Returning from the Immortal World

On the phone, Bai Tao was reticent to say much. As brothers old and young, their relationship was a very complicated one. They had known each other for a long time, yet it was not too important a connection to him, though they did have secret cooperation to get a copper mine in Africa. Although he didn’t directly involve himself in the endeavor, he still received his share of tens of millions of yuan annually.

But at this moment, his heartbeat hiked up for no reason and a slight worry was evident in his eyes. Although he knew that Kanaja was still waiting for his reply, he didn’t speak as his mind was analyzing the seriousness of this matter.

After all, it was related to Tang Xiu! He knew how tough a figure he was. Ever since he knew him, he deliberately did everything he could to be on good terms with this guy as he knew how powerful this fella was. In particular was the recent events he had heard of. Even though he didn’t take the initiative to contact Tang Xiu about them, he learned about all his deeds from many people and channels.

“What’s your opinion about him, Young Master Bai?” Kanaja’s voice came asking again from the phone.

“I seriously ask you about this issue,” said Bai Tao after taking a deep breath. “Have you reached the point where a life-and-death struggle must occur between you and him?”

“How is this issue related to a life and death situation?” Kanaja was left in deep thought for a moment and asked again, “Like an all-out conflict to the death between me and him?”

“If the situation has come to a life-and-death conflict, then I’ll hand over all my shares in the copper mine in Africa to you, but I’m going to sever any relationship we have in the future,” explained Bai Tao in a heavy voice, “But if the situation hasn’t yet reached such a point, then there’s still some room to work around it. Regardless of everything, I advise you to lower your head as humbly as possible, admit your error, and accept your penalty. Kanaja, I can call you Brother Kan now, so I sincerely warn you that even if you can admit your fault and settle your dispute with him, it’s best not to have any misgivings about whether lowering your head to him will make you lose face.”

“Are you serious, Young Master Bai?” Kanaja’s complexion changed upon hearing everything and he said in a heavy voice, “No matter how powerful this Tang Xiu is, this place is Bangkok—my turf! Even if I lose all decorum with him, can he still kill me here?”

“There’s something I can tell you that happens when you’ve lost all decorum with him,” said Bai Tao. “He can kill you, cull your power, and even exterminate all the people related to you—your entire network. Everything.”

Acting completely serious, Kanaja asked, “Are you very familiar with him?”

“Very, very familiar,” answered Bai Tao. “That’s why I know how horrifying his power is. I know you have a very formidable root in Bangkok, Kanaja. You have both wealth and power, as well as the energy to get what you want. You may be able to turn Bangkok and even the whole of Thailand upside down. However, Tang Xiu has a very high status in China. He’s the Young Lord of the Tang Family of Beijing as well as the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Even I’m still in the dark of how many industries or armed forces he has under him.”

Kanaja fell into silence. Everything Bai Tao just revealed to him was like a thunder blast that quaked his whole being. He knew the Tang Family from Beijing. It was a super-powerful family in China. He also knew of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, which hailed as a company group with the fastest development in the said country. Even the God’s Nectar that was his favorite wine was a product of this company.

But still, this is Bangkok! However powerful that guy is in China and no matter how high the authority he can command there, shouldn’t he at least act low-profile in Bangkok?

Suddenly, Kanaja was reminded of something. He asked in a heavy voice, “Young Master Bai, have you learned that Spectre, the world’s first assassin, is now working for Tang Xiu?”

“Gasp… what did you say?” Bai Tao gasped and shouted in alarm.

“You didn’t mishear me,” affirmed Kanaja. “The world’s top hitman, Spectre, is his man. I just saw that man with him today.”

“The incident with the max-security prison #1319 in Israel shocked the whole world. And top hitman Spectre, who had been detained there, went missing along with several hundred other convicts… if… in the case… that Spectre became Tang Xiu’s man… then the rest of them…” muttered Bai Tao.

With pupils shrunk all of a sudden, Kanaja felt the strength disappear in his legs and he nearly slumped to the floor. He also paid attention to the incident that happened in the said prison and was likewise greatly shocked after hearing it. He couldn’t see anything related to it previously as he was only bothered about the dreadful identity of Spectre. Only now did he realize a terrifying conjecture on this issue:

If… in the case that… Tang Xiu was really the mastermind behind the incident of the max-security prison 1319 in Israel, then… isn’t he too terrifying?

“No way… that’s very unlikely, no?” murmured Kanaja with trembling lips.

“I know who he is and what he’s capable of, Kanaja,” replied Bai Tao hollowly. “There’s nothing he dares not to do—even things I can’t even think of. His personal combat prowess, his power, and influence, his crazy rocket-speed money-gathering methods—everything has proved his ability. Spill out everything, Kanaja. What exactly happened between you and him?”

Kanaja told him the whole story of the issue and finally said with a hollow voice, “I just learned about this issue today myself. Also, the Young Lord of an ancient Dark Shaman clan in Thailand is also together with him. I can see that they have a very unusual connection.”

“Listen to me,” urged Bai Tao. “It’s best to lower your head as humbly as possible. Offer him everything you can think of. If he wants to beat you, curse you, or even kill you, just offer your neck directly. From what I understand about him, he’s likely to let you off if you take the initiative to admit your fault and act soft before him. Give him a tough attitude and he’ll give you a much tougher attitude. I already told you everything you should do, Kanaja. The rest will depend on yourself, so do your best.”

“Wait a sec!”

Knowing that Bai Tao wanted to hang up, Kanaja immediately called out, “Young Master Bai, I see you as my younger brother and we’ve known each other for years. How about… giving me a helping hand? I’m in deep shit now, so please help me. I don’t know about… how is your relationship with him, exactly?”

Bai Tao realized what Kanaja had in mind, but he didn’t want to poke his nose in this turbid issue. However, he remembered the tens of millions of yuan dividends he obtains from Africa annually, and he felt rather reluctant to lose it. More so that he also understood Kanaja’s nature. If he helped this guy to solve this problem, he might secure more benefits from him.

Countless thoughts popped in and out of his mind as he weighed all the pros and cons of every option. But knowing that the situation between Kanaja and Tang Xiu hadn’t yet reached a life-and-death conflict, he concluded that the former definitely had nothing to do with the matter. Even if he were to make Tang Xiu displeased, he was the younger brother of both Kanaja and Tang Xiu’s cousin [1]. Hence, it was very likely that Tang Xiu would drop the matter if he helped clear the issue by pulling their relationship to the table.

After giving it some thought, Bai Tao said, “You must wait for Tang Xiu with prudence, Kanaja. And be sure to lower your head. I’ll call him later, but I don’t dare give you a 100% guarantee that he’s going to drop this matter. After all, it’s Zhang Xinya who holds the key in this matter.”

“Exactly what kind of relationship exists between her and him?” asked Kanaja quickly.

“You see, Tang Xiu kinda has too strong a charm as a man. Combine that with his devilish luck,” said Bai Tao with a wry chuckle. “My guess is that she is his woman. Also, Zhang Xinya’s works in Bangkok are related to the entertainment company she’s affiliated with. This company is founded by some scions who have a powerful background in China, and Tang Xiu is among the shareholders. Your men harbored untoward intention towards Zhang Xinya, so I’m guessing that the scheme against Zhang Xinya that offended Tang Xiu is not just one person.”

“Songzan and Alloway! These two fucking bastards just pushed me to into this deep shit! Had I known earlier about this, I’d never have come to this hotel and would have kept myself out of this fucking shit! I hope you really can help me out of this shit, Young Master Bai. I’ll remember this huge favor later and you can be sure that you’ll have my thanks after this shit is dealt with properly.” Kanaja had a hunch that Tang Xiu was the real mastermind behind the #1319 max-security prison in Israel. That thought made his scalp tingle and sent a chill down his spine.

“I will,” replied Bai Tao.

****

Inside the Amanda Hotel’s restaurant, Singluen felt like the dishes he ate were tasteless at first. He was aware of how powerful Tang Xiu was, yet he was unsure whether Tang Xiu could overwhelm Kanaja with absolute strength in Bangkok. He still was yet to take control over the Dark Shaman clan, so he was unable to gather enough manpower to help Tang Xiu even if he wanted to.

However, seeing that the man himself seemed to show no fear and even chatted with the belle next to him so leisurely, his slight worry disappeared and he was back to normal again.

“What’s your plan to deal with Kanaja regarding this matter, Mr. Tang? I already chose to cooperate with you, so you can expect that I’ll stand with you no matter the situation. Even if you must fight that man, I’ll charge forward with you,” said Singluen with a serious face. He had already considered it.

Tang Xiu put down his chopsticks and raised his head. He looked at him with a smile and said, “This is nothing but a trivial issue, so you don’t need to involve yourself, though. I can completely cull all the power Kanaja has if I want to. However, this guy has quite an influence in Thailand, regardless. If he’s able to lower his head and also can accept my condition, I can give him some leeway and let him off.”

“What conditions have you thought of to make him accept?” asked Singluen quickly.

“Well, don’t you think that having many more helpers would be good for you when we deal with your big brother later?” asked Tang Xiu smilingly.

Singluen’s eyes turned wide instantly and he replied in surprise, “You mean, you will let him off in order to make him help us? But is this even possible? You see, aside from the fact that he also has a certain friendship with my father, I’m afraid that just his hegemonic nature alone…”

“What are you afraid of, though?” asked Tang Xiu smilingly. “Alright. Put your worry in your belly for now. It’s not like I have already told him my conditions yet, so how would we know whether or not he’d keep that attitude?”

Singluen nodded without a word. Tang Xiu’s idea had piqued his interest regardless. If Kanaja could really stand on his side in the power struggle between him and his brother, becoming the heir of the Dark Shaman clan was a sure shot.

Suddenly, he recalled another issue and hurriedly asked, “But Mr. Tang, are you not afraid any leaks will occur from his side?”

“You mean you’re afraid that he’ll leak our plan to get rid of your big brother in advance?” asked Tang Xiu back with squinted eyes.

“That’s right.” Singluen nodded. “It’s a plan that we must keep confidential. I don’t know if my brother has any friendship with Kanaja. If they are friends, then it will spell big trouble.”

Note:

[1] To make it not confuse readers, I changed Tang Xiu’s younger brother to Tang Xiu’s cousin here since Bai Tao is Chu Yi’s friend (younger brother) and the latter is Tang Xiu’s cousin.