While looking at Chen Jiansheâs simple and honest face which now appeared slightly unsettled, Hao Lei soothingly said, "Donât worry Mr. Chen. If the jade ox you brought is one of the zodiac jade carvings weâre looking for, we wonât take a penny from the 100 million US dollars."
"Good, good. Weâll listen to you then."
Chen Jiansheâs emotions were finally stabilized and he exhaled a relieved sigh as he walked back after greeting Hao Lei. Just as his bottom sat on the sofa, however, he abruptly bounced up flustered and spoke, "I-Iâm sorry. Iâm really sorry... M-my clothes are too dirty. I canât sit and make your sofa dirty. I-Iâm fine sitting on the stool."
With that said, he went a few steps to the edge of the sofa, opened the campstool and sat directly.
While looking at his actions, Hao Lei was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly noticed Tang Xiu outside the door. She immediately headed out to greet him and said, "This is the jade ox, Boss."
Tang Xiu received it and shot a deep look at Chen Jianshe before he observed the jade ox. After his appraisal, he verified that this jade ox was indeed one of the twelve zodiac jade carvingsâgenuine.
"Hold this, Hao Lei."
After Tang Xiu handed the jade ox to Hao Lei, he walked to Chen Jiansheâs front and said, "Youâre Uncle Chen Jianshe if my guess is correct, right? Iâm Tang Xiu, the buyer of this zodiac jade carving. Iâve just appraised it and what you brought is indeed the object I need. Itâs still early in the morning, however, and transferring the money via online banking must wait until daytime."
"I know you. Youâre that amazing divine doctor!" said Chen Jianshe excitedly. "You... do you really want to buy it?"
"I do. Itâs been said and decided," said Tang Xiu smilingly.
Chen Jianshe excitedly said, "Tang... Divine Doctor Tang, 100 million US dollars is too much. You can just give us however much you think enough is fine for us, as long as my son can buy a house and get married and my daughter can finish college."
"I canât, Uncle Chen. I, Tang Xiu, is one who always keeps his word." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "The promise is 100 million US dollars and absolutely not a penny less must be paid. Letâs do it this way, then. You can give me the jade ox first and Iâll tell someone to transfer 690 million yuan to your account later. Youâll also get some cash for the odds."
"But I donât have a bank account! I only have a checkbook," said Chen Jianshe with some worries while scratching his head.
Chen Jianwei at the side pulled him and whispered, "Jianshe Brother, the account number is on the checkbook, you know!"
Tang Xiu produced a wee smile. Then, he asked about the two brothersâ bumpy trip today and exchanged pleasantries. They were hungry, so he accompanied them to dine and drink some wine. After that, he personally sent them to the luxury VIP room. Before he left, Tang Xiu ordered someone to measure their bodies to prepare two sets of clothes for each of them according to their measurements.
Inside the luxury VIP room.
Chen Jiawei stepped on the soft carpet and looked up at the crystal lamps that illuminated soft light. He sighed a few times and then went to the bedroom, observed the bathroom, and eventually came to a small balcony. His vision had blurred after seeing too many dazzling things. He then went back to the living room and saw Chen Jianshe sitting on the sofa in silence as he said excitedly, "Brother Jianshe, going with you this time is truly great. The luxury, the grandeur styleâeverything is just like having a dream in paradise. I really never thought that I could live in this luxurious room all my life."
Yet, Chen Jianshe frowned and stayed silent but his worry was evident on his face.
Chen Jiawei finally realized his unusual attitude and quizzically asked, "What happened to you, Brother?"
"Divine Doctor Tang took the jade ox awayâhow do you judge him? Do you think heâll go back on his word?" asked Chen Jianshe hesitantly.
"Ugh..." Chen Jiaweiâs expression froze and he mulled hard over it for a long while. With a bit of an unsettled look, he worriedly said, "Thatâs right! Why did he take the jade ox away? Weâll get nothing if heâs a fraud. Letâs go out to find him now."
Chen Jianshe grabbed him to hold him back and said hesitantly, "Letâs not find him first and put all the pieces together clearly, shall we? Divine Doctor Tang wouldnât deceive us, I think. What kind of person do you think he is? Heâs the famous young Divine Doctor; many TV stations in the country have reported his deeds. Itâs just... I still have some concerns in my heart, though."
"Alright, then letâs go see him and ask for some money first," said Chen Jiawei with a nod. "At least, we donât have to worry about money anymore!"
"Youâre right," immediately nodded Chen Jian in agreement.
Ten minutes later, once the duo had left the VIP room and was looking for Tang Xiu everywhere, Hao Lei appeared before them and handed them a black bag as she smilingly said, "This is 500 thousand yuan in cash. The small odds up till the total amount will be given to you in cash, whereas the rest will be transferred to your account! You can expect to have the money in your account by tomorrow at noon."
"Five... five hundred thousand?!" Chen Jianshe couldnât help but tremble. He quickly received the black bag and pulled its zipper and looked at the stacks of one hundred-yuan bill that had been put in order inside. He trembled. He had never seen so much money all his life, yet all this money was now his?
Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and looked at Chen Jiawei, "Weâve been wrong by suspecting Divine Doctor Tang, Brother. Heâs like the rumors say: a good personâa great kind-hearted man! He doesnât deceive us and he really means what he said. The worries we both had before... were truly a mistake."
Chen Jiawei also looked at the money and his eyes were nearly bursting out light as he said, "Yeah, youâre right, Brother Jianshe. Divine Doctor Tang is truly honest and sincere. Heâs really a good man."
Hao Lei was again at a loss between laughter and tears upon seeing the true feelings of the two brothers revealed. Then she smilingly said, "Truly, my Boss does have good integrity. Besides, the way he looked and treated you is very kind compared to how he sees other distinguished guests who sold the jade carvings to him. If anything, I can now understand why my Boss did that, though. Itâs because he sees that you are honest and simple people. Anyway, you two can go back to have some rest. When the money has been transferred to your account, you can either choose to tour Shanghai for a few days, or you can go home directly. The Boss has told me to reimburse all the expenses during your stay here."
There were several European-styled buildings deeper in the forested part north of Paradise Manor, one of which was recently built and had just been renovated. It was then taken by the owner, Ouyang Lulu, who officially moved there a few days ago.
Basking under the moonlight, Ouyang Lulu was sleeping soundly. Her slight snoring sounds were like the wind blowing outside the window, highlighting the stillness and tranquility of the villa amid the shadows of leaves that fell through the window.
The six jade carvingsâthe ox, tiger, dragon, rabbit, monkey, and chickenâwere neatly placed on the table next to the bed, exuding a hazy glow under the basking of the moonlight. Tang Xiu was now sitting in front of the table with eyes that were particularly lit up as he observed every zodiac jade carving.
He already had made up his mind. He was sure that if he could collect the whole set of twelve jade carvings and was able to figure out some profound meaning of them, and even made his cultivation to progress rapidly in a short time, the time he could ascend wouldnât be too far away.
âIâll immediately set off to Longquan Bay in Kanas by the end of the final exam to open that Immortal Trove. No matter what fortuitous encounter I can obtain there, regardless of everything, I have to go into seclusion to comprehend the Heavenly Dao trajectory in these six jade carvings. I must comprehend the Heavenly Dao laws of this world however difficult it is.â
Tang Xiu clenched his fist with unprecedented firmness in his eyes.
He always wanted to soar and ascend back to the Immortal World. He would pay off all the old scores for himself, starting anew and reappearing once again there proudly, overlooking the myriad of living beings in the Immortal World.
And yet, what he wanted the most was to have his family members and loved ones to accompany him traverse the vast Immortal pathâespecially his mother, who had never cultivated. He must do everything possible to take her with him. Prior to this, there was always a struggling feeling in his heart even though he had been cultivating. It was because he had no other way to successfully bring his mother to the Immortal World.
But now, he could see a wisp of light, the dawn, and also hope after the appearance of these zodiac carvings.
The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was the canonical scripture, the supreme cultivation of the Demon Realm that even the top Demon Lords there had been dreaming to obtain. Yet, he cultivated this canonical scripture of the Demonâs cultivation path. He believed that he would become stronger than ever in the future. But the drawback was that even if he did break the shackles of this plane, he could only leave by himself and couldnât take his relatives with him.
But now, even though he cultivated the Demonâs cultivation path, he would be able to use it for himself as long as he could comprehend the Heavenly Dao laws of this world. At that time, needless to say, he could leave this plane and re-enter the Immortal World easily, and he would also be able to take all his relatives and subordinates he had been cultivating to leave this world.
Even so much that he could bring all the human races of the entire Earth to the Immortal World without a problem if he wished to do so.
âIâll set two years of time. Iâll even tell Yanâer and Chimei to act to scour every nook and corner of the Earth if I canât find the remaining six jade carvings within this time. And that is... as long they are still on Earth.â
As the next day came, per Tang Xiuâs order, Hao Lei announced that the fourth jade carving had been found: the jade ox. However, Grand Fortune Jewelry kept the identity of the seller secret as they didnât want to disclose their identity.
Through the competing reportage of the journalists, the news broke and proliferated as though growing wings by itself. The massive hype of numerous media helped it once again to be known to everyone in the whole country. The power of the media made it so that the news of Grand Fortune Jewelry spending hundreds of millions of US dollars to buy zodiac jade carvings began to spread all over the world. Moreover, the event was still fermenting and it may not take long before it caused a great sensation all over the globe.
A few days later.
Tang Xiu comfortably headed out of his exam room. He had taken all the subjects tested and was confident that he could pass what was required, even scoring excellent results.
Honk, honk...
The sounds of a carâs horn suddenly came from outside the exam building, pulling Tang Xiuâs attention.
"Hey, handsome guy, wanna take a ride with me?" a soft voice carrying the unique sweetness of a woman came from several meters away.
Tang Xiu looked at the source of the voice and suddenly felt a bit at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh.
It was Mu Wanying who stood next to a few million yuan luxurious supercar. She looked gorgeous in her light cyan floral skirt and pink sunglasses that accompanied her loose long black hair, looking at Tang Xiu in front of the car with a beaming smile. Her figure and her appearance simply like a Goddess coming out of a picturesque painting.