Sinar matahari yang indah menyinari bumi di tengah mekarnya bunga-bunga ungu dan merah yang cantik, menghiasi vila dan halaman dalam pemandangan yang indah dan menawan. Tang Xiu duduk tenang di bangku batu di halaman sambil memegang buku, namun ia tidak berniat membacanya. Ia baru saja menerima kabar mendadak yang membuatnya menunda rencananya untuk pergi ke Thailand untuk sementara waktu.

“Kita hanya bisa menunggu lebih lama, Tuan Tang,” kata Singluen dengan ekspresi tak berdaya, meskipun dengan sedikit penyesalan di matanya sambil duduk di seberang Tang Xiu.

Tang Xiu mengangguk tanpa berkata apa-apa dan tidak berbicara untuk waktu yang lama. Kemudian, ia berkomentar, “Baiklah, karena Kakakmu berada di Eropa untuk beberapa waktu, kita akan membicarakannya lagi nanti! Awasi saja situasi di sana. Begitu kau mendapat kabar bahwa ia telah kembali ke Thailand, segera beri tahu aku.”

“Kau bisa tenang soal itu. Aku akan mengirim beberapa orang untuk mengawasinya,” kata Singluen. “Juga, tentang kesepakatan kita…”

“Aku akan menunggumu di Shanghai tiga hari lagi,” kata Tang Xiu. “Asalkan kau membawakanku sejumlah Batu Penyihir, aku akan memberimu pil obatnya. Singluen, kita memang pernah berselisih sebelumnya, tapi aku akan melupakan masa lalu dan kuharap kau juga melakukan hal yang sama. Aku sangat berharap kita bisa berteman dan bukan bermusuhan di masa depan.”

“Aku mengerti, Tuan Tang,” kata Singluen dengan sungguh-sungguh, “Meskipun ada hubungan saling menguntungkan di antara kita, aku tidak berani memprovokasimu dan aku tidak mampu melakukannya. Aku juga tahu bahwa lebih baik berteman dengan orang-orang kuat daripada menjadi musuh mereka. Aku juga tidak akan pernah melakukan hal yang tidak adil padamu seumur hidupku selama kau juga tidak menyakitiku.”

“Aku akan menepati janjimu. Kau bisa pergi,” kata Tang Xiu dengan puas.

Singluen tidak tinggal lebih lama dan pergi di bawah pengawasan Tang Xiu. Dia tahu bahwa dia telah menemukan peluang besar karena tikus giok itu. Dia ingin merebutnya dan karena itu, dia harus segera kembali untuk mencari tahu keberadaan saudaranya dan berusaha sebaik mungkin untuk membantu Tang Xiu mendapatkan babi giok.

Ukiran giok zodiak mungkin membawa efek baik baginya, namun jarak antara itu dengan ramuan ajaib seperti jurang. Dia ingin mendapatkan banyak pil obat. Dia ingin menjadi kekuatan sejati, dan berharap dia dapat menggunakan ramuan ajaib itu untuk membina sejumlah besar ahli. Setidaknya, mereka harus berada di level anak buah Tang Xiu yang telah dengan kuat menghancurkan bahkan Keluarga Zhang yang terkenal di Makau dan membuat mereka takut.

****

Inside the compound, Tang Xiu was watching Chen Anhu who was now cultivating in accordance to the cultivation route he had taught him.While looking at him, however, he secretly sighed inwardly.As a matter of fact, he had actually helped Chen Anhu to embark on the path of cultivation, yet the path to immortality was fraught with dangers.One might even lose their souls and be consigned to eternal damnation once they failed.

As for the present… he had imparted cultivation technique to his parents, as well as several core members of the Tang Family.Even then, he didn’t have much hope for these people either.After all, cultivating on the path to immortality was not something that could be achieved overnight.Whether they could have great accomplishments, or whether they could ascend to the Immortal World in the future, everyone could only rely on themselves alone.

“Are you thinking about something, Xiu’er?”

Tang Yunde, who came inside from the outside, accidentally found himself walking in front of his son.He hadn’t even noticed it.

Tang Xiu came back to his senses and smilingly said, “Yeah, I’ve been in thought about something, Dad.Anyway, what’s up?Are you busy with something?”

“Sure.I do have something to be busy with,” said Tang Yunde with a chuckle.”I just looked at the financial statements of the company in Macao and kinda learned about some business of the company here.In fact, it’s your Uncle Chen who’s the real busy man.That reminds me, though.What’s up with him now?He also wants to follow your path and cultivate now?”

“Uncle Chen is no longer suitable to walk on the cultivation path, Dad,” said Tang Xiu.”At least not for now.I did teach him some physical exercises to keep his body healthy and to prolong his lifespan, giving him the taste of cultivation first.”

“Everyone wishes to obtain the fate of becoming immortal, yet how would such a path be easy to traverse?Otherwise, there would be tons of cultivators in this world, so not as scarce as it is now.That’s right, have you dealt with your business here in Macao?What’s your next plan, continue on to Thailand?”

“Nah, Singluen just told me that his brother just left for Europe, so I won’t set off to Thailand for the time being” Tang Xiu shook his head and said, “I’m planning to go back to the mainland tomorrow to deal with some important issues.”

Tang Yunde produced a wry smile, “I really felt that I’ve become more and more useless when compared to you, son.But you’re still young, so don’t work too hard.Money has no bounds and struggle is a never-ending phenomenon.As for your cultivation, you should also relax a bit and slowly progress forward.I just wanna say that you also need a good rest, to have a love life, and enjoy your time.Besides, your mother is looking forward to holding her grandchildren.”

“Ugh, I’m only 21 now, Dad, so there’s no rush about that,” said Tang Xiu.”Besides, being young means that I am full of energy to work hard and struggle more!My path is already fated and I’m already destined to be very different from others.I will fall into difficulties in the future if I’m not working hard now.”

Tang Yunde fell into silence for a while.Then he seriously asked, “Xiu’er, can you tell me what your ultimate dream is?I always watch you struggle and go all out; what is it for?”

Tang Xiu stood up and pointed to the vast expanse of the sky, “The goal of the first phase is to break the shackles of the sky above my head and ascend to a higher plane.As for the future, I’ll become an eagle that flies in the sky or a fish that traverses the bottom of the ocean—one who struggles to compete with myriads of others to break free from the frozen sky—one who upsets the lonely corridor that presides over mother earth and becomes a sovereign who oversees the ups and downs in life.”

“You…”

Tang Yunde stared at him with a dull face.He opened his mouth, yet swallowed back all the words he was about to say.His son’s remarks made him realize that his son’s ambitions and heart were so big that he dared not imagine them.

Tang Xiu produced a faint smile and looked at Tang Yunde.Then, he suddenly said, “Father, I just changed my mind.I’m going back to the mainland now and won’t waste my time here.I’ll make a trip back right away.Ah, that’s right, when will you go back?”

“I’m going to stay here for a while.I’ll be going back after settling all the issues with the ports,” answered Tang Yunde.

Tang Xiu nodded at his answer and shouted in a deep voice, “Gu Tao, Zhang Jue!You both will protect my father’s safety for some time.I’ll arrange some others to take over your duty once I get back.”

“Understood!” Gu Tao and Zhang Jue appeared outside the courtyard’s gate and respectfully replied.

****

As dusk came, Tang Xiu had already returned to Shanghai.The first person he contacted was Xue Yu and learned that she was currently in the Xichang Province.He immediately caught up with her along with Mo Awu, Jin Shi, Xue Sha, and Hei Xiong.It was already ten at night when he arrived there.

Chang City was the capital of the Xichang Province in the western region.It had been rapidly developing in recent years and was now ranked as a second-tier city in China.In the center of its downtown area was Bayi Square, which contained high-rise buildings accompanied by upscale commercial establishments.Here, the Chang City Hotel Hotel was located.

“Tang Xiu!”

At the entrance of the hotel, Xue Yu in her usual long white dress saw Tang Xiu get out of the car in front of her.Happiness was evident on her face because they had not seen each other for a while since she was in another region while having nothing much to do, whereas Tang Xiu was always busy elsewhere.

Tang Xiu let out a light smile and came to hug her.Then, he smiled and asked, “What kind of busy work do you got going on here?”

“Well, it was the idea you told me before,” said Xue Yu with a smile.”I felt that it was easy to do, so I did it.Well, I now got jades and antiques apart from medicinal materials.And the company I just registered is kinda growing very fast and is quite profitable from the business.”

“It’s okay doing business, but don’t forget to cultivate.Don’t make it delay your progress,” said Tang Xiu with a smile.”The path we’ll be walking on in the future is destined to be different from ordinary people.”

“I know,” replied Xue Yu with a smile.

Tang Xiu nodded and asked, “Alright, shall we go now?Let’s take a rest here today and we’ll head to Longquan Bay in Kanas tomorrow morning at once.We’re going to open the Immortal Trove there early to see what’s stored inside.”

Xue Yu looked hesitant and asked, “Can we stay a day more?I need to tend to some more things here.I already invited some guests that will arrive in Chang City tomorrow afternoon.”

“Who are they?” asked Tang Xiu, surprised.

“There are two of them, one of whom is an herbalist, while the other one is a Dragon Vein specialist,” explained Xue Yu.”Both of them are not ordinary people and I just got acquainted with them through the elder of my family when I returned to the village.The elder said that if I get the help of these two people, it would equal to having two right arms for me in the future.”

“I know an herbalist is someone who makes a living by gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains, but what is a Dragon Vein specialist exactly?I never heard of it before?” asked Tang Xiu with confusion.

Xue Yu grabbed his arm and entered the elevator under the countless envious gazes of people in the surroundings.The former then said, “A Dragon Vein specialist is actually a kind of Feng Shui expert, just with a specialty to look for the earth vein which is called Dragon Vein.These kind of people are very proficient in Feng Shui and what they are best at is finding and prospecting mineral deposits.Rumors have it that this Dragon Vein specialist has made sensational feats, though I can’t tell you about it specifically now.Besides, you’re going to see him anyway.”

“He’s good at finding minerals, you said?” asked Tang Xiu with raised brows.

“Of course!” affirmed Xue Yu.”Besides, he seems to be a world-renowned geologist as well.”

“Baiklah, kita akan tinggal sehari lagi dan akan bertemu dengannya besok.” Tang Xiu mengangguk dan berkata, “Ngomong-ngomong, jangan bicarakan ini. Bagaimana kabarmu selama ini? Kamu tidak lelah setelah berkeliling ke mana-mana?”

Senyum menghiasi wajah Xue Yu dan dia menjawab, “Tidak, tapi aku sering berpikir bahwa aku tidak punya cukup uang. Itu agak membatasi gerakanku.”

Tang Xiu tak kuasa menahan tawa dan berkata, “Kenapa kamu tidak memberitahuku kalau kekurangan uang? Priamu mungkin kekurangan banyak hal, tapi uang bukan salah satunya. Baiklah, nanti aku akan mentransfer satu miliar yuan kepadamu. Katakan saja kalau tidak cukup.”

“Pfft, hehe…”

Di tengah riuh tawa mereka, sebuah suara sumbang tiba-tiba terdengar di lift, “Aku pernah melihat orang membual sehebat ini, tapi belum pernah sekali pun aku melihat orang yang melebih-lebihkannya sampai setinggi ini. Satu miliar, ya? Kenapa tidak langsung bilang 10 miliar saja?”

Tang Xiu dan Xue Yu saling bertukar pandang saat keduanya menatap satu-satunya orang asing di lift pada saat yang bersamaan. Itu adalah seorang pria muda berjas dan berdasi, dengan tas kerja terselip di samping sikunya. Dia baru saja mencibir mereka.

“Siapa namamu, sobat?” tanya Tang Xiu sambil tersenyum.

Pria muda itu memutar matanya, menunjukkan bahwa dia tidak ingin menjawab. Namun, matanya menyapu kulit halus di leher dan wajah Xue Yu sebelum akhirnya dia berbicara kepadanya, “Namaku Wu Mingkun; aku seharusnya beberapa tahun lebih tua darimu. Kau tidak akan rugi jika memanggilku kakak.”

Tang Xiu tertawa terbahak-bahak dan tidak berbicara lagi dengan Wu Mingkun. Ketika lift mencapai lantai empat, Xue Yu menariknya keluar dari lift dan mereka melewati koridor panjang sebelum memasuki sebuah kamar mewah.

“Aku kenal pemuda itu, Tang Xiu. Dia seorang salesman yang sangat gigih dan sepertinya dia datang ke hotel ini setiap hari untuk mengganggu seorang pemilik bisnis di sini. Sepertinya dia ingin membahas beberapa kesepakatan besar atau semacamnya,” kata Xue Yu sambil tersenyum dan melepas mantel Tang Xiu dengan lembut.

Catatan:

Wu Mingkun di sini berarti pria yang memenangkan hati wanita, semacam balasan sarkastik dari karakter tersebut, bukan nama aslinya.

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