The sun in summer was scorching and blazing hot, but it didn’t bring the slightest discomfort to Tang Xiu. On the contrary, he felt peaceful and comfortable smelling the sea breeze. He particularly felt satisfied even though he just gave out an ancient cultivation manual, two bottles of pills, and the Golden Dragon’s head.

The jade dog was the object he had been urgently seeking. As of now, he had already obtained the jade ox, tiger, dragon, rabbit, monkey, and rooster. Combined with the jade dog, he had seven pieces of the zodiac jade carvings. He had also obtained the whereabouts of the jade pig, which was in the possession of Singkuo, Singluen’s big brother from the Dark Shaman clan. What’s more, Miao Wentang seemed to have caught the news about another piece of zodiac jade carvings as well.

“It’s about time, Boss.”

Zhang Jue strode closer nearby and respectfully reported.

Nodding at him in response, Tang Xiu put the jade dog into the interspatial ring. He then looked in the direction of Mu Qinxin’s departure and let out a faint smile to say, “You know, the Ouyang House is slightly interesting, more so regarding this future mother-in-law of mine. She’s not a cultivator, yet is able to reach the state of the Unity of Heaven and Man and has become an expert at the peak stage of Qi Refining. She could be said to be the most impressive expert in the ancient martial arts circle I’ve ever met. It’s no wonder the Ouyang House was able to become the biggest family in Jingmen Island.”

“I know a lot about the Ouyang House.” Zhang Jue chimed in, “Its Patriarch’s Lady is indeed the most special figure. She’s very mysterious, just like a dragon whose head and tail are always shrouded in fog. I recall that this family has faced several crises in the past, and she was the one who solved them all.”

Tang Xiu turned to look at him and smilingly asked, “What’s her background, exactly?”

“I dunno about that,” said Zhang Jue. “I’m not able to investigate it.”

“You can’t investigate it?” Tang Xiu frowned and said, “That’s very interesting in and of itself. Alright, I’ll draw a picture when we arrive in Thailand later. I want you to take a photo of it with your smartphone and send the picture to Xiaoxue. Tell her to check the design on it.”

“What picture?” asked Zhang Jue.

“Did you not notice the ancient jade ornament worn by my mother-in-law around her waist?” asked Tang Xiu. “That jade ornament is something that is usually worn by some particular people, usually to distinguish their identity.”

Suddenly, Tang Xiu remembered something and immediately took out his handset. He dialed Xue Yu’s cell number and, after his call was picked up, he asked, “There’s something I wanna ask about the Ouyang Family of Jingmen Island. It’s about its Patriarch wife, Mu Qinxin’s background. How much do you know about her?”

“Quite a lot,” answered Xue Yu in a soft voice.

“Tell me about it. What’s her origin?” asked Tang Xiu.

“Mu Qinxin is a member of one of the secluded hermit clans,” said Xue Yu. “Members of these clans seldom come out to interact with the secular world. They also never use many common products from the outside world, even if society has gone through rapid development and advancement. They generally seclude themselves from the outside world and live like people of ancient times. What they pursue is a sense of a carefree life without secular worries, as well as freedom from any bindings. Mu Qinxin, however, is a different kind of breed of her clan. I once followed Ancestress to visit the Mus of these hermit clans, so I know about them.”

“Where is this hermit clan living?” asked Tang Xiu.

“In some mountains in the Yunnan Province,” answered Xue Yu.

“Judging from a member of this clan being able to reach the peak of Qi Refining Stage, this clan is by no means simple.” Tang Xiu nodded and said, “I presume the elders of this clan could even be much more impressive. Most important of all is that they are not even cultivators, nor are they likely martial artists. On the contrary, they seem to have taken another path of cultivation.”

“What they are cultivating is their psyche and heart,” said Xue Yu.

“Ah, you actually know about it too.” Tang Xiu smilingly said, “Alright. I’ll call you again about this issue later as I’m about to leave for Thailand. I’ll see you again once I come back.”

“Okay. Pay attention to your safety.”

Some dangers always occurred whenever Tang Xiu went out, and since Xue Yu was aware of them, she couldn’t help herself in urging him to be careful.

“No worries!” replied Tang Xiu with a smile. “Those who have the ability to kill me have not yet been born in this world, so there are no threats to me. It’s actually you who needs to pay attention to yourself, though. You just had your cultivation progress extremely sharply and it’s not all that good for you, so you have to stabilize the foundation of your current realm and quickly control your power as soon as possible.”

“Alright, will do.”

****

As the clock struck midnight, Tang Xiu arrived in Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, along with the trio of Spectre, Zhang Jue, and Gu Tao. Bangkok is the biggest city in Thailand, hailed as the “City of Angels”, and was also the second-largest city in Southeast Asia. The city is the center of all aspects of Thailand’s politics, economy, trade, transportation, culture, religion, and even science and technology.

Bangkok is also a trading center for precious metals and gems, accounting for 44% of the total economy of the country. In addition, its tourism industry is also very developed and one year obtained the popular vote as the most popular tourist city in the world. Hence, there are many foreign tourists here.

Just as they came out of the airport, Zhang Jue, who walked beside Tang Xiu, reported in a whisper, “We just got news, Boss. Ms. Zhang is staying in a five-star Amanda Hotel near the Chao Phraya River. She’s not at the hotel now, however, but is now currently holding a night photo session on the Mekong River. Also, the intel said that she ran into some problems yesterday. She got robbed and lost her passport, wallet, and other carry-on items, as well as blackmail phone calls from some people.”

Tang Xiu squinted and lightly said, “Let’s head over to the place of her photo session, then! Besides, I’ve always heard about the famous Chao Phraya River in the mainland.”

“Yeah, this Chao Phraya River is also called the Maenam Chao Phraya, the longest and largest river in this country, earning it the moniker Mother of Rivers here,” Zhang Jue replied, “Some also call it the Venice of the East due to its very convenient water transportation. Anyway, we can get there by car first and then by foot to the nearby neighborhood. After that, we can board the famous Chao Phraya ferries to Ms. Zhang’s shooting location.”

“You have all been to this place, so you’ll take care of our trip here!” Tang Xiu nodded.

“Understood!” complied Zhang Jue respectfully.

It was Spectre who volunteered himself to go out and fetch them a car. Soon after, he appeared driving a worn-out jeep and stopped in front of Tang Xiu and the rest. As he jumped out of the driver’s seat, he sheepishly grinned and said, “This baby is great, Boss. Good performance and the feel of the breeze while riding is great.”

Dismissing the questions about where and how he got the car, Tang Xiu directly took the back seat and lightly said, “I’m not interested in being the chauffer, nor do I like racing, so it’s your call if you like it.”

Seeing his indifferent response, Spectre just let out a hollow chuckle twice. He gave up the idea to be a driver and came to the front seat, saying, “Anyway, there’s a fun place in Chao Phraya River worth visiting, Boss. It’s called Exquisite Fallen Petals. However…”

“And, where is this Exquisite Fallen Petals?” asked Tang Xiu.

Sitting beside Tang Xiu, Zhang Jue explained in a low voice, “Exquisite Fallen Petals is a large cruise ship, Boss. Only those with this cruiser pass can board it. This luxury liner belongs to Kanaja, the Kingpin of Bangkok’s underworld. It’s his main tool to amass his fortune here. You can have things you can’t imagine on other cruisers on this luxury liner. As long as you have money, you can get women, privileges, or even kill people if you wish to. They will send you someone to hand over the knife and a living person for you to murder…”

This made Tang Xiu frown and he asked, “Is this Kanaja fellow quite powerful here?”

“Very. He can paint black or white on a whim,” answered Zhang Jue.

“Comparing him to the Dark Shaman clan, which one is more powerful?” asked Tang Xiu.

Zhang Jue was slightly hesitant and forced a smile. “I dunno about that, boss. The Dark Shaman clan has rarely been in contact with the outside world, while its more experienced members also rarely interacted in society, nor are they involved in politics. It’s hard to compare them.”

Tang Xiu nodded and said, “Alright. Let’s set off and head to Zhang Xinya’s shooting location. Still, my main purpose in coming to Thailand is for the jade pig in the hands of the Dark Shaman clan’s young lord, Singkuo, so I don’t want any complicated issues to crop up here.”

It was night, and the night scenery by the Chao Phraya river was entirely different from the daytime scenery. Sightseeing tourist cruise ships shuttled back and forth along the river course, while multicolored lights ornamented the night to create a dreamlike scenery. It was very late at night, but the bustling scenery still greeted them. It was like the place never sleeps.

Tang Xiu’s group of four now boarded a crude and simple boat, the Chao Phraya Express ferry. The boat trudged through the hot breeze and soon approached a small harbor. As it anchored and came to shore, the four men disembarked and crossed a riverside street into an exotic complex of buildings.

Ring, ring, ring…”

Zhang Jue’s phone rang. He picked it up and exchanged some words with the caller. Then he hung up, walked to Tang Xiu’s side and said, “Ms. Zhang seems to have encountered small problems, Boss. But her bodyguards have dealt with it. However, the news I just received is that the background of those who just made the trouble makes things slightly problematic. If not handled in time, maybe Ms. Zhang’s next photo shoot won’t be so smooth.”

“What caused it, exactly?” asked Tang Xiu.

“Someone invited Ms. Zhang for a midnight snack or something,” explained Zhang Jue. “She rejected the invitation and the other party provoked her; thus, they got beaten by her bodyguards.”

Ring, ring, ring…

This time, Tang Xiu’s phone rang all of a sudden. When he took the phone and saw the screen, he picked it up and said, “Hey, cousin. Are you looking for me regarding Zhang Xinya’s issue?”

“Yeah. I heard you went to Thailand,” said Chu Yi. “It so happened that she just ran into troubles there, so can you take a look at it in passing?”

“One of my purposes in coming here is exactly to meet her,” answered Tang Xiu. “Also, there’s something I need to tell you. Don’t put any work on her schedule again for some time. If some things have been scheduled, cancel or push them off! She’s currently having a problem psychologically. It will prove troublesome for her to continue working in this condition.”

“I heard she has turned into an extreme workaholic recently too,” replied Chu Yi with a forced smile. “Alright, you deal with this issue since you are friends with her. I’ll completely suspend all her work.”

“Got it!”

Tang Xiu shortly replied and then hung up. He turned to talk to Zhang Jue, saying, “You’ve inquired about the specific location, right? Lead the way there.”

Zhang Jue carried out the order and lead Tang Xiu to walk for a few minutes on foot. They then saw Zhang Xinya’s figure under the light of the lamps on the bank of the Chao Phraya river. At this time, she was quietly sitting on a chair while reading a document in her hand. Two men and two women stood around her, while four bodyguards were also situated nearby, watching around vigilantly.