Chapter 651: Generous Reward
Cold wind was whistling amidst the dark night.
Mo Awu led the four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall as they quietly approached a specific location in the Seneschal Mansion Garden according to Chen Cheng's confession. The group of five did not enter from the main entrance but circled around to the back of the tenement, and then easily snuck inside from the staircase window.
"Awu, there are a total of four suspicious targets around this tenement. Shall we neutralize them first or straightly go to the top to catch those people?" Asked an expert of the Everlasting Feast Hall.
As the commander of this action, the other four listened to Mo Awu's orders, so he thought for a while and said seriously, "We'll apprehend that guy surnamed Qian first. We can accomplish this mission as long as we get a hold of him, so dealing with the rest won't pose any risk."
Soon, the group of five arrived at the stairwell to the floor where Qian Xingwang was staying. After determining the apartment number, Mo Awu signaled a thin middle-aged man who then took out two curved lockpicks and easily opened the lock.
"Nobody is here?" The group of five looked around the room but did not find anyone's shadow.
"The tea in the cups is still hot and the smell of smoke has not yet dissipated, so they must have just left. Brother Hei, you're a tracking expert, do you have some means to track the enemy?" Asked Mo Awu in a deep voice.
The thin middle-aged man pondered for a while and then gave his judgment, "Since they just left and those four suspicious people are still around downstairs, I suspect our target should still be in this tenement. Gimme a couple of minutes, I'll find them."
After saying that, he took a plastic bag from his pocket containing yellow powder inside. He came to the door and sprinkled the yellow powder on the floor, then fished a bottle of spray and sprayed it on the powder. Soon after, footprints appeared on top of the powder.
"Next door?" The thin middle-aged man was baffled, yet he immediately stood and gave a signal to Mo Awu.
"Open the door." Mo Awu quickly issued an order.
Right as the thin middle-aged man opened the lock with his two lockpicks, Mo Awu instantly opened the door and his figure dashed inside like a lightning bolt.
"WHO ARE YOU?"
Chen Xingwang, who was always on guard, shouted quickly when the door lock was opened. But Mo Awu's group of five bolted inside too fast and a sharp dagger was already placed on his neck, giving him no time to pull his pistol.
Bam, Bam…
The other two men inside the room were directly knocked down and under control.
Mo Awu pinched Chen Xingwang's neck and sneered, "What's your name?"
"Who are you people?" Chen Xingwang did not answer but asked back.
"You don't need to know who we are. Just spit out your name," said Mo Awu with a sneer. "Else I don't mind making you bleed."
"My name is Chen."
Chen Xingwang felt like his heart was falling into an ice hole when he replied with a face drained of color. He could tell that he had been sold out by Chen Cheng. The report that man told him in the previous call was a complete lie; the woman he trusted the most must have been killed by the enemy, and Chen Cheng helped the enemy by giving them more time for them to rush here and catch him.
Mo Awu's brows pricked up and punched him to make him faint. He took his wallet from his pocket and found his ID card in it, and then directly called Tang Xiu after determining that this man was Chen Xingwang.
Star City, the Long's Dining Hall.
After receiving a call from Mo Awu, a contented smile appeared on Tang Xiu's handsome face. He had spent quite an effort to finally catch Chen Xingwang. He decided to serve this man well. Whoever was the person who wanted to snatch the products' formulas of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, he must make them regret having such an idea in mind, no matter who the person was.
"Is he caught?" Kang Xia's eyes immediately lit up after seeing Tang Xiu's expression.
Tang Xiu nodded with a smile and then said, "Yeah, we got him. Mo Awu will bring him back soon. And Kang Xia, call Manager He, the supervisor for the Scar Removal Cream! This time, his merit is the biggest."
Kang Xia nodded with a smile.
At present, He Chao was waiting in anxiety and restlessness at home. As a manager who supervised the Scar Removal Cream, he had a lot of authority and could be considered as a genuine top executive of the company. He believed that he had made a great fortune for being able to work in the Magnificent Tang Corporation. He was really satisfied, whether it was the salary or the trend in regards to its development in the future. He even estimated his achievement in the future would definitely make numerous people envious and jealous of him as long as he was loyal and dedicated in his work in this company.
Loyalty! This was the attitude He Chao held towards the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. After the last incident in the Long's Dining Hall, he witnessed how his Big Boss did the murder, and personally experienced the solidarity in the company upon facing the enemy. He realized the traits the Big Boss appreciated the most was not how skillful and resourceful the top executives' ability was, but their loyalty and faithfulness.
Ring ring ring…
When his phone rang, he immediately pressed the answer button and then respectfully spoke, "Chief Kang."
"Boss wants to see you. Come to the Long's Dining Hall at once…" said Kang Xia
After the call ended, He Chao rushed to the Long's Dining Hall as fast as he could while turning anxious inside. He did not know what the outcome would be, but he was sure that the Boss wanted to see him not to make things difficult for him since he chose to be loyal to the company and Tang Xiu.
Half an hour later, he arrived at the Long's Dining Hall and was led by Kang Xia to the business suite where Tang Xiu was. He then looked at Tang Xiu, who was currently standing by the window facing outside, and cautiously called out, "Were you looking for me, Boss?"
Tang Xiu turned around and looked at him with a serious expression. It made He Chao a bit restless, but then, the seriousness on Tang Xiu's face turned into a bright smiling face as he amiably greeted him, "Manager He, I apologize for making you come here late in the night in a rush and disturb your rest. Please have a seat. Kang Xia, please make a pot of tea."
"Alright!" Kang Xia smiled and turned around.
Seeing Tang Xiu's change in attitude, He Chao felt flattered. He never expected that the Big Boss would even want him to seat, much less seeing him order Kang Xia to make tea personally.
After taking a seat, Tang Xiu said with satisfaction, "Manager He, I must truthfully tell you that you're the hero of our Magnificent Tang Corporation, and I see loyalty from you. It is because of your report that we have caught a group of people who attempted to plot a scheme against our company. As the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you. Thank you, Manager He."
Though he was wild with joy inwardly, his face looked restless and afraid, "B-Boss, you… you are too polite. I'm a member of our Magnificent Tang Corporation, to begin with. So this is what I should do."
"I'm really satisfied that you said 'our company', Manager He," said Tang Xiu with satisfaction. "Anyways, I already instructed Kang Xia to increase your annual salary by 50%, and you will also be rewarded with a residence about 150 square meters after the Star City's New City has been opened."
He Chao's pupils contracted and disbelief could be seen bursting out from his eyes. His annual salary already exceeded 1 million yuan, so a 50% increase was a big figure. What shocked him more was that he knew clearly well what project the Star City's New City was. After this project was done, the housing price there would be so high that it could make one tremble. Two or three million yuan would not be enough to buy a house of 150 square meters there, right?
This… this reward is…
A warm feeling suddenly gushed inside He Chao's heart. He gazed deeply at Tang Xiu and solemnly vowed, "Boss, the Magnificent Tang Corporation is this He Chao's root from now on. As long as the company does not abandon me, I'm willing to give the rest of my life for the Magnificent Tang Corporation."
Tang Xiu clapped, "That's exactly why I spoke to you like that, Manager He. I think you have already seen the development of our Magnificent Tang Corporation. Our company will be even bigger in the future and the number of the business projects we need to manage will become more as well. I look forward to many years later when you will become the senior top executive of the company, and look forward to the day when you become the General Manager of a subsidiary company or multiple subsidiary companies under our Magnificent Tang Corporation."
He Chao couldn't sit still. He could understand the deep meaning in Tang Xiu's words, that was, as long as he was loyal and devoted to the Magnificent Tang Corporation, as well as having the ability, he would be able to obtain a bigger authority and better treatment in extension in the future. It was the Big Boss himself who gave him…. this commitment.
"Thank you, Boss." He Chao got up and bowed with a solemn expression.
****
3 AM in the morning.
Mo Awen's group of five escorted Qian Xingwang's group of seven back to Star City. And the man was still fainted when Tang Xiu saw him.
"Wake him up."
Tang Xiu glanced at Kang Xia, who had fallen asleep on the sofa. He picked her up and brought her into the next room. She had been busy for a long time, and it was very difficult for her to follow him personally.
When he returned to the living room he saw that Qian Xingwang had woken up and lightly said, "I'm very pleased to meet you. This is our first time meeting, isn't it?"
Staring deeply at Tang Xiu's eyes, Qian Xingwang sneered, "The Magnificent Tang Corporation's Big Boss, Tang Xiu, is really not your ordinary man!"
"So you should know my methods since you already know, no?" Replied Tang Xiu with indifference. "You're a businessman who has an electronic products business. I don't think you'd have this much courage to dare to set your eyes on my Magnificent Tang Corporation. So tell me, who's the person who instructed a Chinese overseas like you to do so?"
"Don't bother asking." Qian Xingwang shook his head. "Even if you must kill me, I don't dare tell you."
"Chen Cheng spoke like as well," said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. "But after torture where death is much better than being alive, he could no longer stand it, so he told me everything he knew, and even complied to deceive you. In fact, death itself is not that scary. What is scary is that inhuman torture. It's a kind of feeling that you want to die and yet want to stay alive, but you can't have both. So I'll recite the words I told to Chen Cheng before: I'm a Divine Doctor who can make you tortured to death and then revive you again. That taste of suffering day after day and year after year is not something you can bear even if you're an immortal."
Chapter 652: Spending Money Like Water
There was no absolute in the world. The firm determination displayed by Qian Xingwang was destroyed in just half a minute. He couldn't even stand longer than Chen Cheng, and everything he confessed was more detailed than Chen Cheng's, even vowing under the name of his ancestors for eight generations.
"The Stygian Club, the Varro Family, Beaufort."
While holding a cup of hot tea and sitting next to a luxurious bed, Tang Xiu's eyes fell on the sleeping Kang Xia, yet they did not focus on her. He was no stranger to the Stygian Club and had even sent some people of the Everlasting Feast Hall to investigate this organization before. He already knew the goal of this organization. The Varro Family was one of the Dark Council's members and they had a total of six family members in this council. Beaufort was one them and had a very big influence there.
Qian Xingwang pledged his loyalty to Beaufort since 20 years ago and was his competent lackey. It was also Beaufort who had been eyeing the product formulas of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, so he ordered Qian Xingwang as his representative in China to attempt to steal them personally.
For the time being, Tang Xiu did not plan to go abroad, instead he issued an order to the Everlasting Feast Hall: Assassinate Beaufort and do not leave any trace of who did it.
"How long have I slept?" Kang Xia woke up from her sleep. As she found that Tang Xiu was sitting on the bedside, she asked with a brightly smiling face.
Tang Xiu came back to his senses. He looked at the time and smilingly replied, "It's already 12 at noon. You've been sleeping for a long time, so off you go to have a shower, would you? We'll go to the dining room for a meal."
Finding that she was asleep for that long surprised Kang Xia. But she was more concerned about the results of last night and quickly asked, "How things are with Qian Xingwang?"
"He spilled everything he knows," said Tang Xiu with a nod.
"Who was instructing him?" Asked Kang Xia again.
"A power overseas. I've sent people to remove the man behind the scene, so we can say that this matter has come to an end, albeit for the time being," answered Tang Xiu. "However, we need to strengthen the security forces of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. I will allocate some money to Tie Zhongkui to register a formal security company which will be responsible to form a new security force later. After this security company is on the right track, all the company's security personnel must go to this security company for comprehensive training."
Kang Xia nodded and said, "Our business will become bigger and bigger in the future, so having a lot of security personnel is inevitable to ensure the safety of our properties. Just tell me directly if you have something you want me to do."
"Alright. Just go and have a shower!" Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and smiled.
After the lunch, Kang Xia left, then Tang Xiu took Mo Awu to the Walled Hill Village construction site. After watching the lively scene there, he was satisfied with the Long Family's working efficiency. Without wasting too much time, he found Long Zhengyu, who was in the shed having a meeting with the foreman.
"How come you are here, Tang Xiu?" Long Zhengyu concluded the meeting temporarily and greeted him with a smile.
Tang Xiu then said his purpose in coming here, "South Gate Town villa complex was developed and is managed by your family through its property management company. I just wanna ask, have all the villas in South Gate Town been sold? If there's still a villa for sale I'm willing to buy it for 10% above the market price."
Long Zhengyu thought for a while before he let out a wry smile and saying, "Did you really came here personally just to ask about this matter? If you really did, I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you, mate. The villas in South Gate Town are all sold out. Also, I don't know about the property management there. You better ask Xueyao for that."
Tang Xiu forced a smile and shook his head before taking his mobile phone to call Long Xueyao. What he didn't expect was that she told him that there were several owners of the villas in South Gate Town who were prepared to sell their properties there, and one of them was Tang Xiu's neighbor.
"I want all of them." Tang Xiu told Long Xueyao on the phone and hurried back to the South Gate Town. After he met her, he asked her to make an appointment to meet the owners. Originally, he intended to buy the properties 10% above the market price, but the price offered by three owners was actually slightly lower than the market price.
Afterward, other than the Kingview Villa, Tang Xiu also bought Villa No. 10, 13, and 14. Finally, Tang Xiu also set his eyes on the Villa No. 11 and 12, since he thought that if he also bought these two villas, all the villas in the innermost part of South Gate Town complex would all become his property.
After completing all the formalities and paying the full amount of money for the villas' purchase, Tang Xiu spoke to Long Xueyao, who came out with him from the Housing Administration Bureau, "Your Property Management Office should have the contact number of those Villa No. 11 and 12's owners, right? Help me to get in touch with them, I also want to buy their villas in these two days."
Seeing Tang Xiu purchasing three villas in one breath like this had already shocked Long Xueyao. She was immediately speechless now that Tang Xiu saying that he had his eyes set on the Villa No. 11 and 12 as well. For one to be able to buy a villa was already amazing; a well-off person, so to say. But he directly bought several of them in a bulk!
"Tang Xiu, are you going to buy all the villas in South Gate as a whole or something? At that time, our Property Management Company will be very relaxed in our job since we're only responsible to manage the sole owner, you!" Joked Long Xueyao.
"I don't have much money, unfortunately, though, since I really do have this idea." Tang Xiu raised his hand to touch his nose and grinned. "South Gate Town has a good location so if I could transform it into a castle, that will be more magnificent and stylish, no?"
"Do you really have this idea?" Asked Long Xueyao, being at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh.
"I'm just kidding," said Tang Xiu with a smile. "I'd rather go directly to another place to invest that money if I had that much. Anyways, I did not joke with you, I really want to buy Villa No. 11 and 12. Help me out with this, and I'll treat you to a meal if it's successful, okay?"
"Okay!" Long Xueyao nodded.
Soon, Long Xueyao contacted the owners of South Gate Town's Villa No. 11 and 12 and conveyed Tang Xiu's intention to buy these two villas to them. When they learned that Tang Xiu was willing to buy it on a 10% more premium price, the owner of Villa No. 12 directly agreed happily, whereas the owner of Villa No. 11 hesitated and eventually rejected the offer.
After returning to South Gate Town, Tang Xiu personally visited villa No. 11. He found that the people who lived there were an elderly couple. Tang Xiu then told them his purpose to visit, and agreed to buy the villa from them with a 20% more premium price, but also urged them to keep the deal a secret. Finally, after this elderly learned that Tang Xiu had bought all the villas around theirs, they contacted their sons who lived abroad and finally agreed to sell the villa to Tang Xiu.
After everything had been settled properly, only then did Tang Xiu felt relieved.
He spent a total of more than 490 million yuan to buy these five villas. Mo Awu and ten experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall then picked one villa to stay.
****
At the Magnificent Tang Corporation's HQ.
The white skin, cute, Lolitfaced Andy was donning a very good-fitting windproof coat and white boots as she walked into the General Manager's office. When she saw Kang Xia in the desk reading and signing documents, she suddenly smiled and asked, "Boss, is there something up for you to call me here?"
Kang Xia put down the documents in her hands and smilingly said, "Boss called me. He wants us to go to South Gate Town in half an hour. Also, we'll be leaving Star City for four to five days to his hometown. Hence, you had better seize the time to arrange your work first before we leave in half an hour."
"Going to the Boss's hometown?" Asked Andy with a confused expression. "What are we gonna do there? Also, is Boss going to go with both of us?"
Kang Xia nodded with a smile and said mysteriously, "Well, it's confidential for now. You'll know when you get there. Anyways, just hurry up with our work arrangements, will you?"
"God, you're mystifying it too much!" Andy snorted but still said with an excited expression, "I've been dreaming to go out with Boss and play together. My dream now finally came true! Okay, I'll arrange my work now. Wait for me!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be waiting!" Kang Xia couldn't help but burst into laughter.
****
In South Gate Town, Tang Xiu was done packing his spare clothes. Just as he stepped out of the door, he then saw Gu Yin and Tang Xiaohan standing outside the door with two small suitcases at their feet, as Mu Qingping then said with a smile, "You two must not be naughty since you are going out with your Master. And remember to be obedient."
"I understand. (Okay)." Gu Yin and Tang Xiaohan adorably replied.
"Okay, let's go, guys!" Tang Xiu smiled. "Auntie Kang Xia and Auntie Andy should be coming soon."
Just as Tang Xiu led the two children to the courtyard, Kang Xia and Andy had just arrived. Andy was naturally overjoyed after seeing Tang Xiu and was very fond and paid great affection to Gu Yin and Tang Xiaohan.
The Land Rover drove fast all the way until the county town and then headed towards Songlou Town. Since they took a detour, they did not pass through the Su Family Village and arrived directly at the foot of the mountain back of the Su Family Village from another direction.
"Awu, the three of you will stay here to guard the car. If you want to eat… you can go and buy a meal in the town at the mountain foot. We'll be trekking into the mountain for four or five days." After getting off the car, Tang Xiu waved to the car following behind them and then spoke to Mo Awu who approached.
Quickly, Tang Xiu took the group into the mountains. Tang Xiaohan, whose eyes were blind, was hesitating, as Tang Xiu then took the responsibility to piggyback him. The group then arrived at the lakeside in the valley where he had stayed before just as the night had fallen.
"Boss, tell me! What do you want us to do here to go so far in trekking deep into the forested mountain? Oh, Lord in the Heaven, I swear I've never climbed the mountain and neither have I been in such place either." Andy's physique at the moment was very good, much better than Kang Xia's. And yet, she was still a bit tired.
"It's for cultivation."
Tang Xiu originally thought that Kang Xia hiding the truth from Andy was quite amusing and fun, so he also followed the play and avoided her inquiries several times to mystify it. But since they were already here, he did not conceal it anymore.
"Cultivate here?" Andy muttered with wonderment. "Can we not cultivate in Star City, too? Why should we come to cultivate here?"
Tang Xiu pointed to the starry sky and smilingly said, "Feel it carefully now. What's the difference you can distinguish between this place and Star City? Remember, sense it in the cultivation state."
Andy was utterly confused, but she still followed Tang Xiu's instruction nevertheless, and quietly run the True Essence in her body to absorb the world's spiritual qi.