Chapter 551: Powerful Intimidation
Yao Xinhua's expression drastically changed as he stepped back. His eyes were suffused with coldness as he stared at Tang Xiu. His vigilance toward Tang Xiu had reached an extreme point after what happened at the charity party.
"Did you come to make trouble?" Asked Yao Xinhua in a sank voice.
"Did you not hear what I just said?" Tang Xiu waved his hand and smiled. "If you didn't hear it clearly, then I'll say it again. You shouldn't have forgotten our bet, right? You fainted and were carried out of Sheraton Hotel, hence you lost. Thus, you must pay me the 1 billion RMB of our gambling. My purpose in visiting you this time is very simple. Firstly, I wanted to see whether you had woken up; and secondly, to demand the money. Don't tell me a respectable Young Master of the Yao Family can't even get a trivial amount of 1 billion RMB?"
Yao Xinhua glared at Tang Xiu for ten plus seconds before the turbid look on his face suddenly vanished. Then, a bright smile appeared on his handsome face as he pushed the stalwart man and grinned, "What you said is correct, Tang Xiu. I accept my defeat. Gimme your account number and I'll instruct someone to transfer you the money."
Raising his hand to touch his chin, Tang Xiu suddenly grinned, "Young Master Yao really is a forthright man. Maybe we would be good friends if it wasn't because of our identities. Well, we can appreciate each other's abilities though this is the second time we meet. Since it's not easy for us to see each other, I'll stay here and wait while having a chat with you. Once the money has been transferred, I'll have a feast and invite you to celebrate your waking up."
"Young Master Tang seems afraid that I won't pay the debt, eh?!" Yao Xinhua smilingly replied. "That's fine. Since you're going to throw a banquet for me then I won't hesitate."
Having said that, he spoke something to the middle-aged big man next to him. After receiving Tang Xiu's account number, the man walked out of the ward despite hesitating.
Following that, Tang Xiu took a seat on a chair, as he pointed to the sickbed and smilingly said, "You just fainted for two days, and your body and bones must be quite stiff. Young Master Yao, please sit on the sickbed and rest a little. Anyhow, how are those two foreign experts under your command? Aren't they supposed to accompany you in the Eastern campaign and help you fight for power?"
A glint flashed in Yao Xinhua's eyes. He looked tranquil and composed on the surface, yet he turned more vigilant inside, since he didn't expect that Tang Xiu knew the existence of Ai Murui and Topherson.
"Young Master Tang really knows a lot about me! On the contrary, I know very little about you. it seems like we must get much closer to understand each other more."
Tang Xiu couldn't help but burst into laughter, "My, my… why is Young Master Yao acting so modest? I'm sure everything about me is going to be turned inside out by you, no? Anyhow, I just recalled something. I heard that Young Master Yao had been abroad for a few years, so you should have met Yao Qinglong often, right?"
The Fourth Uncle?
Yao Xinhua was startled, yet he couldn't make heads or tails as to why Tang Xiu suddenly mentioned his Fourth Uncle, Yao Qinglong. However, he still smiled lightly, shook his head and he said, "Young Master Tang is kidding me. My Fourth Uncle is responsible to manage the family's business, whereas I myself am rarely managed them, so I almost never see him."
"Nah, I don't think so. I think you must have seen him often." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Yao Qinglong is the first disciple of the Thief Branch and he has certainly done quite a lot of work to manage your family's businesses abroad, though there has been no significant track of him in normal times. A friend of mine mentioned him a couple days ago; he holds your uncle in high esteem!"
Yao Xinhua's complexion changed. The smile on his face receded like a tidal wave, as he stared at Tang Xiu with a face full of vigilance, "How did you know that my Fourth Uncle is the first disciple of the Thief Branch?"
Pretending to look curious, Tang Xiu replied, "Oh, my guess turns out to be correct, huh? Tsk, tsk… I gotta admit that I must admire my own IQ. I heard that the first disciple of the Thief Branch is called Yao Qinglong, and I suddenly recalled that your Yao Family's members also have the same surname, hence I disclose it to you casually. Never thought that it was really spot on, though."
Instantly, Yao Xinhua's expression turned extremely unsightly. He stared at Tang Xiu and angrily replied, "Are you deceiving me?"
"No no no, I have always heard that Young Master Yao is a man whose intelligent surpasses others, so how could I be able to deceive you?" Tang Xiu waved his hand and chuckled. "I just spoke without thinking. By the way… is your staff working inefficiently or something? We've been sitting and chatting for most of the day, but why hasn't he finished the job yet? Don't tell me you can't fork out 1 billion RMB, Young Master Yao? Could it be that your men is scraping things up together?"
"You…" Yao Xinhua just realized that he, who was always able to keep his composure and act deceitful, suddenly felt that his IQ was not enough when facing Tang Xiu.
"Come on, don't call out you—you, and me—me, will you?" Tang Xiu chuckled. "If you tell me that you're really unable to fork out such a trivial amount, then I'll give you a discount. Besides, I'm not that unreasonable. How about I give you a 10% discount? If you think it's still too much, I can give you a 20% discount!"
Yao Xinhua sneered, "Young Master Tang sure is impressive, huh? But my answer is no. In my eyes, 1 billion yuan is nothing but a trivial amount of money. Besides, unlike someone, this money was not obtained from my family. Of course, each bill is stained with blood, so I don't know whether the one using my money won't end up having the same fate as their previous owners."
"Amazing!" Tang Xiu gave him a thumbs up. "My money was indeed given by my family members; I don't have such good abilities. I'm so timid that I don't even dare to kill a chicken, and only have the balls to stun a few swine and dogs once in a while."
"You…" Yao Xinhua was incensed and furious. The reason why he ended up in the hospital was because Tang Xiu stunned him, which meant that Tang Xiu's remark was akin to calling him a swine or a dog!
Knock, knock…
The ward's door was knocked, and the middle-aged big man returned. He came to Yao Xinhua's side and whispered something to his ear. Then, Yao Xinhua raised his head to look at Tang Xiu and said, "The money has just been transferred to your account. May I ask what kind of dishes Young Master Tang wants me to eat today?"
"I just met a butcher, and two days ago, he said that he's going to put down his butcher knife and open a restaurant." Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. "When I went to visit him, he served me a few pufferfishes. So, we'll have blowfish meat today." [1]
Pufferfish?
Yao Xinhua shuddered inwardly. He suddenly turned his head to the middle-aged big man next to him and angrily said, "What did you just say? You want me to go back and deal with something important? Did you not hear that Young Master Tang has just invited me to eat pufferfish meat?"
At first, the middle-aged big man stared blankly, before replying quickly, "Young Master, it's not that I have to take you back, but we indeed have something urgent to deal with! How about you invite Young Master Tang some other day? I remember an old carpenter who used to sell coffins, he also opened a restaurant recently, and has learned how to cook pufferfish in a few days!"
Yao Xinhua nodded in satisfaction. A grin appeared on his face as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, "You heard that, Young Master Tang? I'm afraid I'm unable to accept your invitation today. But I'll invite you some other day, and I'll do that personally."
Tang Xiu let out a smile and glanced at the middle-aged big man. He then got up and walked to him, patted his shoulder while gently smiling and said, "You're great; a very loyal and faithful dog. Because Young Master Yao has some matters to deal with today, then I won't insist. I'll take my leave, then."
After saying that, he turned to leave along with the two big men. When he was about to walk through the door, he suddenly stopped, turned around and smilingly said, "Young Master Yao, since your Fourth Uncle is the first disciple of the Thief Sect, help me convey a message when you meet him. Tell him that I'm hoping to cooperate with him if there's a chance in the future given the business in his hand."
"Sure! I won't see you out," replied Yao Xinhua with a foxy smile.
After Tang Xiu left, only then did Yao Xinhua grimaced. He fiercely punched the sickbed before taking his mobile phone and dialing the number of an elder of his family.
A few minutes later, as Tang Xiu left Jingmen Island's First Public Hospital, he comfortably sat on the back seat of the sedan and asked, "What the two of you think, was it I who had the upper hand, or was it that Yao fella?"
The big man on the front seat turned his head and smilingly said, "Of course it was you who won, Boss. Your momentum and imposing manner were very intimidating, and you kept pressing that Yao guy."
"However imposing a momentum it may have been, it's just an empty thing." Tang Xiu chuckled. "But today, at least the goal has been achieved. 1 billion, eh? Tsk, tsk… Even if Yao Xinhua does have quite some money, I think it's enough for him to be in pain for quite a while. Also, I just found an interesting thing today that made me decide to let this guy live longer."
"What interesting thing, Boss?" The big man on the front seat asked with a puzzled expression.
"Don't tell me you didn't noticed that Yao Xinhua is very afraid of me?" Asked Tang Xiu.
The stalwart man dazed for a moment before he immediately nodded and smilingly said, "True that. His eyes were full of vigilance ever since he saw you. Like he was guarding against all possible dangers from an enemy. Only, his man didn't understand him. Anyhow, he's an enemy, and it's better to kill him directly. Why should we allow him to live longer, Boss?"
"We and the Yao Family are bound to have a fierce battle in the future; a struggle between two evenly matched mortal enemies." Tang Xiu smiled. "Though Yao Xinhua is quite shrewd and deep and is considered as the best in the younger generation, I have already planted the seed of fear in his heart. It will be quite difficult for him to remain composed and natural whenever he confronts me in the future. Don't you think that such an enemy will be easy deal with? If the enemy changed to a new one, do you think we can still easily cope with this new adversary we're unfamiliar with?"
The stalwart man was silent for a moment before slowly nodding, "I get you, Boss."
Tang Xiu smiled faintly and turned to look out of the window, and no longer talked.
Ring, ring, ring…
A mobile ringtone sounded. Tang Xiu took his mobile phone out and looked at the number displayed on the screen. It was a call from Kang Xia. After connecting the phone, he smiled and said, "Hello, Kang Xia. Is something up?"
"Boss, the second-in-charge figure of the Italian mafia's Cubo Clan wants to see you." Kang Xia's voice came from the phone and her tone was especially serious.
Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before asking, "Where is he now?"
"Star City!" Answered Kang Xia.
Chapter 552: A Big Deal
Tang Xiu thought for a while, before nodding and saying, "Since he wants to see me, then tell him to come to Jingmen Island! I'm now in Jingmen Island."
"What are you doing in Jingmen Island, Boss?" Asked Kang Xia, surprised.
"I told you before that I'm going to rent two islands in the South China Sea. It just so happened that a particular circumstance has arisen, so I came over here to deal with it."
"I see. You… Are you by chance going to return to Shanghai at the end of this month?" Asked Kang Xia.
"Apparently so," said Tang Xiu.
"Since you're going back to Shanghai at the end of this month, then I'll be supervising the operation and personally open the new store in Shanghai by the end of this month," said Kang Xia with a smile.
After conversing for a while, Tang Xiu hung up the phone call.
As for the issues with the Italian mafia's Cubo Clan, he had sent people to investigate them and naturally had already investigated the No. 2 figure of that syndicate, Druffet, who had great authority in the Cubo Clan and someone of high status in Italy.
Retaliation?
Tang Xiu felt that it was unlikely. Druffett would have directly hit the Magnificent Tang Corp if he wanted to retaliate. He wouldn't have contacted Kang Xia and asked to see him through her. But if it wasn't for revenge, then what exactly did he want?
Though he had thought deeply about it, Tang Xiu still couldn't figure it out, hence didn't feel like occupying his mind with it since he had long prepared different measures needed to deal with different situations. As of now, his focus was placed on those two islands. He still had no idea how the Tang Family would take to deal with the negotiations and whether they could acquire those two islands. However, he had long decided that he would directly employ force if the Tang Family ultimately failed; though it was only a last resort so as to prevent the Yao Family getting them.
Time fleeted by, and two days passed by in the blink of an eye.
Over the past two days, Tang Xiu spent his time in a carefree and leisure manner. Aside from the necessary daily cultivation, he just read books while savoring his tea and accompanying Gu Yan'er, who was still in slumber inside the exquisite pagoda.
"Grand Master, a guest just came to the Everlasting Feast Hall, saying that he has an appointment with you." Gu Xiaoxue's figure appeared on the seventh floor of the exquisite pagoda and reported with a respectful manner.
"Is his name Druffet?" Asked Tang Xiu lightly.
"Yes, it's him," said Gu Xiaoxue with a nod.
Tang Xiu nodded in response. After Gu Xiaoxue left the exquisite pagoda, he went straight to the private dining room booked by Druffet in the Everlasting Feast Hall. After revealing his identity to the four burly foreigners, he then entered the room. However, the first one he saw when he came in was not Druffet, but an unexpected acquaintance.
"Never thought I'd meet you here, Miss Ji."
The reason Ji Shiyan followed Druffet to Jingmen Island was because the man was a friend of her Boss, and her company had a business relationship with him. She was startled and astonished when she saw Tang Xiu come inside. It was evident that she didn't expect the person Druffet would see was actually Tang Xiu.
"Hello, Mr. Tang."
Tang Xiu nodded slightly at her before looking at the tall Druffet, as he stretched out his hand and smilingly said, "Welcome, friend from afar. I'm Tang Xiu, the Magnificent Tang Corporation's owner."
Druffet didn't receive the handshake, however, but squinted his eyes and size up Tang Xiu instead. Then he let out a cold snort and lightly said, "You really are quite an awesome and powerful man, Boss Tang! To think you actually made me come to Jingmen Island to see you."
Tang Xiu's facial expression turned overcast, and then went straight to the innermost couch and took a seat. After tilting his leg, he lit up a cigarette and drew a few deep puffs before giving his reply in an indifferent and detached manner, "Whether or not I'm powerful, haven't your men already experienced it? What's wrong? Do you think you haven't lost enough and want to lose some more people in China?"
Druffet's expression changed. Tang Xiu's remark was akin to exposing the scabbed wounds, causing his face turned very unsightly. If he didn't consider the fact that he was in China, which was literally Tang Xiu's domain, he would have pulled out his gun and shot him.
"Mr. Tang, I demand an explanation from you and the Magnificent Tang Corp, because nobody in the entire world can stay safe and sound after causing the Cubo Clan to suffer a loss." Druffet directly delivered his threat.
Tang Xiu turned to Ji Shiyan and said lightly, "Miss Ji, I won't kill him in your account, but I want you to drag him out of this place. I can't guarantee that he can still leave this Everlasting Feast Hall alive otherwise."
Druffet's facial expression changed, whereas Ji Shiyan looked panicked. Others may not be aware how powerful Tang Xiu was, but she knew it perfectly well, for she and Li Laoshan were once rescued by Tang Xiu alone.
"Mr. Tang, I think you misunderstood something here. Mr. Druffet didn't mean to embarrass you. Though I don't know what happened between the two of you, I believe getting rid of an enmity is better than keeping it alive. And Mr. Druffet, Mr. Tang is a friend of mine, and he has once saved my life. If you still speak with such an attitude, I'm afraid my assistance to you will be close to nothing," said Ji Shiyan with all seriousness.
Druffet fell into silence for a period of time before he nodded, looked at Tang Xiu and said, "I've sent people to investigate the cause of the incident, Mr. Tang. It indeed wasn't directly related to your company, but a certain special department in your country… Forget it. I won't pursue this matter since it has already happened. The reason I came looking for you is that I want to negotiate a cooperation."
"I don't think there's something that we need to cooperate," said Tang Xiu lightly.
"I don't think so, Mr. Tang." Druffet shook his head. "A cooperation between us is very necessary. Maybe you don't know what I mean by this cooperation."
Tang Xiu spread out his hand and replied, "To tell you the truth, I really don't know what kind of medicine you are selling. So tell me, what do you mean by this collaboration?"
"I want to hire some of your people here to help me accomplish a trivial matter; with a high price, of course." Druffet said. "I think you can get my friendship and great benefits from me if the results are what I want them to be."
"Elaborate," said Tang Xiu.
"According to the information I have, the Everlasting Feast Hall is yours, and you have several very formidable people here." Druffet seriously explained. "Whether it is teamwork in battles or covert assassinations, they all are topmost experts. As for myself, I can't wait any longer to take the godfather seat of the Cubo Clan. I think you understand me, right?"
"Your price," said Tang Xiu slowly after being silent for a while.
"1 billion USD, plus a large gold mine in Africa," said Druffet.
"Can you tell me who are those you want to hire?" Asked Tang Xiu.
"They are the Black and White Impermanence—Dark and Light; the Body Grinder—Gao Feng, and the Snow Hare—Mo Lei. Of course, I will increase the pay by 100 million USD for each extra expert you send. The premise is that their strength is on par with the Black and White Impermanence." [1]
Tang Xiu clapped his hands and exclaimed, "What a big deal! I think the deal can be carried out. But still, I want to know something. How exactly did you know that I'm the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall? And how did you know that the two of them are under the Everlasting Feast Hall?"
"I have my own intelligence channels, and I paid quite some price to purchase the information of their whereabouts." Druffet squinted his eyes. "You ought to have heard about the Dark Wind Organization, no? I got it from that world's largest intelligence agency."
Dark Wind Organization?
It was the first time Tang Xiu heard the name, yet this intelligence organization instantly aroused his vigilance. After staying silent for a while, he said slowly, "2 billion USD plus that gold mine in Africa; and it's non-negotiable. Up to 10 days, you can be sure that the current godfather of your Cubo Clan will disappear from this planet."
"And if you fail?" Asked Druffet in a solemn tone.
"The result is already set after I took this deal." Tang Xiu said lightly. "Look, Mr. Druffet, you are the one who looked for me to seek cooperation, and I never see such a huge sum of money that didn't enter my pockets."
Druffet spent several minutes pondering before he slowly nodded and said, "In this way, may we have a great cooperation."
"There's one last question I wanna ask you, though." Tang Xiu calmly said. "There are many excellent assassins in the world, and there are some powerful mercenary companies as well. Why did you come to me? Furthermore, why did you go so far so as to go to the Magnificent Tang Corporation rather than come to the Everlasting Feast Hall directly?"
"There are ghosts around me," said Druffet with a forced smile.
Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment, before he immediately understood what he meant. He then smiled and said, "It seems that your situation in the Cubo Clan is not as good as seen by outsiders, Mr. Druffet."
"Power and privilege are very captivating, yet very dangerous stuff," said Druffet with a reluctant expression.
Approvingly nodding, Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Give me the information! I'm sure that you must have them prepared in advance since you wanted to hire us."
Druffet gave him a thumbs up and praised as he immediately picked up a briefcase and handed it over to Tang Xiu, saying, "All the information on him is inside. Also, except himself, I want his several right-hand men to vanish from this world if possible. Besides, that gold mine is actually prepared for those people."
"I understand." Tang Xiu got up and chuckled. "Anyways, there are some things I need to attend to, so I won't be able to accompany you. Mr. Druffet, you're a VIP of the Everlasting Feast Hall, so you're exempted from paying. And do please contact us if you have other great deals again later."
After saying that, he directly left. After meeting Gu Xiaoxue on the seashore, he lightly spoke, "I just received a great deal. 2 billion USD plus a gold mine. Tell Dark and Light to prepare to go out and play."
Gu Xiaoxue let out a faint smile and said, "Grand Master, their strength has grown by leaps and bounds recently. Even I am no longer their opponent anymore. I'm sure the job can be accomplished easily if they are the ones assigned to it."
After handing the briefcase to her, Tang Xiu said, "The target is the current godfather of the Cubo Clan, as well as several of his right-hand men. Their specific details should all be in this briefcase. This matter will be yours to take care of."
"Understood!" Gu Xiaoxue nodded with a smile.