 million units was simply an astronomical figure.

"By the way, what about the joint venture between us and Jin Xingkui?" Tang Xiu suddenly asked.

"It has been finalized. The final net income is of 9.1 billion yuan," Gao Beilei answered. "However, I decided not to withdraw the funds and invested in the new project instead. The new project itself has been starting to sell and the funds are flowing back. Jin Xingkui's Jinda Estate just transferred 4.5 billion last night, while it is expected that they will gradually pay us a total amount of about 20 billion within the next 2 months."

Tang Xiu nodded in response. He didn't care about these numbers and just asked casually since he remembered Jin Xingkui a moment ago.

Gao Beilei turned and narrowed her eyes when she saw Tang Xiu fall into silence. After thinking for a while, she said, "Boss, our company is actually a bit short of money recently."

"Come again?"

Tang Xiu couldn't believe his ears for a moment. The Magnificent Tang Corporation was definitely a money-making machine, yet... how could it be short of money now?

Gao Beilei forced a smile and said, "The company's monthly revenue is calculated and summed up at the end of the month before the final statement is summarized. Except for the 10% monthly overhead of the company, the rest of the money is transferred. It's due to a big project I just started recently, so the company is now short of funds."

"What project is it exactly?" Tang Xiu asked curiously.

He originally thought that the Magnificent Tang Corporation's coffer was brimming with money, so he could receive quite a big amount of money every day. It was rather unexpected to hear that the company was short of funds right as he returned to Shanghai and met the company's General Manager.

Chapter 1256: The Future Destiny of Magnificent Tang Corporation

 

"It's a tourism project. I gave the proposal to start this project to Kang Xia two months ago." Gao Beilei explained, "She and the executives of the company have discussed the project and approved it given the potential it offers. But we are kind of short of some funds needed when we were about to start the project recently. I was going to ask Kang Xia about it, but I didn't expect you to come back suddenly."

"How much this tourism project cost, exactly?" asked Tang Xiu.

Gao Beilei answered, "According to the previous budget, we lack..."

Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her bluntly and said, "I don't need to hear the previous budget. What I asked was the total investment of this project. How much is it?"

"About 80 billion yuan," Gao Beilei said.

Huff...

Tang Xiu couldn't help but take a deep breath. The tourism project that needed 80 billion yuan was something he never expected, so he couldn't help but immediately ask, "Brief me about this tourism project first."

"It's because the government wants to develop the Heavenly Spring Island in the South China Sea. In order to attract investors and businesses there, the state held a tender, and the Magnificent Tang Corporation won the tender, whereas the 80 billion is the funds needed to develop the entire island. The senior executives of the company and I have conducted the analysis. If we can develop this Heavenly Spring Island in the South China Sea in its entirety, we can make it into a dream-like scenic tourist site that can attract tourists from all over the world. All in all, this is a long-term investment that will continue generating revenue for the company in the future."

Tang Xiu pondered about it for a while and then directly took out his mobile phone. After dialing a cell number and his call was picked up, he chuckled and softly said, "How is the business going, Brother Miao?"

"Brother Tang, you've really... damn, it's been 3 years! I've never seen nor received a call from you for the whole goddamned 3 years! I've been looking for you, and I was told that you went into seclusion god knows where for cultivation and you can't contact me. Yet, the very first thing you ask me after I've been waiting for your call is about my business? Dammit, can't you at least tell me you miss me or something else?" Miao Wentang's grunt came from the phone. He sounded bitter.

"Hahaha. Okay, okay, my fault. I admit it." Tang Xiu couldn't help laughing and said, "Anyways, though. I do miss you, Brother Miao, so can we talk about business now?"

"You! Dammit! Alright, spill it out. What business do you want to talk to me about?" Miao Wentang grunted yet again from the phone.

"It's about Heavenly Spring Island. 160 billion yuan ready for sale. Are you interested to take the offer?" Tang Xiu asked.

"Come again? How much?" Miao Wentang's voice exclaimed from the phone.

"160 billion," Tang Xiu said.

"Brother Tang, you actually practiced the credo of brothers are brothers but business is business, didn't you?" Miao Wentang's bitter voice replied, "I know the Magnificent Tang Corporation took over the island for some billions of yuan, yet you wanna sell it to me for 160 billion? Do you think your Brother Miao is a loaded moneybag or something?"

"Hey, hey, listen to me first, will you?" Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "My company did get the Heavenly Spring Island for some billions, but you also know the value of this island is likely more than just some billions, no? It's not like we brothers can make it more by striving hard together, don't you think?"

"Ah, so that's what you mean!" Miao Wentang nodded and sighed. "You can be counted as the biggest Boss in Shanghai now, Brother. Maybe it will only take you a few years before going further as the biggest personage in the country. Given how fast you've been climbing up, you can even reach the peak soon. Alright then, tell me everything you wanna say, Brother Tang!"

"If you have 160 billion yuan, my company will be responsible for making Heavenly Spring Island into one of the world's top tourist areas. Given the long-term development trend, this island will definitely become a super money-making machine later."

Miao Wentang pondered for a while and then asked, "I won't ask the trivialities, Brother Tang. But there's one thing I need to ask you. Are you really that sure Heavenly Spring Island will become the world's top tourist area and become a money-making machine?"

"You got my guarantee on that," Tang Xiu replied bluntly.

After a few minutes of pondering, Miao Wentang slowly said, "Brother Tang, although the Miao Group has been developing rapidly in recent years, my company's total assets are still less than 50 billion. It's just impossible for me to provide 160 billion yuan. How about you contact a few more people? Or wait until I contact some people to develop this Heavenly Spring Island together? We can share in this regard, I think."

Tang Xiu thought about it and said, "Alright, then I'll pull some strings to build the bridge! What do you think of Long Zhengyu, Jin Xingkui, Gu Changmin, Zhang Yueming, Beijing's Bao Family, and Brother Shao Mingzhen?"

"I'm familiar with the Long Group and got no issue with Brother Shao since I have cooperation with them." Miao Wentang thought for a while and went on, "I'm also familiar with Jin Xingkui, Gu Changmin, and Zhang Yueming, so I won't have a problem cooperating with them either. But I'm not too familiar with Beijing's Bao Family at all."

After listening to Miao Wentang's concerns, Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "Well, Bai Tao is my friend, and the Baos are a bunch of people we can get along with. However, I still think that all of us added up to provide 160 billion yuan would still affect our primary businesses, so I'll introduce you to one person from another family from Beijing. He's Qin Shaoyang from the Qin Family."

"Ah, I know about them. The Qins of Beijing indeed have strong financial resources and a good reputation in the business community." Miao Wentang replied, "I think it's feasible now, Brother Tang."

"You take the leader position then!" Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "Anyway, I'll be staying in Shanghai for at least a week. Let's talk more about this when you come over, okay?"

"Got it!"

Miao Wentang nodded even though he was speaking on the phone. He had been acquainted with Tang Xiu for more than 5 years and thought that he knew Tang Xiu very well and had a deep trust in him. He believed that Tang Xiu wouldn't make them suffer a loss since he was the one who proposed this Heavenly Spring Island project in the South China Sea.

After hanging up, Tang Xiu looked up at Gao Beilei at the side and immediately asked with a smile, "You think this is very accidental and feel surprised, don't you?"

"Yeah, very unexpected!" Gao Beilei nodded.

"The Magnificent Tang Corporation only has one significant trait in its existence, which is to accumulate money fast and not to make money in the long term." Tang Xiu chuckled and explained. "All in all, our credo is how to make the most money in the shortest time. You can say that putting out 80 billion yuan for long-term investment is completely at the opposite side of my philosophy."

"I don't get you, Boss. According to the current development trend of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, it's possible for our company to be the largest company in the world." Gao Beilei frowned. "Why are you... so shortsighted?"

"It's not that I'm shortsighted, but rather I have my own plans and intentions," Tang Xiu said. "I just said that the Magnificent Tang Corporation is just a tool for me to amass money, with which I can gather the most money within the shortest time. Not to mention the Heavenly Spring Island in the South China Sea, even the Magnificent Tang Company will only take out some shares and hand over the entire company to the country two years later."

Gao Beilei was shaken, and incredulity painted her eyes and face. She hurriedly asked, "Why? What exactly do you want to achieve by doing this?"

"I have my reasons, so don't ask me more," Tang Xiu lightly replied. "What you have to do in the next two years is to make as much money as possible for me and enough money for yourself. Once the two-year deadline is up, I'll give you 10% of the shares in the company. At that time, whether you're still in charge of the company or just want to enjoy your life, you just need to wait for dividends later."

Gasp...

Despite having a tough character, Gao Beilei couldn't help but gasp after hearing Tang Xiu's statement as a storm raged inside her heart.

10% shares? Just the current valuation of the Magnificent Tang Company's total assets alone was amounted to 1 trillion yuan, give or take. 10% of the shares was equal to 100 billion.

And Tang Xiu just gave her 100 billion yuan so casually? Why?

Gao Beilei, who always thought that she was very intelligent with her high IQ, was bewildered by Tang Xiu's decision.

In response, Tang Xiu smiled indifferently. "Don't look so surprised. 10% of the shares are just a small reward for you. I'll present you an extra reward if you can satisfy me with your performance within these 2 years. I guarantee the present I'll give you will be something you can never buy even if you can become a trillionaire in the future."

Gao Beilei shuddered inwardly and nodded wordlessly. Tang Xiu didn't want to elaborate more, so she no longer asked. Regardless of whether she could really get 10% of the company shares in the future, she would still follow Tang Xiu's instruction. She could only go all out and be more serious at work if she wanted to have such a handsome reward.

The cars moved fast. While sitting in the back seat, Tang Xiu's mind was full of thoughts, thinking about the future of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. His departure from Earth to the Immortal World 2 years later was inevitable. In all likelihood, his family would also be leaving, so there was no need for the Magnificent Tang Corporation to exist anymore once he left.

However, some people would still stay here. For instance, Ouyang Lulu's family. Even though her parents, grandparents, siblings, and a small number of her relatives would follow them, there were still many others in the Ouyang Family. He planned to gift some shares of the Magnificent Tang Corporation to the Ouyang family, and it could be counted as a dowry for her.

Aside from them, there was also the Mu Family of Beijing, Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinyue's relatives, Xue Yu's relatives in the Miao Region, and many others...

Tang Xiu didn't wish to have any regrets when he left them. He took their loved ones. However, leaving their relatives who remained on Earth with some shares of the Magnificent Tang Corporation should be enough.

Suddenly, Tang Xiu recalled another person, a woman.

He took out his phone and dialed Chen Xiaowan's cell number. After his call was picked up, Chen Xiaowan's surprised and happy yell came from the phone, "Where the hell did you die, Brother? You even dare to forget your own sister?"

Tang Xiu distanced the phone away from his ears until her voice was toned down a bit. Then, he smiled wryly and replied, "How could I forget you, Sis Xiaowan? It's just I got something to deal with by myself that lasted 3 years of time. Anyway, I just returned to Shanghai from abroad and now am on the road to the Magnificent Tang Corporation from the airport, so I got time to call you."

Chapter 1257: Meeting by Chance

 

Tang Xiu and Chen Xiaowan picked a place and time to meet, then Tang Xiu hung up. Tang Xiu couldn't help feeling warm inside after recalling all the various experiences he had with Chen Xiaowan.

Chen Xiaowan had long regarded him as a younger brother and took good care of him—something that made him feel warm and happy. The feelings he had for her were not the kind of affection between man and woman but rather a kind of family love and acknowledgment, and he regarded her as an older sister.

I'll also take you away if you're willing to follow me. I'll also give you a guarantee of life in the future if you choose to stay here. Nothing will change the fact that you're my older sister.

Tang Xiu muttered inwardly as his eyes shifted out of the window.

The surrounding high-rise buildings constantly regressed, and the bustling streets with rows of stores filled with a dazzling lineup of goods and the crowds faded away. Tang Xiu felt like ordinary life was getting farther and farther away from him, and the slice of a peaceful life was about to end.

"Do you mind me asking something, Gao Beilei?"

Tang Xiu didn't retract his gaze, but his voice was a bit unusual when he asked.

"Please do ask, Boss," replied Gao Beilei softly.

"What do you think people want in life? A wonderful life full of thrills or just an easy yet average life for a lifetime?" Tang Xiu asked.

"Definitely to live a wonderful life, else choosing a mediocre life will make one end up regretting it when they are old," Gao Beilei said. "Nevertheless, such a question is not something that only has one answer. Everyone has different ideas. Some definitely want a marvelous life, whereas others want to have a bland and easy life."

"..."

Tang Xiu was a bit speechless. Gao Beilei's answer was rather ambiguous and no different from not answering. However, he also realized that there was no single answer to this question. Everyone had their own ideas as well as dreams. Everyone had different goals since their ideas were different.

Suddenly, Tang Xiu stared out of the windows and immediately said, "Stop and park!"

The two cars stopped.

Tang Xiu didn't wait for his subordinates to open the door and got out directly. He saw Su Yaning sitting while holding an ice cream across the street, holding hands with a handsome guy. Tang Xiu didn't expect to meet her here.

In actuality, he had always been repulsive to the Su Family ever since he returned from the Immortal World. He maintained a certain distance from them even if he didn't bother to have any intersection with them. He didn't even bother to care about Su Shangwen, Su Yaning, or Su Xiangfei all this while. However, he had taught Su Xiangfei a cultivation technique and allowed him to practice secretly, but he didn't provide him cultivation resources.

"Gao Beilei, I just saw an acquaintance. There's no need for you to accompany me for lunch. I'll go to the Magnificent Tang HQ later by myself. We'll talk again at that time."

Gao Beilei hesitated and asked, "Should I leave you a car?"

"No need." Tang Xiu shook his head.

As Gao Beilei departed, Tang Xiu crossed the zebra crossing. When he stood in front of Su Yaning and the handsome guy, he chuckled and said, "Hey, Belle and Beau, care to give me some face and have lunch with me?"

"Huh?"

Su Yaning's expression when she saw Tang Xiu was as though seeing a new world with an incredulous look on her face. She released the handsome guy's hand and paced a few steps to Tang Xiu and pinched his face.

"Hey, I'm serious!"

Tang Xiu smilingly said while pushing her hand away snappily, looking amused.

"It's been more than 3 years and I thought you were dead already! Yet you're still alive, but why the heck nobody has seen you all this while?" Su Yaning muttered.

The handsome young man's face changed. He keenly felt that the relationship between Su Yaning and Tang Xiu was not simple. With a hostile look, he strode forward and grabbed Su Yaning's arm and asked grimly, "Who's this guy, Yaning?"

Tang Xiu himself could sense the hostility this handsome guy aimed at him and smilingly said, "Do you believe if I say that I'm her boyfriend?"

"Shut the hell up!" the handsome guy yelled, "Yaning's boyfriend is me!"

Looking as though she awakened from a dream, Su Yaning looked at Tang Xiu, who faintly smiled. She immediately smacked Tang Xiu's hand snappily and said, "Cut the crap, will ya? Chang Wei, lemme introduce you to my cousin. He's Tang Xiu, my auntie's son. Tang Xiu, this is Chang Wei, my boyfriend."

Tang Xiu faintly smiled, stretched his hand to the handsome young man, and said, "Well, my cousin is an outstanding girl, cousin-in-law. You're gonna end up sour for no reason later if you can't figure out things clearly out of jealousy, you know."

The hostility shown by Chang Wei to Tang Xiu completely disappeared after Su Yaning's introduction. He awkwardly scratched his head and then shook hands with Tang Xiu, apologizing. "Hey, cousin. Sorry for the bad attitude. I'm Chang Wei, the Sales Manager of Baolai Group."

Tang Xiu noticed the change in Chang Wei's expression when he stated the last sentence. The guy obviously looked more confident and likely wanted to intentionally prove his worth a bit.

"I'm Tang Xiu."

Tang Xiu stated his name with a smile and said, "Cousin, cousin-in-law, how about having lunch together since we met and now is lunchtime?"

"Fine with me!" Su Yaning nodded without thinking and agreed.

Chang Wei also nodded to express his consent and smilingly said, "Tang Xiu, you look so young, so you should still be studying and going to a university in Shanghai, right? By the way, let's pick a place for lunch first and let me be the host. I know a good restaurant nearby."

"Alright!" Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.

Su Yaning herself didn't think much about anything else. Even though she knew that Tang Xiu's identity may be a bit scary for others, she had never told anyone about her relationship with him, especially to her lover, for fear that his attitude would change after hearing it.

At the Everlasting Feast Hall.

The restaurant Tang Xiu came to with Chang Wei and Su Yaning turned out to be the branch of the Everlasting Feast Hall in Shanghai. Tang Xiu smiled when he saw the familiar plaque. Counting the time passed, it had been more than 3 years since he last visited this venue, no? He didn't know who was the person in charge of the restaurant now.

"Welcome."

Two welcoming ladies bowed and greeted. Afterward, a waiter quickly arrived and asked with a smile, "Are there only the three of you?"

Maintaining a stylish demeanor, Chang Wei smilingly replied, "That's right. Only three of us."

"Please come inside."

The waiter was also a new face and didn't recognize Tang Xiu as he led the three people into the room and arranged seats for them. There were many people patronizing in the lobby on the first floor of the restaurant, but fortunately for them, there was an empty table by the window.

Tang Xiu observed the situation in the restaurant and secretly sighed inwardly. More than 3 years had passed and the situation had changed so much, and he only found two senior employees here. But these two people were still greeting other guests and didn't notice him.

After taking a seat, Chang Wei took the menu and then handed it to Tang Xiu while smilingly saying, "Cousin Tang Xiu, you're the first person I met among Yaning's relatives. I should be a few years older than you, so there must be tons of things we both like. Anyway, order a la carte, anything you want. It's all on me since I already prepared to treat a relative of my future wife."

A trace of shyness could be seen on Su Yaning's face, and she slapped Chang Wei's hand and awkwardly scolded him with a smile. "What crap are you talking about? I don't think I have promised to marry you."

Su Yaning's shyness made Tang Xiu realize that his cousin really liked Chang Wei. Therefore, he nodded with a smile and ordered the six most famous and most expensive special dishes of the Everlasting Feast Hall. He then returned the menu to Chang Wei and smilingly said, "I've picked the dishes, cousin-in-law. Would you like to add more?"

Each of the six special dishes Tang Xiu just ordered was expensive and made Chang Wei bitterly smiled inwardly. Even if he didn't order more dishes, he must dig into his pocket and spend half of his monthly salary.

Yet, he still ordered two more dishes despite feeling a bit restless.

"You ordered too many dishes, you know. It will be wasteful if you can't eat 'em all, cousin." Su Yaning shook her head with a smile.

"It's okay. I just feel so happy, you know." Tang Xiu chuckled.

Chang Wei could only roll his eyes secretly and was a bit speechless. You're feeling happy? You have no idea I just spent half a month of my salary for one meal, do you? How will the three of us eat all these dishes? Most of them will definitely go to waste!

As Chang Wei watched the waiter leave with a depressed face, the corner of his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. His eyes immediately lit up and said, "Yaning, Tang Xiu, I just saw an acquaintance. I'm going to greet him first."

"Alright!" Tang Xiu and Su Yaning nodded at the same time.

After Chang Wei left, Su Yaning smilingly said, "Hey, let's make a deal here. Don't say anything about your identity and this meal today is your treat, got it!"

"Uh, you have yet to marry to him, cousin. How come you're so protective over your man?" Tang Xiu forced a wry smile.

"Bah, who is protecting whose man?" Su Yaning rolled her eyes and snappily shot back, "This is your site, to begin with. Do you even need to pay to eat here?"

Tang Xiu couldn't help but laugh in response.

At the entrance.

Chang Wei strode toward his acquaintance and hurriedly called out to the man with a smile when he was six-plus meters away from him. Then, he hurriedly stretched out his hand and smiled. "General Manager Wang, I never thought I'd meet you here. Did you come here for lunch?"

The man called General Manager Wang was a potbellied man and a decent-looking middle-aged man. After seeing Chang Wei, he just nodded in response and didn't even shake hands with him. He replied lightly, "It's just lunch. Are you here for lunch too, Manager Chang? The dishes here are quite expensive, right?"

Although Chang Wei was very disgusted with this General Manager Wang, the man was still his superior and the second person in his company. Therefore, he could only obsequiously smile in response and say, "Well, I met a relative of my girlfriend, so I invited him to have lunch here. There's nothing I can do but endure the pain no matter how expensive the dishes are, right? By the way, is this Big Sis-in-law, General Manager Wang? She's really gorgeous. Would you like to come to our table and let me treat you today?"

"Alright!"

General Manager Wang hadn't spoken yet, but the young woman beside him nodded and accepted. Her fast response, however, was out of Chang Wei's expectation. Even General Manager Wang himself shot her a rebuking look.

Chapter 1258: Boss?!

 

The invitation was just a pleasantry, but Chang Wei didn't expect that the other party would accept it straight away. Feeling helpless and desperate, there was nothing Chang Wei could do but brace himself forward. "General Manager Wang, Big sis-in-law, please come inside."

General Manager Wang, however, looked a bit cold and indifferently said, "She's my daughter!"

"What?"

Chang Wei stared blankly and looked embarrassed afterward. He hurriedly said, "I'm sorry for being unable to figure out who you're, thus speaking mistakenly. General Manager Wang, Ms. Wang, please come inside."

"You really have no eyes, don't you?" The girl chuckled and said, "I really don't get why my Dad knows someone like you. Let's go inside, then! I wanna see what kind of girlfriend you found with such eyes. She should be a blind person like you, yes?"

Blind? F*ck you!

Chang Wei angrily swore inside. He couldn't help but feel a bad premonition inwardly. Although he was young, he had experienced many things. How could he not see that this daughter of General Manager Wang had the intention to make a mess? Suddenly, he secretly regretted licking this man's ass and greeting him. He was simply courting misfortune for himself.

Quickly after, Chang Wei took General Manager Wang and his daughter and came back to Tang Xiu and Su Yaning. There was a helpless look on his face as he introduced them. "Yaning, Tang Xiu, this is my superior, General Manager Wang and his daughter. General Manager Wang, this is my girlfriend, Su Yaning and this her cousin."

After glancing at Su Yaning's face, General Manager Wang's gaze finally fell on Tang Xiu's face and knitted his brows. He felt that Tang Xiu looked familiar, but he forgot where he had seen his face before.

"Hello, President Wang."

Tang Xiu got up and stretched out his hand after restraining his smile.

General Manager Wang shook hands with Tang Xiu and nodded. "My little girl is intentionally making some trouble, so I have to come over to dine with you and I hope I didn't disturb you. However, we still have something to do and can't have lunch with you. Enjoy your meal."

"Dad..."

The young woman's eyes never left Tang Xiu the moment she saw him. When she heard her father say they were taking their leave, she hurriedly grabbed his hand.

On the other hand, Tang Xiu felt disgusted by the way this young woman looked at him. He felt like he was being stared at by a hungry female pervert. He could even sense from her aura that she just had sex with a man at least 2 hours ago.

"I see. Then we won't insist to have you accompany us since President Wang still has things to tend to."

General Manager Wang glanced at his daughter, then looked at Tang Xiu and felt a bit helpless inside. After faintly giving an "Umm" in reply, he ignored his daughter's pleading look and pulled her away.

As he walked away for several meters, General Manager Wang's eyes suddenly lit up when he saw the Everlasting Feast Hall's manager coming inside. He paced forward to greet him immediately and smilingly said, "Mr. Hu, my daughter has been missing the dishes of the Everlasting Feast Hall. She just pulled me over right after I finished my lunch. You..."

The refined middle-aged manager, who wore golden-rimmed glasses, just nodded to General Manager Wang in response and directly brushed past him, causing the General Manager Wang's smile to freeze. The manager then strode towards Tang Xiu and respectfully bowed and said, "Boss, I didn't know you were dining here. I hope you don't blame me. My name is Hu Haoming, and I am now acting as the General Manager of our Shanghai's Everlasting Feast Hall."

A wry smile appeared on Tang Xiu's face as he nodded and said, "I know. Go tend to your business first! I just returned to the mainland. Wait for me to finish my meal, I'll go to the second floor to find you afterward."

Hu Haoming hesitated for a while before he nodded and prudently said, "Then I'll be waiting for you. But please notify me right away if you need anything else. I'll be immediately at your service."

Having said that, he nodded to Chang Wei and Su Yaning before prudently turning around and leaving.

"Boss?!"

Chang Wei was flabbergasted. He knew the General Manager of this restaurant and was well aware that the man was well-known in the restaurant industry in the capital. However, he never dreamed that the upscale restaurant he chose randomly turned out to be Tang Xiu's business.

It must be noted that the Everlasting Feast Hall was now owned by the Magnificent Tang Corporation. How big was this company... no... this company was simply a colossus! Yet, Tang Xiu was actually the Everlasting Feast Hall's owner. That was really difficult to believe...

Suddenly, Chang Wei's pupils abruptly shrank and he couldn't help but shudder. He finally realized one thing. The Everlasting Feast Hall belongs to the Magnificent Tang Corporation and its Manager just addressed Tang Xiu as Boss. Then... Tang Xiu... is he the Magnificent Tang Corporation's owner?

Tang Xiu... Tang Xiu?... Tang Xiu?!

Chang Wei recalled the name in his mind three times and his legs went soft immediately. If he didn't put his hands on the table to support himself, he would have slumped to the floor immediately.

Isn't the name of the Magnificent Tang Corporation's Big Boss Tang Xiu?

"You're..."

Chang Wei's lips squirmed, but he couldn't utter anything else at the moment.

Tang Xiu lightly smiled and waved his hand. "Cousin-in-law, you're my cousin's boyfriend, so we're relatives. There's no need to be bothered by my background or identity when we dine together, no? But if there's one thing I need to say, we don't need to pay for our meal since this restaurant is mine."

Several meters away, General Manager Wang was dumbstruck and his heart pounded hard. From Hu Haoming's address just now, he suddenly realized why he felt that the young man looked familiar. It was because he was the owner of this Everlasting Feast Hall and the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation!

I'm so stupid and dumb.

With deep regret inside his heart, General Manager Wang would have really wanted to slap his own face and his big mouth if there weren't so many people present.

Who was Tang Xiu? He was the Magnificent Tang Corporation's Big Boss and the famous Divine Doctor in China!

How many people wanted to have a meal with him in this world? Yet they had no qualifications. What about himself then? It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fawn upon him, yet he was the one who turned it down himself.

If this matter is known to anyone, they will definitely point to my nose and call me dumb, right? General Manager Wang squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying.

"What's wrong with you, Dad?"

Although the young woman felt some regret for being unable to dine with that super handsome guy, she noticed the bizarre expression on her father's face and hurriedly asked.

"Dear daughter, Dad didn't listen to you and just missed a chance to hug a big tree," General Manager Wang bitterly said.

"What do you mean?" The young woman was confused.

"Do you know about the Magnificent Tang Corporation?" asked General Manager Wang in a whisper.

"Why? Is there anyone in China who doesn't know this company?" The young woman nodded and said, "Those who don't know this company must be aliens who have just returned from outer space."

"You know, that young man just now was Tang Xiu, the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation," General Manager Wang bitterly said.

"What?!" the young woman exclaimed aloud.

General Manager Wang hurriedly grabbed the girl's hand and headed outside half-running. Although he was full of regrets, he was secretly thankful that Chang Wei was Tang Xiu's cousin-in-law. He made up his mind not to pull an attitude in front of Chang Wei anymore in the future and would even treat him as his living ancestor.

In the hall.

Su Yaning pulled Chang Wei to take a seat, but the guy himself felt like he was sitting on a cushion full of needles. To sit and have a meal with Tang Xiu, the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, was something he never dared imagine before. He recalled how he showed off in front of Tang Xiu before and even deliberately introduced himself and emphasized his workplace and identity. But now, he only felt ashamed and wished there was a hole he could dig and burrow himself into.

Looking at Chang We's expression, Su Yaning suddenly felt a headache and said, "I knew it. Had I known it would turn like this, I'd have suggested picking another restaurant to lunch previously. I can tell we won't have a good meal looking at him turn like this, you know."

Tang Xiu also sighed inwardly, but he could understand Chang Wei's feelings and smilingly said, "Cousin-in-law, there's no need to feel and act so restrained in front of me, you see. Although I'm the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, I'm just an ordinary person like everyone else. Besides, Su Yaning is also my cousin and you're her companion. Just your relationship with her alone is already enough since you both love each other, so that makes us relatives. I hope you can treat my cousin well in the future."

"I will do that!"

Chang Wei finally calmed down and firmly nodded after he turned to Su Yaning and shot her a deep look.

"You don't blame me for not telling you earlier?" Su Yaning asked.

"I feel fortunate you didn't tell me about it earlier. Otherwise, my intention to be together with you would not be as pure." Chang Wei shook his head and smiled wryly. "Senior Tang... umm. Tang Xiu, you're the owner of this restaurant, so I don't need to smack my own face to treat you anymore, right? Let me offer you a toast with this cup of wine and use this chance to show my respect to you. After all, you're someone I admire."

"That's great!"

Tang Xiu also raised his glass, had a toast with Chang Wei, and downed the white wine.

The lunch ended up with Tang Xiu and Su Yaning enjoying it to the full, while Chang Wei was still a bit restrained. It was likely that he couldn't fully enjoy the dishes.

After lunch, Su Yaning and Chang Wei left, but Su Yaning told Tang Xiu before leaving that her entire family was now living in Shanghai, and she hoped that he would visit and have a meal at their home if he had spare time in the next few days.

Subsequently, Tang Xiu met the Everlasting Feast Hall's General Manager, Hu Haoming, and chatted for a while. He then left, caught a taxi, and rushed to the Magnificent Tang Corporation's HQ.

At the Magnificent Tang Industrial Park.

The company's office itself was located at the outermost edge of the industrial park. When Tang Xiu got off the taxi, he looked up at the dozens of high-rise buildings and secretly felt happy. He was the designer of the company HQ himself, and after looking up from the ground, he could tell that the construction of the building accentuated the effect much better than he had imagined.

Majestic and stylish.

The two words were enough to describe the HQ of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.

Tang Xiu then walked on the stairs and passed through the wide fountain square as he came to the entrance of the edifice. There, he saw many people swiping their work cards before entering. Tang Xiu went straight to the two security guards on the left side and said, "I'm Tang Xiu, the owner of this company. However, I don't have a work card, so get me a temporary one."

The Boss? Tang Xiu?

The two security guards didn't know Tang Xiu and just exchanged glances, being at a loss of what they should do.

Chapter 1259: The Boss's Summon

 

Seeing that the two security guards wore dull expressions, Tang Xiu suddenly moved and disappeared before their eyes. In the next moment, he appeared in the General Manager's office on the 66th floor.

Behind the desk, the flowing long-haired Gao Beilei in a white suit was quietly reading some documents. She immediately looked to see Tang Xiu when she realized that there was someone in front of her.

"Boss!" Gao Beilei hurriedly got up and called out with a respectful expression.

"Are you busy now?" Tang Xiu lightly smiled. "How about accompanying me on a tour of the industrial park?"

"I haven't noticed anyone in advance, so all the plants are now operating according to the usual working procedures. Do you have a certain plant you would like to visit, perhaps?" Gao Beilei asked.

"I want to visit the brewery, visiting the rest will be optional," Tang Xiu said lightly.

"Alright!"

Gao Beilei nodded and called the secretary of the office through the PABX phone. As the good-looking female secretary wearing high heels and a red suit knocked on the door and entered, she looked at Tang Xiu and was surprised. Her desk was right outside the office, but she had never seen this stranger enter the General Manager Office previously.

Suddenly, she felt that Tang Xiu was familiar, and after recollecting her memory, she suddenly trembled and asked with incredulity on her face, "Aren't you... Boss... Tang?"

"Little Zhou, this is our company's Boss. Call Production Manager Liu, Deputy General Manager Chen, as well as the rest of the factory directors. Tell them to hurry up, there's something important here to..."

Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and lightly said, "I don't want to create a big parade during my visit. Just accompany me to tour around the place. Let the factory director accompany later when I visit each of the projects. By the way, what is Scarface Qiang's position now? I haven't seen him for years, so I miss him a bit."

"Huh? Scarface Qiang?" Gao Beilei was confused and curiously asked, "Who's this Scarface Qiang, Boss?"

Tang Xiu blanked for a moment and then suddenly burst out laughing. "Ah, hahaha. It's the nickname of a familiar man. His name is Dai Qiang, and he was the director of the winery when the plant was in Star City."

Gao Beilei immediately understood, but she hesitated for a while and then said in a low voice, "Dai Qiang resigned half a year ago, Boss. I have no idea where he lives right now."

"Come again?" Tang Xiu suddenly looked gloomy. "What's going on here?"

Gao Beilei inwardly shouted that this would be a mess. She was not Tang Xiu's direct subordinate at the time. Although she had inquired many things about him, she never heard that Tang Xiu had a good relationship with Dai Qiang. In the event half a year ago, Deputy General Manager Chen had become the No.2 figure in the Magnificent Tang Corporation, so it was natural that she favored this man a bit and eventually forced Dai Qiang to resign out of anger.

"Boss, about this..."

Tang Xiu fell into silence for a while. He went to the corner and took a seat on the sofa there. After taking out a cigarette and liting it up, he took a deep puff before taking out his cell phone, finding Dai Qiang's cell number, and then dialing it directly.

After some time, his call was picked up and the voice of a drunk man came out from the phone. "Who is this? Calling in the middle of the night and disturbing my dreams? Do you not know how immoral this is?"

After saying that, the call was hung up.

Is it in the middle of the night already?

Tang Xiu shifted his vision and looked out the window. Although it was a bit cold, the time was exactly at 2:30 in the afternoon. He took a deep breath and then dialed back again. Just as Dai Qiang was about to pull a tantrum again, he spoke in a deep voice, "It's me, Tang Xiu, Scarface Qiang!"

Half a minute passed by, but Dai Qiang's voice didn't come out of the phone. However, Tang Xiu could clearly hear his breathing become rushed from the phone.

"Where are you now?" Tang Xiu asked.

"Bo... Boss... I-I'm in Star City." Dai Qiang's bitter voice came from the phone.

"Get to the Star City Airport right away, I'll send a special plane to pick you up." Tang Xiu ordered. "Get your ass here no matter what happened before. Be mentally prepared to be punished by me if you are the one who caused the problem, but if it was not your fault... Hmph..."

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll head there right away!"

Dai Qiang immediately replied from the other end of the phone, and he sounded excited.

Tang Xiu hung up and tilted up his head to stare at Gao Beilei. Then, he waved to the secretary as a hint to make her leave. Afterward, he pointed to the sofa in front of him, watched Gao Beilei take a seat, and then calmly said, "I met Scarface Dai Qiang by chance in some mountainous area when I went on an adventure. It was kind of a funny scene when I met him, though. The first time I met him, he was just a brigand who robbed anyone passing the road, whereas I was a passerby he robbed at that time."

Gao Beilei didn't utter any word, but she was perfectly aware that some people in the company were about to get sacked.

Tang Xiu went on, "When I first found the Magnificent Tang Corporation, God's Nectar was not yet included in the list of the manufactured products. I already had the recipe to brew it at the time, but no one was available to manufacture it. I brought Dai Qiang from that mountainous area to Star City myself, and his contribution to the success of God's Nectar brewing was undeniable. The reason I called him Scarface Qiang instead of Dai Qiang was because of his good character. At least I know that he'd never resort to schemes and intrigues, and he would never become greedy when he saw money before his eyes."

Seeing that Tang Xiu stopped speaking at this point, Gao Beilei interjected. "I understand what you mean, Boss. I'll report to you the course of the matter in an objective and fair manner. However, I dare not say that everything I say is 100% true."

"Elaborate. I'm all ears," Tang Xiu said.

"Six months ago, the winery's warehouse lost a batch of wine, a total of 200 boxes of God's Nectar." Gao Beilie started narrating. "Dai Qiang was the director of the winery at the time. That night, apart from the company security guards on duty, he was the only one who entered the warehouse, and I've seen the footage from the beginning to end when he went there three times.

"The person responsible for investigating the cause of the theft at the time was Chen Liwei, our company's Deputy General Manager. Chen Liwei joined the company two months earlier than me and he was already considered as a senior executive in the company then. After the investigation, he found that two members of the security team were responsible for the theft and accused Dai Qiang of stealing 200 boxes of God's Nectar.

"Afterward, Deputy General Manager Chen took a team to Dai Qiang's residence. At that time, Dai Qiang adamantly refused to admit to the theft and was even willing to let the team search his home to prove his innocence. At the end of the day, the security team members found 10 boxes of God's Nectar in his house, but Dai Qiang vehemently said that someone must have put them there to frame him.

"However, the witnesses and physical evidence were all there against Dai Qiang's testimony. He finally chose to retain his shares in the winery and then resigned as the director of the plant and left the company. I originally wanted to report this matter to President Kang and let her make a decision. I tried to contact her many times through various means but to no avail. Therefore, I could only put this matter on hold, and then I forgot to report it since I was too busy."

Tang Xiu calmly listened to Gao Beilei's explanation and understood inwardly that the Magnificent Tang Corporation had very likely not been quite peaceful in the past few years. He could tell there must be fierce struggles among the top management of the company, while Dai Qiang may have affected or even disturbed some people's source of income. Eventually, he got squeezed out of the company by some despicable shenanigans.

"Struggles are inevitable whenever people gather together, huh!" Tang Xiu couldn't help but sigh. But his expression immediately turned cold as he indifferently said, "Tell Chen Liwei to come to see me now! It's very likely I'll figure out the issue the moment I see him."

Gao Beilei spaced out for a moment before a contemptuous look flashed across her eyes. She actually had a faint guess that Chen Liwei was a source of problems. However, this man was very shrewd and she had never caught him red-handed. Further, Chen Liwei himself was a very capable man. Thanks to him and his assistance with her works all these years, she wouldn't have been able to bring the Magnificent Tang Corporation to such a height today.

Due to this reason, Gao Beilei believed that Tang Xiu wouldn't be able to get anything from this man.

After a while, a thin, tall, and fair-skinned middle-aged man knocked on the door of the General Manager Office. He slightly dazed when he saw Tang Xiu sitting on the sofa before he immediately recognized Tang Xiu's identity. With a pleasantly surprised face, he paced forward and said, "Hello, Boss. I'm Chen Liwei. It's my first time seeing you after working for three years for the Magnificent Tang Corporation."

Tang Xiu observed Chen Liwei for some time. He could keenly sense this man's evil tendencies, which showed that he had killed quite a lot of people before. Further, aside from such sinister aura, there was also a particular scent after having sex, which meant that Chen Liwei just had sex within the last two hours.

"You're Chen Liwei? Come and sit cross-legged in front of me," Tang Xiu waved and said with a smile on his handsome face.

Chen Liwei looked black and then hesitated. "You asked me to... sit cross-legged on the floor, Boss?"

"What's wrong? You refuse?" Tang Xiu asked with a smile.

Chen Liwei shook his head quickly and said, "No, no, no. I'll do as you told, Boss. I'm just a bit puzzled as to why..."

"I'm sure you know about my other identity. I'm a Chinese medicine practitioner, so I naturally care about the health of my employees." Tang Xiu interrupted him while keeping the smile on his face. "I just saw you walking, and you seem to have overworked yourself from your steps. That's why I want to give you a diagnosis of whether there's something wrong with your body."

Chen Liwei immediately looked relieved upon hearing this. He walked to Tang Xiu's front and then sat cross-legged. Then, he smilingly said, "I'm very touched with Boss's compassion for his subordinates. I'll definitely work harder in the future to make our Magnificent Tang Corporation more brilliant..."

"You'll never have that chance!"

The smile on Tang Xiu's face instantly vanished. As Chen Liwei dazed, Tang Xiu pinched the man's head and instantly cast a secret technique to scour his memory. If it was 3 years ago, even if Tang Xiu could forcibly check someone's memory using this secret technique, it was very likely that he would only get some fragmentary memories.

Chapter 1260: The Truth of the Investigation

The current Tang Xiu was no longer as before. He could easily check Chen Liwei's memory as the man himself looked to be in pain. But Tang Xiu's expression became more indifferent the longer he scoured Chen Liwei's memory, and his expression finally turned into that of anger.

"You're really damned!"

Tang Xiu's five fingers pinched hard and directly cracked Chen Liwei's skull, and a punch finally ended the man's life. After seeing his memories, Tang Xiu knew how wicked and sinister this man had been. Aside from being ambitious, he had a good reputation overseas before joining the Magnificent Tang Corporation, yet he resorted to many underhanded and despicable means to achieve it. Since he joined the Magnificent Tang Corp, he continued climbing up in position using various wicked and sinister means and finally became the no.2 figure in the company.

In Scarface Qiang's case, he was framed and schemed by Chen Liwei, since the man secretly contacted him to embezzle a batch of God's Nectar to sell through private channels for personal gain. Scarface Qiang refused and severely reprimanded him and went so far to strike him.

Therefore, Chen Liwei harbored a grudge towards Scarface Qiang. Through a series of machinations, he finally forced Scarface Qiang to leave the Magnificent Tang Corporation and Chen Liwei put his trusted man on the position of the director of the winery. For the last six months, Chen Liwei secretly embezzled God's Nectar and then sold it through special private channels and pocketed the money.

The fortune from just half a year of selling the stolen God's Nectar alone earned him more than 100 million yuan.

Further, he had also begun to set up a machination to get his hands on the Aeroglider. Had Tang Xiu not come here at this time and met him because of Scarface Qiang's case, it was very likely that the man would be able to put his lackey to be the director of the Aeroglider plant in the next few months. He would then embezzle Aerogliders for his own personal gain.

"So bold and greedy!"

Tang Xiu kicked Chen Liwei's body away and then stared daggers at the frightened Gao Beilei, who got up from the sofa and kept retreating backward. Then, he coldly said, "I originally said that I'll give you 10% stakes of the company if you could manage the company well. Yet you've picked up and groomed some crooks inside the company—that deserves punishment. As such, you can only get at most 5% of the company stakes 2 years later!"

As Gao Beilei's came to a halt, she stared at Tang Xiu with a look of horror and panickily said, "W-why... w-why did you kill him?"

"Kill him, huh? He already got it easy to just die rather than being at the border of life and death!" Tang Xiu sneered. "The one now in charge of the winery is Chen Liwei's dog, and he has been secretly abusing his power to embezzle God's Nectar and selling it to seek personal gain for the last six months. That alone earned him more than 100 million yuan. What's more, he also began his machination at the Aeroglider factory to plant his man as the factory director, with which he planned to further grow his fortune. It's just been less than 3 years for God's sake! Do you know how much money he got from his corruption in the company?"

"How is this possible?" Gao Beilei incredulously asked.

"Heh, I looked into his memories. How could it be wrong?" Tang Xiu sneered.

"That's nonsense!" Gao Beilei shuddered and subconsciously stepped back. "How can you look into Chen Liwei's memories? You..."

Her words came to a halt.

A horrified and frightened look painted her face as though she was seeing a ghost in the daytime. She saw Tang Xiu, who was previously sitting, float. Not only that, but even all the objects in the office were also floating.

"Do you know why I can easily create the Magnificent Tang Corporation and why it has been so easy for me to make so much fortune?" Tang Xiu sneered. "It's because I've never been an ordinary person. I already told you that I don't give a damn about money, didn't I? Money has never been a significant thing for me. Gao Beilei, you being able to become the General Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation and someone who can call the shots in the Wall Street before, you should know about many things. Don't tell me you never heard anything about practitioners?"

Whoosh...

As Tang Xiu faded away at this moment, a figure suddenly appeared in the room. A crooked and relatively young man silently appeared in front of Gao Beilei and looked at Tang Xiu with vigilance, ready to protect Gao Beilei.

Tang Xiu creased his brows and lightly smiled. "Well, well. It seems you know about the existence of practitioners. This subordinate of yours is seemingly one, and a rather formidable one as well!"

Gao Beilei only felt that a gale was whooshing before her eyes a moment ago, and her bodyguard appeared in front of her in a flash. The situation turned chaotic given how unbelievable it was to her. The existence of practitioners was something she only heard from some rumors, but she had no idea what kind of abilities they possessed.

Her bodyguard was a poor man she helped during her stay in the United States. At that time, the man was injured and she rescued him. After this young man recovered, he showcased his combat prowess and thus kept following her.

Yet... she really had no idea that he was a practitioner!

"What's exactly going on here, Reese? Why did you suddenly appear in front of me in a flash? You... are you really like what he said... a p-practitioner?" Gao Beilei suppressed her panic and fright and quickly asked.

The young man turned his head and squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying, saying, "I'm indeed a practitioner, Boss. I used to think that I'm already formidable enough. But I'm worlds apart compared to him."

"You do have a bit of self-knowledge, huh?" Tang Xiu indifferently smiled.

Having said that, he gently waved his hand. The young man's body was instantly bounced off and quickly hit the wall, and he couldn't move anymore. A strand of qi swept Gao Beilei and threw her back on the opposite sofa. Tang Xiu then went on saying, "Killings are just normal occurrence among cultivators, your subordinate is well aware of this fact. Although I have no idea why he concealed his identity as a practitioner, he's your subordinate, so I won't kill him. Still, the Magnificent Tang Corporation is mine, and the appearance of such a wicked tumor like Chen Liwei requires me to act to remove it."

Gao Beilei gradually put away the fear in her heart. She stared at Tang Xiu and asked, "Can I... resign?"

"I'll neither stop nor keep from resigning," Tang Xiu calmly said. "At most, I just feel a bit regretful. However, the protection Kang Xia put on you will be withdrawn?"

"Kang Xia? Protection?" Gao Beilei was confused and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"You guys, come out!" Tang Xiu clapped and lightly said.

Suddenly, two men and two women appeared in the office out of the blue. The four people quickly saluted and respectfully said, "Your Majesty."

"You guys should have been protecting Gao Beilei's safety in the past few years, right?" Tang Xiu nodded at them and said, "Thanks for your hard work. But you guys don't need to stay to protect her anymore if she insists on resigning later."

"Acknowledged!" the four people respectfully replied.

Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before he took a pen and paper and quickly wrote more than 20 people's names. Afterward, he threw it one of them and ordered, "Go to the winery and dispose of its director! Give the people on the list severe beatings as well and squeeze them to find out how much they have embezzled from the Corporation for their personal gain all these years. Drag them out and dispose them afterward!"

"Affirmative!" the four replied and instantly disappeared.

With disbelief on her face, Gao Beilei murmured, "They... they have been protecting me secretly for the last 3 years?"

"That's right," Tang Xiu calmly replied. "That's why I said that Kang Xia has been taking care of you. Those four were originally her bodyguards, but she unexpectedly ordered them to protect you after she left. Nevertheless, it's natural. After all, you're the Magnificent Tang Corporation's General Manager and responsible to manage the whole operation of the company. If even your security is not guaranteed, that will affect the company's development for sure."

Gao Beilei took a deep breath and dispelled all the fears in her heart, and then stated in a deep voice, "I can choose not to resign, but there's a question I need you to answer."

"You want to ask me who I really am, don't you?" Tang Xiu smiled and lightly replied.

"Yes." Gao Beilei nodded.

Tang Xiu retracted his aura and let go of the young man pasted on the wall. Then, he chuckled and asked him, "You should have heard of Chinese cultivators, right?"

The young man dashed to Gao Beilei and replied with a respectful face, "I know about the mysterious Chinese cultivators, and their cultivation system is even more unfathomable. If she didn't come to China and become the Magnificent Tang Corporation's General Manager, I wouldn't have dared come to China at all. So much so that I have never exposed my identity as a practitioner and kept staying low-key ever since I arrived in China 2 years ago."

"You have any more questions?" Tang Xiu looked at Gao Beilein and chuckled.

Gao Beilei finally understood Tang Xiu's identity. She also had heard of the existence of cultivators in China. However, she only regarded it as some fairy tale and thought it was impossible for real cultivators to exist in reality. But now that her worldview had been overturned, she realized that she had been a frog that saw a sky from the bottom of a well—lacking in knowledge and ignorant.

Suddenly, her expression shifted and she inquisitively asked, "If I did not hear wrong, they addressed you as Your Majesty. You..."

"You'd better not ask such things as you're not qualified to know anything about it." Tang Xiu lightly smiled. "What you need to know is that I'm not hostile to you. I'll never harm you for no reason as long as you don't harm my interests. What you need to do is to develop the Magnificent Tang Corporation well, with which you'll help me make more money in the next two years."

Gao Beilei creased her brows and asked, "I may take your statement for granted and be convinced if you're now the richest person in the world. But why do you still urgently need to make more money? Didn't you say that money has no much significance to you no matter how much it is?"