Chapter 518: The Treasury Vault of the Situ Family
It is said that people are in high spirits when involved in happy events.
It was exactly Tang Xiu’s mood at the moment. After participating in the Capital Auction, he also made a deal with the Head of the Situ Family, Situ Boyang, and harvested quite a fortune from it, hence the cause of his joyous mood. He even began to anticipate how many goods could there be inside the treasury vault.
While on the road to the Situ Family’s site, Tang Xiu turned on the music in his car, which he rarely did, humming the beautiful notes to himself.
“I’m really happy for you, Tang Xiu.”
Ouyang Lulu, seated on the front seat, spoke with a smile hanging on the corner of her mouth. Admiration was sparkling inside her eyes.
Throwing her a glance, Tang Xiu slightly smiled and replied, “I’m indeed very happy, though I’m afraid that a bucket of cold water will be poured down upon my head later.”
“Are you talking about the treasury vault of the Situ Family?” Asked Ouyang Lulu with a smile.
“Yeah. I gave up a few billion yuan of fortune in exchange for choosing three good items from the Situ Family’s treasury vault. It would be at a great loss if I don’t get anything satisfactory,” said Tang Xiu with a nod.
Ouyang Lulu gripped her fist and seriously said, “Tang Xiu, you don’t have to worry about that. The Situ Family has a deep capital and foundation. To be honest, I’m not clear about how long the Situ Family exists. They may exist for centuries or even a millennium. But, shortly put, they have always been standing erect, and the members of the family have colossal wealth as well. So, I’m sure there must great objects hoarded in their family’s treasury vault.”
“I hope so!” Replied Tang Xiu with a smile.
After driving for nearly an hour, the cars slowly entered a manor. From the GPS, Tang Xiu learned that this place was no longer within the Fourth Ring Road. Nevertheless, being able to own such a plot of land in the capital where an inch of land was worth a bar of gold meant that the wealth possessed by the Situ Family couldn’t be underestimated.
“There are many martial arts experts here.”
Even late at night, after the convoy entered the Situ Family’s manor, Tang Xiu could see many security guards through the SUV’s windows. They scattered at the intersection of various roads inside, while at the same time, they also encountered patrols passing by occasionally.
These people, however, didn’t carry electric batons; they carried cold weapons such as swords on their backs instead. If one didn’t know that this place was China in the new century, it would have been mislead him to regard this place as somewhere in the Jianghu era where ancient warriors and heroes could be seen everywhere. When Tang Xiu swept the area with his spiritual sense, he discovered that these people also had blade-type weapons and firearms on their waists.
“What do you think of the Situ Family’s great manor, Tang Xiu? Anyways, the manor boasts an area of two regular-sized soccer fields and a total of twelve luxury villas of different styles. The direction we’re currently heading is toward the most luxurious villa here, which is the gathering site of the Situ Family. In the front is…” Ouyang Lulu, who was very familiar with the Situ Family, slowly introduced the place to Tang Xiu.
After the convoy dispersed at the fork of the road in front of the manor, Situ Chao, who had already gotten out of the car, headed inside while directing and pointing to the other cars to continue forward. When Tang Xiu was prompted, he continued to drive and soon arrived at the innermost place of the Situ Family’s manor.
At the center of the Situ Family’s manor was not a plaza fountain, but a European-style luxurious villa. The three-storied elegant villa encompassed a large area and was surrounded by a two meters high wall along with electric fences installed. The south side was the only big iron gate, and in front of it were four stalwart securities guards dutifully standing.
“Let’s get off!” After parking the car, Tang Xiu spoke to Lulu.
At this time, Situ Boyang had also come out from the car. When he saw Tang Xiu and Lulu approaching, he smiled faintly at them and said, “Lulu, the ancestor of the Situ Family decreed that no outsiders are allowed to enter unless it’s a special occasion. Though you may be my outer granddaughter, we can’t break the ancestral rules. You will stay outside, while Tang Xiu will go inside with me.”
Lulu could understand Situ Boyang’s words since her Ouyang Family also had such an important place that was prohibited for outsiders to enter. After nodding to him in response, she waved her hand and said, “Then, I’ll be off to the place I’m staying here. It’s the villa in front, Tang Xiu. Do remember to come look for me after you’re done.”
“All right,” replied Tang Xiu with a nod.
As Lulu left, Situ Boyang smilingly said, “Come with me, Tang Xiu! I hope you can keep everything you’ve seen and heard today at my Situ Family’s manor to yourself.”
“I got it,” answered Tang Xiu with a gentle nod.
As the electric, large iron gate slowly opened, Situ Boyang led Tang Xiu inside. There were also four stalwart men standing guard in the courtyard, and Tang Xiu also discovered that there were at least 20 experts inside and outside the luxurious villa.
“Interesting, there are also elevators inside this three-storied villa,” said Tang Xiu with a faint smile after arriving at the elevator door on the left side of the hall.
Situ Boyang let out a faint smile in response. As the elevator’s door opened and the duo boarded it, he reached out his hand to press the spot below the buttons provided for the three floors. The response was almost automatic as the spot that was originally invisible then turned bright red and displayed the “-1” number. Following that, Situ Boyang leaned forward toward the LCD screen to have his retina verified, after which the elevator began to descend.
Creak…
When the elevator stopped and its door slowly opened, what appeared in front of Tang Xiu was a long corridor. The duo then got out of the elevator as Situ Boyang pointed to the front corridor and seriously said, “This the treasury vault of the Situ Family. There are eight rooms on both sides of the corridor. The four rooms on the right side are the vaults for gold, silver, and jewelry, which are the wealth that has been amassed by every generation of the Situ Family. The other four rooms on the left are the unique and bizarre treasures that have been hoarded by our family. I have instructed my men to open all the eight doors, so you can freely enter any room to have your pick.”
“Are you not going to go with me?” Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.
“I won’t. I’m afraid that you will find good things that makes me distressed. So I’ll be waiting for you here,” said Situ Boyang with a forced smile.
After saying that, he went to the sofa nearby and straightly took a seat.
Tang Xiu took a deep breath before walking inside. He had paid a few billion yuan to have this opportunity, so he didn’t want to waste time and straighly released his spiritual sense. Just like Situ Boyang said, the four rooms in the right were vaults storing massive quantities of gold and jewelry. Whereas the first room on the left stored antique calligraphies and paintings.
As for the remaining three rooms, a lot of things were placed there. After all, each room had spaces of 40 to 50 square meters with a row of racks on the wall around the room, along with two rows of long cabinets made of glass. The things inside them were clearly visible under the soft light.
“Oh?”
Tang Xiu’s expression slightly moved and he immediately headed to the second room on the left. He intentionally spent a few minutes looking around to observe every object placed there. After observing around, he finally came to the object locked by his spiritual sense. It was a glazed ancient bronze lamp full of stain and rust on its surface. It looked extremely ordinary among the many objects inside the room. However, Tang Xiu had keenly observed it and discovered the Buddhist sarira inside it.
This Buddhist sarira still had its internal spiritual power preserved even after being refined by someone, and was contained inside the ancient bronze lamp for so many years... What made Tang Xiu surprised was a Buddhist cultivation technique that was engraved on the Buddhist sarira.
This crafting technique is ordinary, but given that there are no Immortals on Earth, being able to do such a feat is indeed not easy. This ancient bronze lamp should be at the pseudo-immortal grade at the least. From this finding, it seems that there had been extremely powerful cultivators on Earth, and it’s highly likely that there are also some Immortals in the Immortal World who ascended from Earth.
Tang Xiu fell into thought for a short while as he took the ancient bronze lamp. Although he still didn’t know what effect this ancient bronze lamp had, it was still a pseudo-immortal grade device. It would probably be very helpful to him in the future if he could figure out how to use it.
Near the elevator in the hallway outside, Situ Boyang, who was sitting on the sofa while smoking, suddenly pricked his ears. He had earphones on at this time, and there was a voice reporting to him. His complexion turned strange after hearing the report.
An ancient bronze lamp? Why did Tang Xiu choose that object? I’ve studied it, and although it does contain an orb-like object inside, there is no way to take it out. The ancient bronze lamp is extremely hard, an ancient antique, so it was kept in the family’s treasury vault. Don’t tell me that Tang Xiu knows the origin of this ancient bronze lamp?
Situ Boyang knitted his brows, yet he actually eased down, because the ancient bronze lamp was not included among the most precious objects in the vault. In other words, even if the objects chosen by Tang Xiu were among those precious objects, he could only pick two left.
Quickly after, Tang Xiu came out of the second room on the left and then walked into the third room. His eyes took a fast, casual glance from the right corner. The Situ Family had indeed hoarded a lot of unique and strange treasures; even Tang Xiu could tell that if he casually took one of these unique treasures to sell, it would fetch quite a price outside. If the Situ Family was willing to exchange everything in their treasury vaults into RMB, the total value would definitely make many millionaires tremble, for it would make the Situ became the richest family in the country.
Tsk, tsk, there’s even the Imperial Decree here. This Imperial Decree… is written by the first founder Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and it even has his seal. If this object were to be taken outside, it should be at the national treasure level, shouldn’t it?
Tang Xiu shook his head while smiling as he gradually moved toward the right corner of the room. The further he walked the more excited he became.
However, he didn’t want to show it no matter how excited he was, because he was perfectly aware that there were hidden surveillance cameras in every corner of the room. Therefore, he knew that every move and action he made inside were probably being monitored by the Situ Family.
Chapter 519: Distressed
There was a lustrous greenish Guanyin vase with its mouth sealed tightly with a beautifully carved ornate cork made of jade. The Guanyin vase had not the slightest crack, and its surface was carved with strange symbols that were similarly used by cultivators to inscribe runes.
What made Tang Xiu excited was not the appearance of the symbols, but something inside the vase. There was a drop marble-sized dazzling golden liquid motionlessly lying inside.
After taking the Guanyin vase, Tang Xiu’s face slightly changed, because he could keenly feel that this small Guanyin vase actually weighed a few hundreds of pounds. An ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to move it even if he were to exert all his strength.
“Oh?” Tang Xiu knitted his brows. He was quite surprised to find that his strength, that was approximately 10,000 pounds, was not able to pull the jade cork that sealed the vase. After a moment of observation, Tang Xiu suddenly realized that the runes inscribed on the vase’s surface actually formed an unusual array. It was so unusual that even he himself who was very knowledgeable in arrays didn’t know what its function was for.
Just take it first.
Tang Xiu didn’t study it immediately because of time, and simply took it as he walked toward the fourth room on the left. Although he didn’t feel any special objects with spiritual power fluctuation after covering the area with his spiritual sense, he still observed everything carefully.
To his disappointment, however, there was nothing special that piqued his interest. At the end of the day, his eyes fell on a very big golden dragon head. Its whole body was made of gold, and the carving was very exquisite. Tang Xiu discovered that its weigh was around 200 pounds after trying to move it.
Situ Boyang, who was sitting on the sofa in the corridor nearby the elevator outside, had a smile on his face. Tang Xiu’s second pick made him satisfied. He did feel that the Guanyin vase was very unusual considering its hundred of pounds’ weight, yet nobody among the eight generations of the Situ Family had been able to figure out what it really was. Therefore, he didn’t feel distressed by Tang Xiu picking the Guanyin vase.
“Patriarch, the third object picked by Tang Xiu is our family’s Golden Dragon Head.”
The voice of a Situ family member from the monitor room came from the earphone.
“What?”
Situ Boyang expression turned blank and vacant, as he then immediately leaped up from the sofa and dashed toward the corridor. His speed so fast, simply unlike what an old man could do. When he came into the left side of the fourth room, he saw that Tang Xiu was about to head outside of the room along with the golden dragon head, thus he immediately shouted, “Tang Xiu, can you put it down? I’m willing to give you two more chances to pick as long as you give up this golden dragon head.”
“Grandpa Situ, we agreed before that you won’t stop me no matter what items I choose. Are you going back on your words now that I’ve already picked the items?” Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said.
The corner of Situ Boyang’s mouth twitched, and a distressed look finally appeared on his face as he gazed at the golden dragon head carried by Tang Xiu. After stroking his hand, he said with a wry and bitter expression, “Although I indeed feel distressed, I have never gone back on my promises. To get this golden dragon head the ancestors of my Situ Family spent a huge price and a lot of effort, nearly leading to the extermination of the Situ Family a few hundred years ago, before they eventually obtained it with great difficulty. I never thought that it would be lost in my hands in this generation.”
“Isn’t this only a golden dragon head cast with gold? Besides, your Situ Family has a lot of gold, it won’t be a big deal for you to recast it again, no?” Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.
“You don’t know anything.” Situ Boyang replied and eventually shook his head with a bitter expression.
“Grandpa Situ, this golden dragon head is already mine, and I won’t go back on my words either since I’ve already picked all three items. If anything, can you tell me what’s so special about this golden dragon head?” Asked Tang Xiu curiously with a moving expression.
“Are you sure?” Asked Situ Boyang as he stared at Tang Xiu.
“100% sure!” Answered Tang Xiu without a shred of hesitation.
Situ Boyang nodded silently, “Legend has it that at the place of convergence between the Yellow River and the Yangtze River is the Golden Dragon, Yong Zhen’s embodiment. Later, for unknown reasons, some people found that place and cut the dragon’s head with some mysterious methods. After obtaining the golden dragon head, the ancestors of our Situ Family, from generation to generation, have been trying their best to find the dragon body in the said convergence spot. A pity that they have been unable to find it even after spending several centuries.”
“What’s gonna happen if you find it?” Asked Tang Xiu curiously.
“I don’t know whether the legend is true or false, but rumor has it that once the dragon body is reconnected with the dragon head, restoring the entire embodiment of the Golden Dragon image, it would then revive the Golden Dragon and turn it into a living creature. Rumor even says that if the dragon body and its head are reconnected, whoever does the deed will become the master of said Golden Dragon,” said Situ Boyang seriously.
Cough, cough…
With an expression that was between laughter and tears, Tang Xiu was at a loss as he looked at Situ Boyang, “Grandpa Situ, did someone get your Situ Family’s members brainwashed or something? It’s so absurd, and yet you all still believe it? This golden dragon head is simply cast from gold. Only, its sculpting is so exquisite and beautiful that it makes it look lifelike.”
Situ Boyang forced a smile, “Hence, I don’t know whether it’s true or false, like I told you. However, the people from the Occult Sect are all in line with this view based on the idea that magical things and mysteries are countless in this infinite universe. If the legend is indeed false, we will only be disappointed at the most, but if it’s really true, our Situ Family will obtain a huge benefit. I’m sure you I need not say more, right?”
“All right, then! The Situ Family has now unshackled by this absurd rumor! Later on, your family needs not search so arduously for it anymore. If anything, I will take this object, and I also need 10 days. I promise you that all the talismans will be handed to the Situ Family by then. However, I hope that you can send someone to Shanghai to fetch them when they’re done.”
“For me, the talismans are more important than the golden dragon head. Since we already had an agreement beforehand, then these three objects are yours. You leave them here for now, I’ll instruct someone to carry them outside for you,” said Situ Boyang with a sigh.
“No need,” said Tang Xiu with a smile. “Just help me take the ancient bronze lamp and the Guanyin vase. I can carry this golden dragon head myself.”
“Do you think I can carry that Guanyin vase?” Asked Situ Boyang with a forced smile.
“True that, indeed!” Tang Xiu chuckled. “This Guanyin vase is very strange, and I found that it’s heavier than this golden dragon head. Well then, I’ll have to trouble you to move this golden dragon head to my car, Grandpa Situ.”
“Okay!” Replied Situ Boyang.
Ten minutes later, the golden dragon head had been moved by four stalwart men to Tang Xiu’s Range Rover. Since it couldn’t be stuffed into the trunk, Tang Xiu disassembled the back seat and put the golden head dragon inside. As for the ancient bronze lamp and the Guanyin vase, he secretly stored them into his interspatial ring.
“Tang Xiu, go see Lulu! She’s still waiting for you!”
Situ Chao turned out to have been waiting outside the courtyard. He looked distressed as he saw the four members of his family place the golden dragon head into Tang Xiu’s car. It took him quite an effort to calm down his emotions and then squeeze out a smile when he spoke to Tang Xiu.
“With this object inside my car, I don’t dare to leave it at all. Anyhow, I’ll call Lulu and ask her whether she has anything to do. If it’s okay with her, then I’ll go back first,” said Tang Xiu with a smile.
After saying that, he dialed Lulu’s number and told her about the matter with the golden dragon head. She didn’t keep him anymore and told him to drive carefully instead.
It was already 12 AM when Tang Xiu returned to the Tang Family’s residence.
What surprised Tang Xiu was that his father and grandfather, Tang Yunde and Tang Guosheng, were still awake. They were currently sitting and having a chat on the sofa inside the living room, while the curling scent of tea inundated every corner of the room.
“Grandpa, Dad, you two are still awake?!” Said Tang Xiu with a smile after entering the room in large strides.
“Aren’t you going back to Shanghai tomorrow? We were waiting to chat with you. That’s right, where did you go today?” Tang Guosheng smilingly asked.
Ding, ding…
Tang Xiu’s mobile phone sounded. It was notifications for several short messages that were sent at the same time. Tang Xiu didn’t hurry to reply Tang Guosheng as he looked at the messages instead. Immediately, the expression on his face was replaced by a strange look.
2.5 billion yuan had just been transferred to his account twice.
Also, the remaining two text messages were sent by Jinmen Tian and Li Yuan, saying that they transferred the money to him in advance because they trusted Tang Xiu.
After reading it, Tang Xiu looked up and smilingly said, “I was attending a black market auction, and the harvest I got there was quite great.”
“Were you participating in that Capital Auction organized by the Situ Family?” Tang Guosheng’s expression moved as he asked.
“Yeah!” Replied Tang Xiu with a smile.
“The Situ Family does have a rich heritage and capital. It’s very difficult to estimate their true strength. From my estimation, their strength isn’t weaker than our Tang Family. Nevertheless, the annual Capital Auction organized by them is practically an underground, black market auction, and most of the items auctioned there are objects that can’t be exposed to public. Anyhow, it’s due to them being part of the Occult Sect that major families in Beijing turn a blind eye to the Situ Family. Xiu’er, I’m rather curious now, how come attending the auction organized by the Situ family ever crossed your mind?”
Tang Xiu explained the matter with Li Laoshan seeking him for help, and finally ended the explanation with a smile, “I never thought that Wang Daoyuan would easily bury the hatchet and make peace with Li Laoshan. However, since their matters have been solved, I can be considered to have achieved my aim as well.”
Tang Guosheng nodded with a grin, “You did well. Anyhow, you haven’t told me what harvest you got today!”
“I got the Qin Emperor’s Imperial Jade Seal and the Nine Phoenix Hairpin. I spent 3.1 billion to buy these two items at the auction,” said Tang Xiu with a smile.
“What?”
Tang Yunde and Tang Guosheng looked similarly vacant due to the shock.
3.1 billion?
He unexpectedly so boldly spent 3.1 billion yuan at an auction? Wasn’t this wasteful and extravagant?
One indeed can make money by spending!
But… Tang Guosheng suddenly thought that… was he wrong to have handed over 50 billion yuan to this grandson of his? With such wasteful and extravagant spending, even 50 billion yuan wouldn’t be enough for him to squander!