Chapter 519: Distressed
There was a lustrous greenish Guanyin vase with its mouth sealed tightly with a beautifully carved ornate cork made of jade. The Guanyin vase had not the slightest crack, and its surface was carved with strange symbols that were similarly used by cultivators to inscribe runes.
What made Tang Xiu excited was not the appearance of the symbols, but something inside the vase. There was a drop marble-sized dazzling golden liquid motionlessly lying inside.
After taking the Guanyin vase, Tang Xiu’s face slightly changed, because he could keenly feel that this small Guanyin vase actually weighed a few hundreds of pounds. An ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to move it even if he were to exert all his strength.
“Oh?” Tang Xiu knitted his brows. He was quite surprised to find that his strength, that was approximately 10,000 pounds, was not able to pull the jade cork that sealed the vase. After a moment of observation, Tang Xiu suddenly realized that the runes inscribed on the vase’s surface actually formed an unusual array. It was so unusual that even he himself who was very knowledgeable in arrays didn’t know what its function was for.
Just take it first.
Tang Xiu didn’t study it immediately because of time, and simply took it as he walked toward the fourth room on the left. Although he didn’t feel any special objects with spiritual power fluctuation after covering the area with his spiritual sense, he still observed everything carefully.
To his disappointment, however, there was nothing special that piqued his interest. At the end of the day, his eyes fell on a very big golden dragon head. Its whole body was made of gold, and the carving was very exquisite. Tang Xiu discovered that its weigh was around 200 pounds after trying to move it.
Situ Boyang, who was sitting on the sofa in the corridor nearby the elevator outside, had a smile on his face. Tang Xiu’s second pick made him satisfied. He did feel that the Guanyin vase was very unusual considering its hundred of pounds’ weight, yet nobody among the eight generations of the Situ Family had been able to figure out what it really was. Therefore, he didn’t feel distressed by Tang Xiu picking the Guanyin vase.
“Patriarch, the third object picked by Tang Xiu is our family’s Golden Dragon Head.”
The voice of a Situ family member from the monitor room came from the earphone.
“What?”
Situ Boyang expression turned blank and vacant, as he then immediately leaped up from the sofa and dashed toward the corridor. His speed so fast, simply unlike what an old man could do. When he came into the left side of the fourth room, he saw that Tang Xiu was about to head outside of the room along with the golden dragon head, thus he immediately shouted, “Tang Xiu, can you put it down? I’m willing to give you two more chances to pick as long as you give up this golden dragon head.”
“Grandpa Situ, we agreed before that you won’t stop me no matter what items I choose. Are you going back on your words now that I’ve already picked the items?” Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said.
The corner of Situ Boyang’s mouth twitched, and a distressed look finally appeared on his face as he gazed at the golden dragon head carried by Tang Xiu. After stroking his hand, he said with a wry and bitter expression, “Although I indeed feel distressed, I have never gone back on my promises. To get this golden dragon head the ancestors of my Situ Family spent a huge price and a lot of effort, nearly leading to the extermination of the Situ Family a few hundred years ago, before they eventually obtained it with great difficulty. I never thought that it would be lost in my hands in this generation.”
“Isn’t this only a golden dragon head cast with gold? Besides, your Situ Family has a lot of gold, it won’t be a big deal for you to recast it again, no?” Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.
“You don’t know anything.” Situ Boyang replied and eventually shook his head with a bitter expression.
“Grandpa Situ, this golden dragon head is already mine, and I won’t go back on my words either since I’ve already picked all three items. If anything, can you tell me what’s so special about this golden dragon head?” Asked Tang Xiu curiously with a moving expression.
“Are you sure?” Asked Situ Boyang as he stared at Tang Xiu.
“100% sure!” Answered Tang Xiu without a shred of hesitation.
Situ Boyang nodded silently, “Legend has it that at the place of convergence between the Yellow River and the Yangtze River is the Golden Dragon, Yong Zhen’s embodiment. Later, for unknown reasons, some people found that place and cut the dragon’s head with some mysterious methods. After obtaining the golden dragon head, the ancestors of our Situ Family, from generation to generation, have been trying their best to find the dragon body in the said convergence spot. A pity that they have been unable to find it even after spending several centuries.”
“What’s gonna happen if you find it?” Asked Tang Xiu curiously.
“I don’t know whether the legend is true or false, but rumor has it that once the dragon body is reconnected with the dragon head, restoring the entire embodiment of the Golden Dragon image, it would then revive the Golden Dragon and turn it into a living creature. Rumor even says that if the dragon body and its head are reconnected, whoever does the deed will become the master of said Golden Dragon,” said Situ Boyang seriously.
Cough, cough…
With an expression that was between laughter and tears, Tang Xiu was at a loss as he looked at Situ Boyang, “Grandpa Situ, did someone get your Situ Family’s members brainwashed or something? It’s so absurd, and yet you all still believe it? This golden dragon head is simply cast from gold. Only, its sculpting is so exquisite and beautiful that it makes it look lifelike.”
Situ Boyang forced a smile, “Hence, I don’t know whether it’s true or false, like I told you. However, the people from the Occult Sect are all in line with this view based on the idea that magical things and mysteries are countless in this infinite universe. If the legend is indeed false, we will only be disappointed at the most, but if it’s really true, our Situ Family will obtain a huge benefit. I’m sure you I need not say more, right?”
“All right, then! The Situ Family has now unshackled by this absurd rumor! Later on, your family needs not search so arduously for it anymore. If anything, I will take this object, and I also need 10 days. I promise you that all the talismans will be handed to the Situ Family by then. However, I hope that you can send someone to Shanghai to fetch them when they’re done.”
“For me, the talismans are more important than the golden dragon head. Since we already had an agreement beforehand, then these three objects are yours. You leave them here for now, I’ll instruct someone to carry them outside for you,” said Situ Boyang with a sigh.
“No need,” said Tang Xiu with a smile. “Just help me take the ancient bronze lamp and the Guanyin vase. I can carry this golden dragon head myself.”
“Do you think I can carry that Guanyin vase?” Asked Situ Boyang with a forced smile.
“True that, indeed!” Tang Xiu chuckled. “This Guanyin vase is very strange, and I found that it’s heavier than this golden dragon head. Well then, I’ll have to trouble you to move this golden dragon head to my car, Grandpa Situ.”
“Okay!” Replied Situ Boyang.
Ten minutes later, the golden dragon head had been moved by four stalwart men to Tang Xiu’s Range Rover. Since it couldn’t be stuffed into the trunk, Tang Xiu disassembled the back seat and put the golden head dragon inside. As for the ancient bronze lamp and the Guanyin vase, he secretly stored them into his interspatial ring.
“Tang Xiu, go see Lulu! She’s still waiting for you!”
Situ Chao turned out to have been waiting outside the courtyard. He looked distressed as he saw the four members of his family place the golden dragon head into Tang Xiu’s car. It took him quite an effort to calm down his emotions and then squeeze out a smile when he spoke to Tang Xiu.
“With this object inside my car, I don’t dare to leave it at all. Anyhow, I’ll call Lulu and ask her whether she has anything to do. If it’s okay with her, then I’ll go back first,” said Tang Xiu with a smile.
After saying that, he dialed Lulu’s number and told her about the matter with the golden dragon head. She didn’t keep him anymore and told him to drive carefully instead.
****
It was already 12 AM when Tang Xiu returned to the Tang Family’s residence.
What surprised Tang Xiu was that his father and grandfather, Tang Yunde and Tang Guosheng, were still awake. They were currently sitting and having a chat on the sofa inside the living room, while the curling scent of tea inundated every corner of the room.
“Grandpa, Dad, you two are still awake?!” Said Tang Xiu with a smile after entering the room in large strides.
“Aren’t you going back to Shanghai tomorrow? We were waiting to chat with you. That’s right, where did you go today?” Tang Guosheng smilingly asked.
Ding, ding…
Tang Xiu’s mobile phone sounded. It was notifications for several short messages that were sent at the same time. Tang Xiu didn’t hurry to reply Tang Guosheng as he looked at the messages instead. Immediately, the expression on his face was replaced by a strange look.
2.5 billion yuan had just been transferred to his account twice.
Also, the remaining two text messages were sent by Jinmen Tian and Li Yuan, saying that they transferred the money to him in advance because they trusted Tang Xiu.
After reading it, Tang Xiu looked up and smilingly said, “I was attending a black market auction, and the harvest I got there was quite great.”
“Were you participating in that Capital Auction organized by the Situ Family?” Tang Guosheng’s expression moved as he asked.
“Yeah!” Replied Tang Xiu with a smile.
“The Situ Family does have a rich heritage and capital. It’s very difficult to estimate their true strength. From my estimation, their strength isn’t weaker than our Tang Family. Nevertheless, the annual Capital Auction organized by them is practically an underground, black market auction, and most of the items auctioned there are objects that can’t be exposed to public. Anyhow, it’s due to them being part of the Occult Sect that major families in Beijing turn a blind eye to the Situ Family. Xiu’er, I’m rather curious now, how come attending the auction organized by the Situ family ever crossed your mind?”
Tang Xiu explained the matter with Li Laoshan seeking him for help, and finally ended the explanation with a smile, “I never thought that Wang Daoyuan would easily bury the hatchet and make peace with Li Laoshan. However, since their matters have been solved, I can be considered to have achieved my aim as well.”
Tang Guosheng nodded with a grin, “You did well. Anyhow, you haven’t told me what harvest you got today!”
“I got the Qin Emperor’s Imperial Jade Seal and the Nine Phoenix Hairpin. I spent 3.1 billion to buy these two items at the auction,” said Tang Xiu with a smile.
“What?”
Tang Yunde and Tang Guosheng looked similarly vacant due to the shock.
3.1 billion?
He unexpectedly so boldly spent 3.1 billion yuan at an auction? Wasn’t this wasteful and extravagant?
One indeed can make money by spending!
But… Tang Guosheng suddenly thought that… was he wrong to have handed over 50 billion yuan to this grandson of his? With such wasteful and extravagant spending, even 50 billion yuan wouldn’t be enough for him to squander!