Returning from the Immortal World

Complexion turned grim, Kanaja clearly recalled that he had just concluded the negotiation with Tang Xiu and thus cleared out all the enmities between both sides. Yet now Tang Xiu proposed such a request? Isn’t this equal to going back on his commitment?

As a shrewd and experienced man, however, he didn’t let his rage take over and instead stared at Tang Xiu deeply and asked instead, “Firstly, may I know whose lives you wanna buy, Mr. Tang?”

“All who know the existence of Spectre here besides yourself,” answered Tang Xiu. “If my guess is correct, aside from your lieutenants and trusted men, that would also include Songzan’s men.”

The request made Kanaja abruptly get up and cry out in shock, “But why, Mr. Tang?”

“Kanaja, the fact that you can hold your ground to mix and stir the turbid water in Bangkok is the evidence of your power and resourcefulness, meaning that you also have your own reliable intel network,” said Tang Xiu with a dead serious face. “Based on that, you must have heard the incidents regarding what happened to the #1319 max-security prison in Israel that detained a large number of highly dangerous convicts all over the world, right? And you should’ve guessed the mastermind behind it, which is me.”

“It was really you?!” Kanaja trembled, both surprised and shocked.

“You’re a smart man, so don’t tell me you’re unable to draw out the conclusion that it was my doing given the presence of Spectre here,” said Tang Xiu indifferently.

“It was your friend, Young Master Bai, who reminded me about it. I myself wouldn’t have come to this conjecture otherwise.” Kanaja forced a wry smile and said, “But how does it have anything to do with buying my men’s lives?”

“Well, only dead men tell no tales,” said Tang Xiu apathetically. “You may be able to keep your mouth shut about the appearance of Spectre, but speaking the same for your men is hardly a guarantee. I give you my word that I won’t hold you accountable for the previous issue, yet the more important issue still remains—the trace of Spectre and the rest of the convicts. Now you think for yourself, if anyone who is concerned with the whereabouts of Spectre and the rest learn about this, would they just give it up? Instead of letting all these convicts go to Bangkok to deal with this problem themselves, it’s better for you to take a stand and save yourself the trouble.”

With his scalp tingling, Kanaja felt a chill run down his spine. Just Spectre alone already made him a bit scared. What if hundreds of those dreadful convicts came here later? It was definitely better for him to commit suicide right here and now.

But then again, while he couldn’t care less about Songzan and his men, the rest under him were men he had trained to be his trusted confidants. Erasing all of them would be too much of a loss for him.

Seeing that it was difficult for Kanaja to decide on the issue, Tang Xiu then spoke again, “You may have to lose some of your men, but I think obtaining my friendship is still a very good deal should you take my offer. There’s also something else you haven’t learned of yet. Singluen will become the Patriarch of the Dark Shaman clan, which I’m sure is an entity you have some knowledge about. With a clan with such deep heritage and Singluen who is my good friend at the helm, you will not only obtain my friendship, but will also secure Singluen’s friendship. Hence, I think having his friendship will be of great help to you should you want to develop and expand further in Thailand later.”

“Singluen is going to be the Dark Shaman’s Patriarch? How is this possible?” asked Kanaja in shock. “To the best of my knowledge, the current Head of this clan is still in his prime, while Singluen also has a big brother called Singkuo.”

“Be it the current Head of the Dark Shaman clan, Singluen, or Singkuo, they are nothing but ants in my eyes. Removing them from existence is as easy as turning my hand.” sneered Tang Xiu. “But Singluen is a young man with aspirations. While the power he controls is recognizable, it’s absolutely easy for him to be the Dark Shaman’s Patriarch with my help.”

Kanaja instantly understood Tang Xiu’s intention and also grasped Singluen’s plan in extension. He quickly analyzed all the variables in mind and, after weighing the pros and cons, he got up and put on a dead serious face, asking, “Are you really sincere in offering me your friendship, Mr. Tang?”

“We, Chinese, have a saying that the more friends we have on the road, the better the voyage.” Tang Xiu also got up and said, “I, Tang Xiu, am a very formidable man myself. It’s unlikely for me to offer my friendship to those unworthy of it. It’s now your call whether you’ll take the offer and get it.”

Eyes gleaming with killing intent, Kanaja responded with a nod and said, “Then I’ll need assistance to do that with Spectre’s hands. I… I can’t do it by sending my other men to kill them.”

Tang Xiu clapped and said, “Those who are not stuck at trifles are bound to achieve great things. You’ve proven yourself worthy and deserve to be the Godfather of Bangkok’s underworld, Mr. Kanaja. I believe you can go further in the future while having much more loyal and powerful men under you.”

Kanaja’s eyes were as though blazing—a sign of the flame of his ambition. Then he said, “This is a big gamble as I see it, Mr. Tang. But I’m willing to bet on you. However, do you mind answering my question?”

“Do ask,” said Tang Xiu.

“What did you want to achieve by enacting such a prison break from the #1319 labor camp?” asked Kanaja.

Instead of answering, Tang Xiu rhetorically asked with a faint smile, “Who cares more about having additional men under their own hands nowadays?”

“You did that just to find some more men?” asked Kanaja in shock. “But you also know that these guys are all cruel and ruthless figures, don’t you? I admit that I’m not a good person myself, but comparing me with them will make me look like a saint!”

“Even if they are wicked and evil, what about it?” answered Tang Xiu. “They are still a bunch of ants to me. For whoever among them who dares to disobey my orders or betray me, I can just easily make them meet their maker. I believe they know what to choose when they are faced with life and death on the stake.”

“Aren’t you overestimating your own power? These people are…” said Kanaja with a strange expression.

Tang Xiu just shook his head in response. Right after he opened his arms, two flames appeared on his palms and his body began to float while still remaining in his sitting posture.

“You, you, you are…” Shocked and horrified, Kanaja pointed at Tang Xiu and shouted in alarm, “Are you an ability user—an Elementalist?”

“Ability user? Hmph.” Tang Xiu scoffed and said, “I’ve killed too many ability users to count. I’m not one of them and not even an ounce of my power can be achieved by those ability users. 10,000, or even a million ability users can stand before me, yet they will be thoroughly eradicated should I will it so.”

“Are you kinda invincible under the sun then?” asked Kanaja yet again, unable to find a more appropriate response.

“Me? Invincible? Nobody is invincible in this world!” Tang Xiu shook his head and said, “What you know about humans is not much, nor do you have deep knowledge of certain things pertaining to this issue. You should’ve heard of the top-three organizations in the world, right?”

“Yeah, the Pyramid, the League of Archcrusaders, and the Stygian Club. There’s also another I know of, the Darkwind Organization,” answered Kanaja.

“Yes. You also know how powerful the forces possessed by these three organizations are. They literally boast tons of powerhouses at the ready,” said Tang Xiu. “I’ve fought the Stygian Club’s vampires, their werewolves and even Wingmen. I’ve killed a lot of them. The strength of these people is beyond your imagination.”

Vampire? Werewolf? And Wingmen?

Kanaja gasped. He had also heard that these kinds of species in the world truly exist, yet he never had seen them once. But Tang Xiu claimed that he had killed these terrifying existences? … Isn’t this way too powerful, making him a very terrifying existence himself? Suddenly, he was truly glad that he called Bai Tao, rejoicing that he didn’t go as far as tearing all decorum with Tang Xiu. If he did, he would’ve been turned into a corpse by now, wouldn’t he?

Tang Xiu then got up before waving his hand and speaking again, “Alright. I already spoke a bit too much today, so let’s drop it now. Remember to give me the list and I’ll give it to Spectre to deal with it.”

“I understand,” nodded Kanaja with a solemn face.

****

Inside the suite of the Amanda Hotel, Zhang Xinya was somewhat restless as she didn’t know how the issue would turn out and be dealt with between Tang Xiu and Kanaja. She didn’t wish to see Tang Xiu resort to murder again since she didn’t want him to encounter any dangers.

Knock, knock…

The suite’s door was knocked and she rushed to the door to open it. Her hand hadn’t yet reached the doorknob, but it was already opened from the outside. Tang Xiu appeared in her sight beyond the door.

“You’re back! Are you alright?”

Zhang Xinya hurriedly observed Tang Xiu’s body. After seeing that he looked fine, only then did she finally feel relieved.

Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and shook his head as he paced into the room. There, he took out his phone to dial a number. After his call got picked up, he spoke, “Bai Tao, I hope the appearance of Spectre won’t be found out by another soul from your mouth.”

“You can be sure about that,” assured Bai Tao.

“You’re really too smart a man, you know that?” Tang Xiu sighed. “You can correctly guess that I was the mastermind behind the prison break incident of the #1319 labor camp. It seems like I gotta bribe you with some meals and wine once I get back to the mainland just to seal off your mouth!”

“Hahaha!” Bai Tao hollowly laughed but then curiously asked, “You know, Tang Xiu. It still makes curious, though. Why did you incite such a prison break and take them out? Those guys are nothing but murderers who can kill without batting an eye. Can you really contain and have them under control?”

“I’ll be frank with you, mate. I’ve been short on manpower, but there’s one thing I can tell you. I have absolute control over them,” said Tang Xiu with a smile. “They are now my men and they are simply like lambs before me. I order them to head toward East, they won’t dare to go West; nor will they enter the ground if I order them to fly to the sky.”

“That’s beyond what I can imagine of how powerful you have become now, Tang Xiu!” Bai Tao incredulously called out, “Alright, brother. I’ll erase everything about this matter from my mind later.”

“Well, it’s settled, then.” Tang Xiu smiled and said, “Anyhow, let’s meet and have some wine later with Chu Yi once I get back.”

“I really didn’t expect that Chu Yi turned out to be your cousin back then.” Bai Tao chuckled and said, “You two are now relatives, but you had better not take advantage of it to pick up on me later.”

“Well, it may happen, though.” Tang Xiu chuckled.

“Bah, shameless!” Bai Tao cursed.

They both chatted for a while and ended the call after some time.

Tang Xiu then looked at Zhang Xinya and smilingly said, “I’ll accompany you out for a day tomorrow and one of my men will escort you back to the mainland the day after. There’s still an important thing I need to tend to in Thailand, so I’ll be staying here for a while.”

“Is it dangerous?” asked Zhang Xinya with concern.

“I already told you nothing dangerous will happen to me, didn’t I?” said Tang Xiu with a smile. “Besides, even the leader of the biggest underworld force in Bangkok, Kanaja, must act with respect before me. Who else could bring me danger here?”