Chapter 637: A Sudden Incident
With the improvement of their family condition, Su Lingyun had always been wishing to give something to her son. Even if the others were oblivious to the matter, it was something crystal clear to her how sorrowful and hard the days they had gone through all these years.
Tang Xiu hugged Su Lingyun's shoulders and smilingly said, "Thank you, Mom. Even if you don't give me a dime, I'm still very happy and satisfied as long as I can celebrate the New Year with you every year."
"Silly boy!" Su Lingyun stroked Tang Xiu's head and said with a smile, "Let's go inside! It's started snowing outside."
The present Tang Family had a mental and spiritual fortitude that was different from before. In the past, it was they had a knot that burdened them, always wary, tense, and always vigilant to the threat posed by the Yao Family—for fear that because of their negligence, an incident would occur at any time. Now, however, the Yao Family had become a thing of the past, the once behemoth had collapsed, making all the members of the Tang Family breathe a sigh of relief.
Nevertheless, the threat brought by the Yao Family all these years had also made the members of the Tang Family deeply comprehended one thing, that was, to be a monolithic whole and keep the family together. To make the Tang Family more and more powerful in the future, it was necessary for them to… unite.
One for all and all for one. All is withered when one is dried up, for one's glory is everyone's honor.
Though the Tang Family had ruined the Yao Family, it did not mean that they could relax as of yet. There were numerous prominent families in the capital and the power constellation was always complicated. At present, there were still a few powerful families in existence that could pose a threat to the Tang Family, and it was unknown how many forces were staying low-key and hidden in the dark. Therefore, though the members of the Tang Family did feel relaxed, they did not ease their vigilance and neither did they let go of their alertness.
Tang Xiu himself was very satisfied with the current situation the Tang Family was in at present. He stayed with his parents in Beijing for three days before returning back to Star City. Although the family of three did not celebrate the New Year in Star City in these three days, they had prepared a lot of New Year's gifts; not to mention that Mu Qingping had also returned home prior to them. Hence, the family of three returned to South Gate Town with warm feelings.
The light of day receded and was replaced by dusk. Just as the family was preparing to have dinner, Tang Xiu received a call from Kang Xia. The happy expression on his face vanished after the phone call ended, as several points of intense killing intent replaced it.
"Mom, Dad, I need to go out to tend to something." Tang Xiu got up and grabbed his coat.
Surprised, Tang Yunde asked, "Is it very important that you can't even join us for dinner?"
"It's a bit of emergency indeed," said Tang Xiu. "A top executive of my company had a car accident, so I must catch up and have a look at his situation."
"Then be careful on the road, son." Tang Yunde nodded and said, "Do call me if something else happens."
After replying, Tang Xiu quickly left the villa and drove towards Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. When he arrived at the hospital's operating room, he found many security guards from the Magnificent Tang Corporation standing guard in the corridor; some of them were Kang Xia's private bodyguards. They stood at the entrance to the operation with solemn expressions, and they watched the situation around in vigilance.
"How is he, Kang Xia?" Tang Xiu strode over and asked.
Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Kang Xia immediately spoke with a bitter expression, "His injuries are very severe. I have been noticed that he's in a critical state and the doctor told me to be mentally prepared since the possibility he can be saved is… minuscule."
"What about the two bodyguards who are responsible of protecting Dai Qiang? Have they been found?" Asked Tang Xiu in a heavy voice.
"No, not yet." Kang Xia shook her head. "I immediately rushed here with these men the moment I got the news. I already sent people to investigate it and they have yet to come back. However, we lost contact with two since we can't connect to their phones. We also have contacted their family, and they do not know where they went either."
A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu's eyes. It was easy to judge that the car accident that happened to Dai Qiang was definitely an accident, but a pre-planned assassination had been prepared for a long time. As far as he knew, Dai Qiang had a total of four bodyguards who worked in shifts of two. The four of them had been trained by experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall, and five ordinary people would not be able to contend with them. The most important thing was that these two bodyguards had very professional work ethics, and they naturally kept their phones on 24/7. Now that they have gone missing and their phone couldn't be contacted, it would only mean one thing: they had met a misfortune accident!
"Any particular situation happened in the company as of recently?" Asked Tang Xiu. "Or, did some issues emerged that Dai Qiang encountered?"
"Dai Qiang once mentioned it to me last year. He said that someone had contacted him and wanted to privately buy a large bulk of Gods Nectar from him. You also know that Dai Qiang is the Director of the Magnificent Tang Corporation's Winery and there have been a lot of people who want to see him, asking to open the back door in order to buy Gods Nectar in private. That's why I did not take it seriously at first, but I did feel that the number ordered by that person was kind of quite a lot. Dai Qiang refused that person's request and then received a threat from the other party."
"Who is this man?" Asked Tang Xiu.
"He's from the Southern Region, the owner of an electronic fabs in Guangyang Province, someone surnamed Qian," elaborated Kang Xia. "I already assigned some people to investigate the details on this man surnamed Qian half an hour ago, but there's no result as of yet."
"Let's wait for the news, then. I'll go inside to see his situation." Tang Xiu nodded.
Having said that, he strode inside the operating room. There he saw seven doctors wearing surgical robes currently performing surgery on Dai Qiang; the hands of the chief surgeon were covered with blood.
"Who let you inside? Get out quickly!"
A female doctor who had just transferred to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital reprimanded him with knitted brows. Immediately, the other doctors in the operating room turned their heads and had their vision land on Tang Xiu's face.
Tang Xiu ignored her as he looked at the chief surgeon and asked, "How is he?"
When the chief surgeon saw Tang Xiu, his eyes immediately lit up and hurriedly said, "The patient's injuries are very severe. Though we have stopped the internal bleeding, four of his ribs are broken and one of them pierced his lungs. Also, he suffers from severe head injury and fractured cranial bones. He will need the help of a brain specialist later.
"Handle the injuries you can deal with as fast as possible, and then let me take over," said Tang Xiu.
"Understood!" The surgeon said respectfully.
At this moment, the newly transferred female doctor was dumbfounded. She didn't know Tang Xiu, neither had she seen him in the hospital. She really did not understand why would the chief surgeon listen to Tang Xiu at all. And the rest seemed to have… admiring and respectful expressions?
Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu took over the treatment. Since the wounds had been sutured, Tang Xiu's work became easier. After consuming three hours with extra carefulness, he was finally able to pull the battered Dai Qiang back from the line of death.
The medical techniques he displayed, however, were so incredible and unthinkable that all the doctors in the room couldn't grasp them. However, when he said that "his life is no longer in danger, but the follow-up treatment must be done in order", only then did all the doctors in the operating room come back to their senses with intense admiration on their faces.
"Thank you, Divine Doctor Tang. It's fortunate that you came here in time. To be honest, the possibility of rescuing him was only 20% if I were the one who did the surgery," said the chief surgeon with admiration.
Tang Xiu nodded at him without speaking a word. He had consumed a lot of his mental energy in the three hours of treatment, so he only spoke a few words and then left the operating room.
"He… he's that miracle-working Divine Doctor Tang?" Muttered the female doctor who reprimanded Tang Xiu before. There was a disbelieving expression on her face.
"That's of course." The chief surgeon glanced at her and smilingly said. "He naturally is that Divine Doctor Tang. A miracle-working doctor who has treated a lot of hard-to-treat diseases, it's like the illnesses depart the moment he touches the patients and brings back life to them."
"The way I treated him before…" The female doctor's lips squirmed a few times and looked somewhat restless.
"Don't worry!" The chief surgeon comforted her with a smile. "Divine Doctor Tang has a broad mind and heart, he will never stoop down to our level. After all, it was good that you of all people tried to stop someone from rushing into the operation room, more so that you did not recognize Divine Doctor Tang at all, so you did what you must do. Alright, don't think about it too much. He just said that we must finish the post-treatment care for the patient well."
When Tang Xiu came out of the operating room, he saw Kang Xia waiting outside the entrance looking to have something in mind. Since the people around were his own people, Tang Xiu straightly asked, "How is the investigation?"
"We found the bodies of the two bodyguards in a river on the outskirts of the city," said Kang Xia. "Their deaths was caused by heavy blows, probably by blunt weapons. This news is from the police, and I already sent someone to deal with it. Also, we haven't found this businessman surnamed Qian. I've assigned some people from the Everlasting Feast Hall to investigate him in Guangyang Province, but the news is that there's no trace of him there, like he has disappeared."
Tang Xiu took his mobile phone and made several calls. He must find that businessman surnamed Qian. It would be best for that person to not be found by him, or else he would make him pay a very painful price.
In regards to Dai Qiang, Tang Xiu liked this bald man. He was the one who took him from the other region to Star City to work for him. Now that the man encountered such a huge accident, he was the one responsible to make it up for him!
"Boss, I have a suspicion that…" Kang Xia hesitated.
Tang Xiu's expression changed and asked, "What suspicion?"
"If this is really the doing of that businessman surnamed Qian, I suspect that this incident is not simple," elaborated Kang Xia.
Tang Xiu's eyes narrowed, "You mean that that man looked for Dai Qiang first as means to conceal his true purpose? Do you feel that he also wants the formula of the Gods Nectar?"
"That's right." Kang Xia nodded.
"Let's wait for the news!" Said Tang Xiu. "As long as I find that Qian man, I can squeeze out everything from him and make him spit out his real purpose. Anyways, instruct all the security guards of the company to withdraw from the hospital, as well as your bodyguards. Assign some experts from our company to come here in secret. I've rescued Dai Qiang's life, but he must not be injured again."
"Understood!" Kang Xia nodded and did not speak another word.
As Kang Xia left with her bodyguards and the security guards of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, Tang Xiu personally escorted Dai Qiang to the ICU. He did not hurry to leave but stayed outside the room waiting for news.
Late at night, there was a phone call from Tang Min, informing Tang Xiu that she had found the location where that businessman called Qian was at.
He was in Blue City!
After hanging up the call, Tang Xiu pondered for a while before making a phone call to Shao Mingzhen. He knew that he was still in Blue City, thus he immediately asked his help to apprehend this businessman named Qian.
"Old Brother Shao, I'll send you the information about this man. I entrust this work to you."
Chapter 638: Disappearing from the Scene
After having finished with the call, Tang Xiu was struck with a bit heavy, sour mood. He was aware of the Magnificent Tang Corporation's development. It was like an extremely fast rocket, even people without much ability were able to see it clearly. His identity probably was already known to many people at this time. The reason why his company could continue to develop until now, on the one hand, was because of the forces in Star City, who coveted the data of the company's core products, had all been removed from previously. And on the other hand, it may be related to his other identity.
That other reason was the Tang Family!
The Tang Family was like a protective umbrella sheltering him. Many people were crystal clear about it in their hearts that they must face the Tang Family if they wanted to deal with the Magnificent Tang Corporation.
It was very clear for Tang Xiu that the struggle between the Tang and Yao Families, which resulted in the former being the final victor, leaving him as the party who benefitted the most from it. The result of the contention between the two families ended up providing more layers of deterrence and protection for the Magnificent Tang Corporation; an inadvertent aftermath arising from the strange combination of circumstances, so to speak.
Birds die in pursuit of food, and so will people in an attempt to obtain riches. A tall tree will catch the wind, thus being coveted by many greedy forces is inevitable. I have always wanted to keep a low profile, silently making a fortune in secret, but the rapid development of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, as well as the potential it holds in the future, inevitably caused jealousy from others. This so-called staying low profile I've been doing seems to be seen as nothing but a joke, a laughingstock in the eyes of many people. But the one who holds the authority over the Magnificent Tang Corporation… is none other but ME!
Tang Xiu lit a cigarette and stood in the hallway while taking a few deep puffs, as a strong and overbearing aura burst out from him.
Since keeping a low profile is no longer an option, then I will stand up high! The Tang Family is an existence in the light, whereas the Everlasting Feast Hall is in the dark. Since I can use both for myself, what should I be afraid of? Whoever dares to eye the Magnificent Tang Corporation with their greedy eyes, I will play and have fun with them. If worse came to worst, I will visit them with my men and exterminate them!
After thinking it through, Tang Xiu extinguished the cigarette butt and made a phone call to Gu Xiaoxue, instructing her to transfer Mo Awu back from Nine Dragons Island and to send a group of experts with him here and be ready to be dispatched at his orders.
****
Blue City…
Inside a standard room of the Venus Hotel, Qian Xingwang stood before the window with a vigilant look. He watched the outside through the curtain slit. He was an ambitious Chinese man who lived abroad. At the same time, he was also a trusted aide who managed the financial affairs of an influential figure in the Varro Family, a member of the Stygian Club.
"Giving up my position as the Boss of the Varro Family's electronic fabs in China for the sake of getting the Magnificent Tang Corporation's formulas may be a great loss. But I can get more profits and benefits if I can get the formula. Big Boss said that, if I complete this task, he'll help me develop my own force in the future…"
Qian Xiangwang gripped his fists tightly, and there was a longing look in his eyes. He had bought a rather powerful Winery Vice-Director belonging to the Magnificent Tang Corporation. As long as Dai Qiang was dead, that Vice-Director was highly likely of becoming the new Director of the winery, then it would be very easy for him to get the recipe of the Gods Nectar.
Knock knock…
His room's door was knocked, making Qian Xingwang tense inside. He quickly turned around to the four men sitting on the chairs next to the bed and quickly gave them a hand signal.
Immediately, a middle-aged man understood Qian Xiangwang's intention and quickly pulled out the pistol from his waist. He walked to the side of the of the door and called out, "Who is it?"
"It's me!" A woman's voice replied outside the door.
The middle-aged man quickly shot Qian Xiangwang a look. When he saw him nod, he immediately opened the door and allowed a beautiful woman dressed up in a gorgeous attire to enter the room.
Qian Xingwang strode forward and asked, "How is the matter going?"
"The target has been dealt with and it was as per your instruction, a premeditated car accident. A troublesome thing may need to be dealt with, however. His two bodyguards. If the people from Magnificent Tang Corporation are to investigate it, it'll probably be very easy to find that the two bodyguards are already dead."
"Everything else doesn't matter as long as Dai Qiang is dead," commented Qian Xiangwang with satisfaction.
"Anyways, why did you want us to arrange a premeditated car accident in the first place?" asked the woman.
"I just want to make those people from the Magnificent Tang Corporation to realize that this is not a mere traffic accident and is a deliberate effort, to let the cat out of the bag that some people are currently eyeing their company; especially the winery." Qian Xingwang sneered. "When they are in a state of extreme nervousness, it will be our opportunity."
"I don't understand," said the woman with a confused expression.
"It's a diversionary tactic, a feint to the east to divert them. But, the real attack will come from the west." Said Qiang Xiangwang with a complacent expression. "Our primary target is not the Gods Nectar recipe, but the formula of the health care and cosmetics products. As long as the security forces of the Magnificent Tang Corporation are assigned to the winery, we can begin to snatch the formulas of the health care and cosmetics products."
"You're amazing, Boss," said the woman, admiring him.
Qian Xingwang smugly smiled and then said with all seriousness, "Hurry up and pack up our things. We must move fast. The Tang Family of Beijing is the backer behind the Magnificent Tang Corporation. If we don't move fast, I'm sure it won't take long time for someone to find us here. A' Sen, are you done finding a new base?"
"I already did. We can head there at any time." The middle-aged man who opened the door nodded and replied.
"We mustn't delay any longer, let's move at once," said Qian Xiangwang with a serious expression.
****
More than half an hour later, Shao Mingzhen arrived in a hurry with eight men. When they kicked open the door of the room where Qian Xiangwang had stayed according to address given by Tang Xiu, they found that the people inside had disappeared.
"I did not find anyone here, Tang Xiu. They should have just left judging from the traces they left in the room," said Shao Mingzhen after he called Tang Xiu to report about the situation.
While holding the phone, Tang Xiu slightly frowned and said, "Got it, Old Brother Shao. Let's put this matter aside first since they have already escaped. Sorry for troubling you this late. Thanks a bunch."
"Leave the ceremonial talk aside, brother. Anyways, do you want me to send some people to find their traces?" Said Shao Mingzhen. "Finding them should be easy as long as they are still in Blue City."
"Nevermind," said Tang Xiu. "It's evident that these people have a clear target judging from their planned actions. Thus, the first thing they'll do should be erase their traces, and then finding them wouldn't be an easy task."
"So be it, then," said Shao Mingzheng. "If you need anything else, I'll still be staying in Blue City for the time being. Do call me at any time if you need me."
"Alright!"
In Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Tang Xiu concluded the call with Shao Mingzhen and contacted his aunt, Tang Min, again. From her, he learned that these people they been investigating had indeed left, and that their movements were so bizarre that the intelligence personnel was unable to find them. It was like they vanished without a trace.
It was late at night, thus Tang Xiu delegated the task of protecting Dai Qiang to several experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall who had arrived and then drove to Kang Xia's villa. It was already the early hours of the morning, but Kang Xia had not yet gone to sleep when Tang Xiu called her.
On the second floor of the villa, Kang Xia's bedroom.
After Tang Xiu arrived, he took off his jacket and walked to the beauty's bed. He opened half of the window and sat there to lit a cigarette even though the heating was on.
"How was the result of the investigation?" Asked Kang Xia with a face full of concern.
Tang Xiu shook his head, "The identity of the other party has been investigated and identified indeed. They were previously in Blue City, but when the people I asked for help to apprehend them arrived there, there was not a single soul in the room. They had left already."
"So, the movements of the other party are planned?" Commented Kang Xia with a serious expression. "Could it be their real target is… the Gods Nectar?"
"The Gods Nectar may be just one of many." Tang Xiu sneered. "Since they dare to covet the products of our company or its formulas, I don't think they will only aim at the Gods Nectar. The formulas of the health care and cosmetics products may be included on the list as well."
"Who exactly is this person?" Asked Kang Xia.
"His name is Qian Xiangwang, a Chinese living abroad, the owner of an electronic fab in Guangyang Province," answered Tang Xiu. "However, I have a suspicion that this identity is just a cover to conceal his true identity. It's highly likely that he has another identity, unless he's mental, otherwise he would never dare to have the idea of eyeing the Magnificent Tang Corporation."
"The enemy is now in the dark, and we are in the light. It's best to stay careful and vigilant," commented Kang Xia.
Tang Xiu nodded in response without speaking, and then said, "I won't leave Star City before I get this rat. Also, I've already called a group from Jingmen Island here. They should be arriving a few days later. These people won't quit halfway and leave the work unfinished since they took the actions already. I'll make arrangements to set up a net in Star City. They will be trapped as long as they dare to get into action again."
"About your schooling…" Replied Kang Xia.
"I'll put the matter with my schooling aside for now." Tang Xiu shook his head. "The formulas of the Magnificent Tang Corporation must never be stolen, else we will be struck with severe losses."
Kang Xia nodded without speaking and then said, "Anyways, I've sent someone to talk to the police. They are currently investigating these people, so let's prepare ours too."
"Relying on the police nowadays is like playing with an absolute joke." Tang Xiu forced a wry smile. "The people I asked for help were more resourceful and skillful than the police as they are from the State Intelligence Agency. Yet, they still lost their traces. Do you think the police can be compared to the all-powerful intelligence network of the country?"
Kang Xia stared blankly for a moment, and then immediately said, "Then I'll talk to the police tomorrow to make them suspend the investigation!"
"Don't, there's no need." Tang Xiu waved his hand. "We'll let them continue the investigation in order not to beat the grass and scare the snake. We'll act the same as we usual. We'll use the brake to stop them, albeit slowly, and then we're going to sit back and wait for the fish to bite the hook."
This night, Tang Xiu stayed overnight in Kang Xia's place and slept until the next morning, as he then left in a hurry. He went out last night and did not come back all night, thus he was afraid that his mother would get worried. After returning back to South Gate Town, he found his parents still asleep, so he went to his bedroom, changed his clothes and cultivated for more than an hour."
"Do you have something to do this morning, Xiu'er?" Asked Su Lingyun at the table.
"Yeah, I have some matters to tend to. I got an appointment with a friend to fetch the child I just adopted," answered Tang Xiu.
Su Lingyun put down the chopsticks and said with a curious expression, "Xiu'er, I know you just adopted a child since you told me before that you wanted to take him as your disciple. Is there any peculiarity or something special about him?"
Tang Xiu was silent for a short while, and then answered, "He's blind."
Su Lingyun's hands trembled and quickly asked, "You… you want to adopt a blind child? Have you thought about it well, Xiu'er? Though our family is not short on money to foster a child, but…"