Chapter 474: Dragon Soul
The addition of five kids in his home didn't trouble Tang Xiu, for he, after all, had experience in raising children. Hence, he instructed them to take baths in turn, then he went to find five sets of clothes he didn't wear anymore for them to wear. Though they looked like they were wearing robes, at least they didn't need to wear dirty clothes again.
"Have you eaten yet?" Looking at the five little guys sitting in the hall, Tang Xiu asked with a smile.
"No, not yet," Tang Xiaoji shook her head and answered.
Letting out a faint smile, Tang Xiu dialed Chi Nan's cell number and asked her to send something for them to eat. The food had yet to arrive when Li Laoshan came after him.
"I'm not disturbing you for coming this late am I, Brother Tang?" The large bellied Li Laoshan's plump face was beaming with a smile. He entered the villa's hall along with the beautiful female secretary, who followed him, whereas the four bodyguards were waiting in the courtyard.
"It's okay," Tang Xiu laughed. "Anyhow, I should've taken Old Brother Li to a welcoming dinner since you're the one coming to Shanghai. However, I was quite busy looking after these five kids and didn't felt at ease leaving them alone at home. I can only apologize for making you come here personally."
Li Laoshan's eyes landed on the five kids. There was a strange expression on his face as he spoke, "They are…"
"They are children I adopted. Kids, why are you dawdling and not greeting the guest?" Tang Xiu laughed.
"Hello, uncle! How do you do?" Tang Xiaojin's group of five hurriedly called out.
"Hello, and how do you do, too, kids!" Li Weishan nodded at them and replied.
Having said that, he shifted his vision toward Tang Xiu and gave him a thumbs up, praising, "You're amazing, Brother Tang. You are willing to adopt these children despite being so young yourself."
"Little Jin, you all can get back to your respective rooms now. I'll call you again after the food have arrived. All right, Old Brother Li, please come in and have a seat."
After exchanging polite remarks, Tang Xiu let out a smile and said, "Old Brother Li, what is your purpose in coming to Shanghai this time?"
"I came to see you," said Li Laoshan.
"I never thought that my face was really that big. To think it would be worthy enough for Old Brother Li to come see me personally. So, what's the reason you came looking for me?"
"Brother Tang, being too smart is kinda hard on your friends, don't you think? Anyhow, I do really came looking for you for a matter, and it's kinda very important, too."
Gesturing from him to go on, Tang Xiu smiled but kept quiet.
"The reason I came over this time is mainly because I want to ask some assistance from you, Brother Tang. I was doing some business back in Beijing, and eventually I encountered some problems as of lately. The other party is also the owner of a construction materials business. He contacted some people and siphoned a large number of my steel products. Hence, I want to ask Brother Tang to accompany me there."
"That shouldn't be the main problem, right? Can you elaborate?" Asked Tang Xiu after pondering for a short while.
Giving him another thumbs up, Li Laoshan praised, "You're smart, Tang Brother. I wouldn't have troubled you if the problem was a small matter. But the other party is an obsessed man with antique goods, and has been persistently wanting to buy the in my hands. You must know, I spent a lot of effort to secure this Yuchang Sword, so it's only natural that I'd never want to sell it. However, he eventually made a bet with me, that he has a better ancient sword in his possession, forcing me to bring out my Yuchang Sword and participate in an underground auction in Beijing. I have to auction my Yuchang Sword, whereas he will auction his ancient sword as well. Then, both of us will compete at the auction for the two antique swords, and whoever bids the highest will win both of them."
"There is an underground auction in Beijing?" Asked Tang Xiu.
"Yeah, it's an underground auction secretly run by the Situ Family, the intermediary family of the Bizarre Sect. It is said that this underground auction has existed since the Qin Dynasty era. It has never been stopped running, not in the period of the Republic of China nor the wartime. So far, it seems that 180 auctions have already been held, and there have always been a large number of antiques auctioned in each event. I heard that even the is also one of the auctioned items this time. You also heard about the Emperor Qin's Imperial Jade Seal, haven't you, Brother Tang?"
"No, I haven't heard of it," Tang Xiu shook his head. "What is it, exactly?"
Li Laoshan answered in a mysterious tone, "Of course it is an imperial seal, the symbol of power and authority during the Qin Dynasty."
Nodding in response, Tang Xiu said with a smile, "However, I still don't understand something, Old Brother Li. In what kind of problem do you want me to help you in, exactly? If it was about money, I'm afraid I can't be of much help; I'm not as rich as you."
"It's not about money. It's an issue about my own safety. I learned the nature of this auction house when I first participated in one 15 years ago. The event is fraught with dangers for the buyers who bid and buy extremely precious antiques; they are very likely to be targeted. You are a very powerful yourself and your men are also powerful experts. If I have you with me I'm sure I'll be safe."
Tang Xiu understood in a flash, and then said with a smile, "Can you tell me the specific time the auction will be held?"
"On October 7th," said Li Laoshan.
Thinking for a while, Tang Xiu then nodded, "To be honest, I'm also very interested in this kind of underground auction. All right, then. I'll go with you when the time comes!"
Upon hearing his promise, Li Laoshan was immediately overjoyed, as he beckoned to the beautiful female secretary. Afterward, from the briefcase in the female secretary hands, he took a sophisticatedly made box and handed it over to Tang Xiu.
"What is this?" Asked Tang Xiu after receiving the box. There was a strange look on his face.
"It's something this Old Bro of yours had gotten some time ago," Li Laoshan laughed. "It's a genuine dragon-shaped jade ornament formed by nature. It's a gift from me as a token of my gratitude."
"Thanks a lot!" Tang Xiu faintly smiled, and gently opened the lid. When his eyes fell on the jade ornament, a dazzling red light suddenly appeared, causing his pupils to contract in an instant and causing him to abruptly get up.
"What's wrong, Brother Tang?" Startled, Li Laoshan asked.
"Didn't you see it just now?" Asked Tang Xiu after he turned his head to look at Li Laoshan.
"See what, exactly?" Asked Li Lashan, confused as well as doubtful.
Tang Xiu didn't answer, but instead fixated his vision on the crystal clear jadeite that had a red dragon-shaped pattern inside. His heartbeat beat faster than usual, and a glint of disbelief flashed in his eyes.
It's a Dragon Soul! There was unexpectedly a Dragon Soul sealed within this jade ornament!
Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense seeped it into the jade. Much to his surprise and astonishment, there was a spatial space within the jade ornament, with a soul of a Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon constantly wandering in it.
If it was just a common Dragon Soul of the Dragon race, Tang Xiu wouldn't have been this shocked. But a Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon was extremely scarce even in the Immortal World. More importantly, a young Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon was able to defeat an adult Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. In terms of preciousness and formidableness, a Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon would definitely be ranked in the top three if there was a ranking list in the Dragon Clan.
Dragons were one of the most formidable races in the Immortal World. Even after becoming a Supreme, who possessed great influence and power in the Immortal World, he dared not to provoke this race easily.
"Who did this? To think that the person who did this possessed such a great magical ability, and was able to capture an adult Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon... Why did he extract its Dragon Soul and seal it here? Nonetheless, it's really quite fortunate… the cutting process when this jade was being carved didn't touch the space inside the jade; otherwise, it would have led to the destruction of the internal space, along with the Dragon Soul inside it."
Secretly rejoicing inside, the way Tang Xiu looked at Li Laoshan became different from before. After staying in silent for a short while, he slowly said, "Old Brother Li, give me two years. I'll give you a big chance in two years. To be exact, it'll be a great fortune."
"A big opportunity? A great fortune? What are you talking about?" Asked Li Laoshan, surprised.
"I can't tell you, yet. But you will naturally understand in two years. I'll accept this jade ornament, and two years later, just consider it as me paying this favor," said Tang Xiu.
"Speaking so seriously like that kinda makes me awkward, Brother Tang," Li Laoshan waved his hand and smiled. "If anything, for you to accompany me to Beijing is as good as paying this favor already. To be honest, I was afraid that this gift of mine would be too unworthy, that you wouldn't be satisfied with it."
"I must tell you, this jade ornament is very important to me," said Tang Xiu.
It was true! This object was very important!
As of now, Tang Xiu was already in a bottleneck in his cultivation progress. Furthermore, it would be more difficult for his cultivation to progress in the future as well. Since he had the soul of a Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon, however, it would become a different story, since once his cultivation broke through the final layer of the "Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis", that was, after he reached the Ninth Layer of the Nine Cores Phase Forming, devouring this Dragon Soul at that time would definitely help him leap over the first level, and then directly step into the second level.
Tang Xiu had thoroughly analyzed and studied the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis and knew that once he broke through to the second level, it was equivalent to a common cultivator stepping into the Immortal Realm.
Some cultivators were unable to break through the final bottleneck during their lifetime, unable to become an Immortal.
Others spend countless years in hard work, untold hardships, and dangers before they finally ascend and become Immortals.
As for him, if he devoured the Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon at that time, not only would it make him step into the Immortal Realm, he would even have the opportunity to condense an Immortal Soul. Once his Immortal Soul fused with this Dragon Soul, he was certain that he would be able to cultivate magical powers and secret arts belonging to the Dragon race.
Dragons were full of treasures from their head to their tails! And they were spiritually and physically powerful!
Tang Xiu was certain that the constitution and formidableness of his physique would be more powerful than that of Immortals after he devoured this Dragon Soul; even the Demon race in the Demon World would pale in comparison to him.
Looking at Tang Xiu who had fallen into his own thoughts, Li Laoshan curiously asked, "Well, Brother Tang, isn't this just a piece of jade? Is it even worth saying such exaggerated words?"
"Brother Li, this object may have not much benefit to you. But it's very important to me. Have you ever heard the words condensing the spirit to shake off the soul?" Tang Xiu shook his head and answered.
"Nope, never heard of it," answered Li Laoshan as he shook his head.
Tang Xiu let out a smile and didn't elaborate. As he stuffed the jade ornament into his pocket, he secretly took it into his interspatial ring. Then, he said with a smile, "Let us just forget about it, then. I'll explain it to you later if an opportunity arises. Anyhow, the dishes and the wine should be arriving soon, so us brothers must have a few cups."
"Got no problem with that!" Li Laoshan laughed. "It's joyous event to drink and dine with you, Brother Tang!"
"All right, then. How about elaborating the issue with your steel products?" Asked Tang Xiu smilingly. "I honestly don't get it why he would take your steel products."
"You know, the other party has quite a powerful influence in Beijing. He took my steel products and it was justified by law, so some officials from the government must have been invited by him. That man, however, has said that as long as I take my Yuchang Sword and auction it in that event he would give back my goods, regardless of the outcome. He wouldn't even obstruct my business in Shanghai again in the future, and would even lend me a hand instead."
"That said, the other party is not an enemy, it seems," commented Tang Xiu.
"He indeed can't be said to be an enemy, yet I dislike him for being an expert schemer. In the future, if you were to come into contact and have dealings with him, you had better have as little contact as possible with him if you can."
Chapter 475: Major Suspicion Points
At Shanghai New World Center, the concert scene seethed with excitement, yet Zhang Xinya was feeling restless inwardly despite showing an energetic and spirited performance on the stage; not once did she feel relaxed inside.
Even though the Ministry of State Security had sent its person in charge to inform her that the crisis had been averted, she didn't receive any reply from Tang Xiu whatsoever, and was feeling somewhat restless inside.
However, there was another person who was more disturbed and restless than her. That person was Li Changxi, who just returned from Shanghai Airport. The reason for his restlessness was because they had only found and killed a total of two extremists, and were in the dark about the traces of the rest.
"Chief Liu, the surveillance department has found a peculiar situation," a technician from the Ministry of State Security rushed toward Liu Changxi and reported in a low voice.
"What peculiar situation?" Asked Liu Changxi in a heavy voice. His complexion changed.
"Please come with me!"
Immediately afterward, a few people rushed to the temporary monitoring center set up behind the backstage. After entering the room, Li Changxi's eyes quickly swept across a row of LCD monitors.
"Chief Liu, these are the monitoring screens we have installed to keep an eye on the four entrances to the New World Center. Take a look…" The technician played the monitoring footage, and set the playing speed a few times slower. On that screen was the scene of two women from the Everlasting Feast Hall who were holding a man, and quietly moved to the back of the four queueing lines.
"Who are these women?" Asked Liu Changxi after watching the surveillance video. His expression was solemn.
"I don't know, Chief," the technician shook his head. "They were all wearing duckbill caps and sunglasses. They even seemed to know where we installed the surveillance cameras, for they always had their faces away from them. As a matter of fact, we had checked the four people taken away by them and sent their facial characteristics to the state's database. Our comrades there are currently searching information about them. I'm sure they will soon be able to ascertain their identities."
Liu Changxi frowned. There was a thoughtful look in his eyes. After rewinding and replaying the videos several times, a fax message arrived.
"Is this the information about them?" Liu Changxi slowly and carefully read it, and was somewhat startled inside.
"Chen Bin once worked as a blasting expert in a mining area in Xichang. Later on, after he got involved in a fighting incident, he then resigned and left. He reappeared after having disappeared for three and a half years, and those who once fought with him either died in a traffic accident, or got burnt in a fire. At present, he is managing…"
"Jiang Lu, a member of an underground gang in Northeast; was once sentenced to three years of imprisonment for murder. His sentence ended five years ago and was released. There had been no reports about him since, and his whereabouts during those five years cannot be investigated..."
"Jia Xiaochang, an orthopedist and a surgeon at the Fourth Public Hospital of Ruijiang City. A man with a solitary and eccentric personality, and not good at dealing with people. He got allegedly accused of malpractice in a surgery incident four years ago and was detained. He was then fired from his job and became unemployed afterward…"
Liu Changxi carefully read the information, and then turned to look at the technician and asked in a deep voice, "This information only reported three people. What about the fourth person?"
"There was nothing about him!" The technician forced a wry smile. "We've compared and checked his face in the databank. There is no information about him, it's like he came out of nowhere."
Liu Changxi contemplated for a short while, and said immediately, "Contact the Transportation Department! Tell them to send me all the surveillance videos within a radius of five kilometers around New World Center as fast as possible!"
"Affirmative!"
Time fleeted by. Zhang Xinya's concert finally came to an end after three hours. At this time, the Transportation Department finally transmitted dozens of surveillance videos.
Knock, knock, knock…
The door was knocked. Zhang Xinya came in with her two assistants. She didn't even spare time to remove her makeup and change her clothes. When she was invited to enter the surveillance room, she hurriedly asked, "How is the situation? Have you found the criminals?"
"We have already shot and killed two people, and are now investigating the identity and whereabouts of the rest. Also, though the concert has ended, tens of thousands fans are still leaving. Our people outside are currently managing them to leave the site in an orderly manner. Only after they have left completely will we truly be able to relax."
"What about Tang Xiu? Wasn't he cooperating with you in looking for the whereabouts of those criminals?" Asked Zhang Xinya.
"I don't know where he is for the time being," Liu Changxi shook his head. "He helped solve the situation at the Shanghai Airport, and then left immediately. Aren't you his friend? Why don't you call him and ask about it?"
Shanghai Airport?
"What is the situation at Shanghai Airport? Could it be there…" confused, Zhang Xinya asked.
"Yeah, those extremists are truly lunatics. Shanghai Airport was also…" Liu Changxi nodded. "Ah, forget it. Let us not discuss it. In short, had it not been for Tang Xiu, a big mess would've have happened. He has practically saved the lives of tens of thousands of people tonight!"
Saving tens of thousands of people?
Zhang Xinya only felt a chill down her spine instead of feeling joyful. She could hardly imagine how insane and lunatic those extremists were, to think that they unexpectedly had gone so far as to bring so much harm and damage to society.
"Give me a cell phone!" Asked Zhang Xinya to the assistant, who came with her. She called Tang Xiu and learned that he had returned to Bluestar Villa Complex earlier. She immediately told him that she would pass by and see him later.
"Miss Zhang, let's go together! I have some things I need to discuss with Tang Xiu," said Liu Changxi.
Hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xinya then nodded and said, "All right. I'll go and have my makeup removed first! I'll see you at the East entrance later."
****
Outside the concert venue…
A group of students from Shanghai University gathered up. Each and every one of them looked excited, thinking that tonight was really fun and joyous. Zhang Xinya's concert was very successful, as unceasing cheers and applause happened throughout the concert. The wonderful voice of Zhang Xinya had bought them a grand musical feast.
"She's truly worthy as my Goddess!! Zhang Xinya's singing voice is simply the best, the most pleasant to hear all over the world! I must work hard, make a fortune, and rise to the top of the world in the future, then I must marry the Goddess in my heart," Zhao Liang gripped his fists, a firm determined and longing look on his face.
"STOP!" Dozens of middle fingers were raised at him simultaneously.
Cough, cough…
Coughing a few times, Zhao Liang raised his hands and embarrassedly smiled, "I was just joking, guys. Don't take it so seriously. Ahahaha… anyways, the moon sure is round tonight…"
Was the moon truly round tonight?
The crowd looked up and saw the night sky. Following which, they turned their heads back at him and rolled their eyes. The weather tonight was rather cloudy and dark. What moon could there be up there?
The smile on Yue Kai's face receded, as he mumbled to himself, "Tang Eldest Bro always keep his word. He said he would come see Zhang Xinya's concert tonight, yet how come I haven't seen him at all until now? Could something have delayed him?"
Hu Qingsong looked vacant for a while, as he nodded and said, "Yeah, you're right. Tang Big Bro always lives up to his word. He didn't show up from the beginning we came to our seats to the end of the show. I'm afraid something happened to him. Why don't we give him a call?"
"All right!" Yue Kai replied and straightly took out his mobile to dial Tang Xiu's cell number. After asking, he then hung up the phone, turning to look at everyone, he said, "There was indeed something that delayed Tang Eldest Bro! He's in Bluestar Villa Complex now. Since the dorms in our campus are already locked now, how about we go to his place and spend the night there?"
"There are so many of us, man. I know there are many rooms in Tang Big Bro's house, but is it convenient for all of us to spend the night there?"
Yue Kai paused. After a short while of hesitation, he said, "It should be alright. There are 12 of us from three dorms. Having two us staying in one room should be fine, I think. Let us first go to Eldest Bro Tang's place. If we really can't stay after getting there, we'll just look for a hotel nearby."
"Okay, let's go…" Hu Qingsong nodded.
They quickly rushed toward Bluestar Villa Complex.
In the surveillance room behind the backstage of the New World Center, Liu Changxi and a dozen members of the Ministry of State Security watched dozens of surveillance footages. What made them dumbfounded was that they were unable to find the four men who were captured by those women. Those eight women seemed to have disappeared, and there was no sign of them leaving whatsoever. What was most inconceivable for them, the Ministry of State Security and the police force, was that they were still unable to find the slightest clue or trace at all, although they had conducted a thorough search in the vicinity.
"Chief Liu, take a look at these two. Their actions are very suspicious, and the surveillance cameras never captured their faces at all. There has been no sign of them leaving, just like those eight mysterious women," said an investigation member of the Ministry of State Security while pointing at the back of two figures on the screen.
Liu Changxi carefully watched the video for more than ten seconds. Then, he forced a bitter smile and said, "Who exactly are these people? They seem to know about the cameras in the surroundings, and they were clearly avoiding the surveillance cameras. If my hunch is right, those four men captured by them should be the extremists. However, aside from our Ministry of State Security people and the police force, there should be no one else who knows about this operation…"
Suddenly, his words came to a halt, as a young handsome face appeared inside his mind.
Tang Xiu? Could it be that he…
Liu Changxi quickly grabbed his overcoat and shouted in a deep voice, "Come with me to Bluestar Villa Complex. The rest is to deal with the aftermath!"
At Bluestar Villa Complex…
Tang Xiu, Li Laoshan, as well as his female secretary were sitting in front of the dinner table full of delicious dishes. The five children, who were not used to eat such a rich meal, each and every one of them was wolfing it down and had their mouths full.
Ding dong…
The villa's bell sounded.
Tang Xiu directly took out the key and pressed the button on it. There was a confused expression on his face as he got up and said, "It's late, who could it be?"
"You're a really busy man, Brother Tang," said Li Laoshan smilingly. "Go see the guests and entertain them. No need to mind me, we'll leave after filling our bellies."
Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. Just after he entered the villa's hall, he saw three cars quickly approaching, as a group of people then got off after the cars were parked.
"Tang Big Bro, you're really at home!" Hu Qingsong shouted with a rough voice.
"Something happened here at home, so I hurried back. Did you see the concert to the end?" Asked Tang Xiu smilingly.
"Yeah. Anyways, you keep your words when you say them, and when you didn't keep your promise tonight, we were afraid something happened to you and came here in a hurry, buddy. Huh? What a great smell! Are you by chance having a meal right now?" Said Hu Qingsong.
"A friend came visiting. Come inside!" Tang Xiu laughed.