Chapter 317: Return Trip
As he entered the bamboo grove, Tang Xiu saw a European-styled three-storied small building. As he parked the car, Li Juren’s coadjutress greeted him, asking his identity and then led him to one of the small buildings inside.
“Little Brother Tang, we meet again.” Li Juren got up and greeted him with a smile.
Tang Xiu faintly smiled and shook hands with him as he said, “I’m really troubling Elderly Li running here especially. In fact, my trip to Hong Kong this time is about a small business deal I want to negotiate with you.”
“Ah, what kind of business deal?” asked Li Juren curiously after motioning for Tang Xiu to sit down.
“To my knowledge, one of your companies seems to be a shipping company. Hence, I want to rent some cargo ships from you. I can’t determine for how long, but I’ll pay you on a monthly basis,” said Tang Xiu.
“Little Brother Tang, what will you do with the ships?” asked Li Juren, confused.
“I bought an island in the Pacific Ocean and am having some work done on the island. The project itself has quite a large amount of work being done on it and needs cargo ships to transport goods and cargoes. I have actually ordered several cargo planes from abroad and also rented some cargo ships from Saipan, yet the number is far from enough,” said Tang Xiu.
“How many ships do you need?” asked Li Juren.
“About twenty ships!” said Tang Xiu.
Li Juren was secretly startled inside as he gasped in admiration, “Little Brother Tang truly has a big capital! Alright, I’ll rent you twenty ships, and it doesn’t matter how long you will use them. As for the rental fee, it’s free. I owe your restaurant a favor, so it’s rather unjustified were I to collect fee.”
“No,” Tang Xiu shook his head. “In business negotiations, money is the thing we mustn’t do without. Quote your price, else I’ll rent the ships from someone else.”
“Well, since you insist on paying, then I’ll accept it…” Li Juren forced a smile and said,” … as for the price, you quote it.”
Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, “If so, I’ll call my friend who contracted my project later. He’ll come to Hong Kong to handle the rental formalities with you.”
Li Juren nodded and curiously asked, “Little Brother Tang, the purchase of the private island and its reconstruction should have cost you a lot, no? I don’t know whether it’s inappropriate to ask; why did you buy an island? Could it be that you want to retire and seclude yourself from the rest of the world?”
“No, nothing like that,” Tang Xiu laughed. “It’s not to seclude myself from the outside world. Besides, the transportation means is so advanced… It’s just my selfish dream of building my own Shangri-La! But what can be built in the future, I don’t know about it yet!”
“Spending a lot of money for the sake of personal dreams. You’re also a willful and unrestrained man!” Li Juren laughed. “Come… let us taste the tea, it is really great!”
“Alright!”
For more than half an hour, Tang Xiu and Li Juren chatted in the Purple Bamboo Teagarden before he then left in a hurry. He then called Hao Lei’s number, asking her to check the renting price for a cargo ship. When he got the reply, he transferred a sum of money as a charter deposit to Li Juren’s company account.
At night, Tang Xiu met Yi Lianyan, who was carrying a large bag and coming back to Deepwater Bay Road 13th. Looking at her panting appearance, he smiled and said, “What a great harvest, eh!”
Yi Lianyan threw her things on the sofa and then wiped off the sweat on her face before she replied with a forced smile, “I regret strolling out and shopping. This damn weather is awfully hot! Do you see that white box? Inside is a gift for you, you can regard it as my thanks for spending more than half of my summer vacation freeloading in your place.”
A gift?
Tang Xiu rarely received gifts from others, so he was curious. What would Yi Lianyan gift him? However, when he opened the white box, he was quite dumbstruck and tongue-tied before he asked, “Are you sure this is my gift?”
In the white box was a very cute fist-sized purple-colored lucky doll.
“Of course it’s your gift,” said Yi Lianyan, continuing, “I spent quite a long time in the novelty shop before I picked it up. Big Brother Tang, the aura of killing surrounding you is rather too heavy. You don’t talk and smile happily at your normal times. If any strangers see you in the city they will surely get the hell away from you. So a thought crossed my mind that it’d be interesting to tie a lucky doll on your arm. It should make others feel that you’re very easy to approach.”
Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment before he asked in astonishment, “Did you just say my murderous intent is heavy?”
Yi Lianyan recalled the first time she saw Tang Xiu. He was covered by blood, wearing a grim and cold expression on his face. She nodded, “Though I know that killing pirates is a good deed, you have, after all, killed people. Bah, it’s not like I fear you’ll have a shadow within your heart, though. Like I said, it’s my gift to you. If you don’t like it, I’ll get it back.”
“I like it, thanks a bunch,” Tang Xiu laughed.
Yi Lianyan nodded with a contented expression.
The next day, Tang Xiu gazed after Yi Lianyan as she entered the departure gate. He could see that she looked somewhat dismayed as he shook the mobile in her hand. Half an hour later, he also took a plane; however, his destination was not Blue City, but Jingmen Island. As he arrived at Jingmen Island’s Everlasting Feast Hall, it was already 10AM.
“Grandmaster, are you going to see Master now?” asked Gu Xiaoxue after she saw Tang Xiu.
“Yes, I must go see her now. Also, get me the wild ginseng I bought in Hong Kong, I’ll concoct a medication for her,” said Tang Xiu.
“Elder Ji brought the wild ginseng. She has been accompanying Master in the exquisite pagoda after she came back. At this time, she should be cultivating inside the exquisite pagoda,” said Gu Xiaoxue.
Quickly, the two people went inside the exquisite pagoda. After seeing Ji Chimei, Tang Xiu then asked her the strain of wild ginseng then went to the sickbed on the seventh where Gu Yan’er was laying in lethargic slumber.
“How long has it been since Yan’er last woke up?”
“It’s been five months and nine days.”
“According to the previous regular pattern, how long does she still need to wake up,” asked Tang Xiu once again.
“It should take another month or so. But she might wake up earlier since she has taken the concocted pill,” said Gu Xiaoxue.
Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before he said, “I’ll be returning to Star City today since Shanghai Uni will begin a new term by early September and I have to go there to register myself. I’ll stay here, so look for Ouyang Lulu to borrow her private jet. Afterward, you have to call me once Yan’er wakes up, I’ll be here as fast as possible.”
“Understood!” Gu Xiaoxue nodded.
Tang Xiu asked Ji Chimei a knife and cut a piece from the wild ginseng and fed it to Gu Yan’er. Immediately, he put his hand on her chest center acupoints, gently rubbing it for half a minute.
“Every seven days, cut a piece of wild ginseng and feed it to Gu Yan’er, and then rub her chest center acupoints by half a minute to help her absorb the medicine.”
“Alright,” Gu Xiaoxue nodded and said, “I’ll do it myself.”
“You go out!” Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, “I’ll be here accompanying Yan’er.”
After Gu Xiaoxue and Ji Chimei left, Tang Xiu gently hugged Gu Yan’er and let her lean on his arms as he spoke softly, “Yan’er, I can’t always be with you as your Master as I have a lot of things to do. Not only do I have to go to college to fulfill my mother’s wish, I also have to make a lot of money to buy massive cultivation resources for cultivation. However, you don’t need to worry, I’ll cultivate hard and wait until my cultivation is strong enough, so I can find a way to find the cure for you.”
“Moreover, I found an island on Earth that is very similar to the one we once lived, the Nine Dragons Spitting Pearl Secret Area. I’ll bring the exquisite pagoda there myself after finishing the reconstruction. I’ll think about every means possible to place you there when the time comes.”
“Also, Master has found the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi there. Once I move you there, I’ll try to find a way to infuse the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi into your body. Your physique will be improved and would be very good for you.”
“Please, wake up faster! Master really wants to see your happy and smiling expression!”
"..."
Tang Xiu rambled until night fell as he then left the exquisite pagoda. As he was dining at the restaurant, Ouyang Lulu came.
“Tang Xiu, I heard you want to borrow my private jet?”
She sat down at Tang Xiu’s opposite side. Without even the slightest politeness, she grabbed a dish among the tableware on the other side to try it out as she asked.
“Yup! I need to borrow your private jet,” said Tang Xiu.
Ouyang Lulu gave him big rolling eyes and snapped, “NOPE, I won’t lend it to you!”
“Huh?” Tang Xiu stared blankly as he then immediately laughed, “We are friends, right?”
“Humph,” Ouyang Lulu snorted and said, “Don’t use our friendship identity to threaten me. You haven’t fulfilled your promise yet, I’ve been nagged for a long time.”
“I promised you something?” Tang Xiu was puzzled and asked, “What did I promise?”
Ouyang Lulu heavily slammed the chopsticks as she used her arms on the table to support her standing. She bent down and angrily said, “You promised me that you’ll go to my home and see my parents, didn’t you? And what happened then? It's been two months, right? Yet you haven’t gone to my home until now!”
"..."
Tang Xiu was struck speechless.
He had forgotten his promise to Ouyang Lulu due to the successive encounters with various issues. After hesitating, he probed, “How about going there tonight?”
Ouyang Lulu raised her chin and hummed, “Humph, not tonight. My parents are not on Jingmen Island, it’s useless even if you visit now. Bah, forget it. Considering you’re willing to see my parents for my sake, I’ll no longer bicker with you. That private jet of mine is parked at the airport, you can use it at your will. I’ll send the order to the pilot and the cabin attendants’ cell numbers to you so you can contact them when you need them.”
"Thanks!" said Tang Xiu with a smile.
Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes. She then picked up the chopsticks and said, “Knowing you is really bad luck, you know that? Every time you call me you’re playing abroad, but you don’t even take me with you! I don’t care about it anymore. Let’s have a good talk. You’d better make sure to bring me along should you got out again in the future!”
"No problem!" Tang Xiu laughed and promised.
After the dinner, Tang Xiu got up and said, “I’m leaving now! I’ll go back to pack my things and return to Star City tonight. I’ll have to go to Shanghai Uni to register myself the day after tomorrow.”
“I’ve decided something,” said Ouyang Lulu quickly.
“Huh?” Tang Xiu was puzzled and asked, “What did you decide?”
“Humph, I won’t tell you,” Ouyang Lulu hummed and said, “I’ll only tell you later!”