216: Chapter 208 Handing Over the Gold

It wasn't just Jiang Hezheng; everyone present thought the same because the external appearance of those raw materials was indeed excellent. However, they never could have imagined that this was Cao Xiao's intentional doing. Aside from the materials he had selected that contained top-grade jadeite, he had deliberately bid on some that looked great on the outside but were completely empty or of 'dog-shit' quality inside. Based purely on the crust's appearance, they indeed seemed like a high-stakes gamble. With the real and fake mixed together, and combined with Jiang Hezheng's arrogance and carelessness, he couldn't help but fall into the pit and meet his end. Cao Xiao looked at the group of people before him, who seemed as if they had won a great battle—especially the smug Jiang Hezheng—with deep pity in his eyes. He imagined that once this batch of raw stones was cut open, Jiang Hezheng wouldn't be far from bankruptcy!

He didn't bother with them any further and strode away happily under their gazes, which viewed him as a fool. The public auction had ended, but Cao Xiao was in no hurry to leave. He had to wait for all the raw stones he had purchased to be transported to his leased warehouse, requiring a stay of two more days. Having nothing to do, he remembered his agreement with Cai Xidong. Early the next morning, he called the two bodyguards he had sent over and told them to bring Cai Xidong to the hotel.

As for Cai Xidong, he was currently hiding in the suburbs. Over the past few days, he had asked friends back home to help investigate Cao Xiao's background. Finally, he managed to contact Elder Chen, who confirmed that everything Cao Xiao said was true. Only then did he stay in Yangon with hope, waiting anxiously. Fearing retaliation from that madman Wu Meng, he had to hide in a friend's house in the suburbs, waiting for Cao Xiao to contact him as if every day were a year. Upon learning that Cao Xiao wanted to see him immediately, he rushed to the city in a frantic hurry.

“Brother Cai, I’ve kept you waiting,” Cao Xiao said, greeting Cai Xidong as he entered the living room of the hotel suite.

“Mr. Cao, I really can’t accept being called ‘Brother.’ Aside from being a few years older, I’ve accomplished nothing. You should just call me Old Cai!” For some reason, Cai Xidong was a bit constrained, his tone even carrying a hint of respect.

“Brother Cai, what are you saying? Setting everything else aside, we’ve shared a hardship together. There's no need for such formalities; we should get closer in the future. Are you trying to embarrass me? Even if I became the richest man in the world, you’d still be worthy of being called ‘Brother Cai.’ Let’s not talk about these superficial things anymore; we have a long road ahead!” Cao Xiao naturally understood why Cai Xidong was acting this way. Businessmen judged status by wealth, and by that measure, the gap between them was more than just a little. However, he never looked at status when interacting with people, only at their character. He could bow to a kind-hearted beggar and confront a morally corrupt, powerful official. A few months ago, he was a debt-ridden pauper who had lived at the bottom of life for years; he had long since seen through the fickleness of human nature and detested those who were sycophantic, bullied others, or were obsessed with their own status. Even though his actual net worth was now enough to rival a nation, it hadn't changed his perspective on things.

“Uh! Alright then!” Cai Xidong had been testing the waters because he wasn't sure of Cao Xiao's personality. He hadn't expected Cao Xiao to be so direct and sincere, leaving him momentarily speechless as he swallowed the flattery he had been about to utter.

Cao Xiao didn't dwell on the topic and said seriously, “Last time, I mentioned I would give you a long-term business opportunity, and today I’m fulfilling that promise. Brother Cai, since you deal in raw materials, I assume you’re quite familiar with the situation in Yunnan Province?”

“I’m fairly familiar with the border cities, but I haven’t been to other places,” Cai Xidong replied, puzzled.

“What about Xishuangbanna?” Cao Xiao asked.

“There are several smuggling and drug trafficking routes there. Back when things were tight, I used to transport raw materials through that area. If you’re talking about that kind of business, then I’m sorry. Even if I, Cai Xidong, were to die of poverty or hunger, I wouldn't want people pointing at my spine a hundred years from now, and I don't want to do things that harm heaven and reason.” Cai Xidong became wary upon hearing this, speaking bluntly to leave himself some room to maneuver.

Cao Xiao was also startled, but then he burst out laughing. “Haha! Brother Cai, you’ve misunderstood. With my wealth, there’s no need for me to do those things. I was talking about the geographical environment there. I won’t beat around the bush; to be honest, I have a mining company back home, and we’ve discovered several jadeite mines there—large ones. Whether it’s raw materials or polished pieces, the quality is no worse than Myanmar’s, and the output is quite good. Because we’ve suppressed the news and are mining secretly, the outside world doesn't know. We’ve been stockpiling for the past two years and have accumulated a massive amount of raw stones. I’m currently short on cash and want to sell a batch. It just so happens I met you, so I want you to help open up sales channels. Of course, this business is for the long term. In the future, a third of our annual output will be wholesaled to you. How about it? Are you satisfied with this deal?”

“Ah! A jadeite mine! How could there be a jadeite mine in China? And high-quality jadeite comparable to Myanmar’s! How is that possible!” Cai Xidong’s first reaction wasn't joy, but complete disbelief.

“Haha! Brother Cai, have you forgotten? Although over ninety-five percent of the world’s jadeite comes from Myanmar, the other five percent is distributed in places like the US, Japan, and Guatemala. Myanmar isn't the only source. Furthermore, in ancient times, that area belonged to China's Yunnan Province. Since jadeite can be produced there and the two locations aren't far apart, why couldn't Xishuangbanna have it? It’s just that because it’s located in inaccessible primeval forests and the veins are buried deep, it wouldn't have been discovered for many years if not for a stroke of luck.”

Cao Xiao's explanation was a bit forced, but it held some logic. Cai Xidong wasn't a geologist, so he could be easily brushed off. As for how to announce it to the world later, that was also simple. While he was secretly mining those jadeite mines, he had found several small, undiscovered veins, which he had taken entirely into his space. He just needed to fence off a piece of land in a harsh environment deep in the Xishuangbanna rainforest and place them underground to start mining. As for quality and output, there was no need to worry; the mining was just a front. Most of the low-quality raw stones from his space intended for sale would be stored in an underground warehouse built there. When the time came, he would follow the example of the mine owners in Myanmar and conduct completely closed mining, not allowing outsiders to visit. How much was produced and of what quality would be entirely up to him. He could then find some experts to hype it up. Don't forget that Elder Chen was an authority in this field; his words were gospel in the industry. Not to mention laypeople who didn't understand geology; with his teacher’s knowledge, finding suitable theoretical bases to prove that the geological environment there had the conditions to form jadeite would be a breeze.

Cai Xidong never thought Cao Xiao would lie to him; he had nothing worth being lied to for. Such a thing could only be hidden for a while, not a lifetime; the truth would be revealed once he went to see for himself. Thus, he said with some loss of composure from excitement, “This is simply incredible. If a high-quality jadeite mine is discovered domestically and the reserves reach a certain amount, it will break the conclusion that high-quality jadeite has only one origin. It might even shake the entire jadeite industry. For those in our country who love jadeite, it’s a huge surprise. For us raw material merchants and jewelers, it’s also a blessing. Not having to import from abroad means saving a large amount on tariffs, transportation, and public relations costs. This means the market price of jadeite in our country will drop significantly, making it affordable for more ordinary people, and the jadeite market will become even more popular because of it. Brother Cao, are you serious? You’re not just giving me business; you’re granting me immense wealth! What have I, Cai Xidong, done to deserve this...”

Knowing that too many words lead to slips, Cao Xiao waved his hand to interrupt. “Brother Cai, you’re getting off track. This is just a business deal. To me, it doesn't matter who does it; it won't affect my interests. Why not give it to someone close? You’re overthinking it! We’ll stop here for today. The rest can wait until you’ve settled back home and come to find me; we’ll discuss it in detail then. I still have some things to attend to here for two days. I’ll have someone escort you to the airport first. We’ll contact each other by phone after I return home.”

After seeing off the dazed Cai Xidong, Cao Xiao had nothing to do. The raw stones weren't expected to arrive at the warehouse until tomorrow morning. Feeling bored, he planned to go sightseeing at the Shwedagon Pagoda to pass the time. So, taking Duan Hong and Li Quanshuo with him, he rented a greeting car from the hotel and headed out. Unexpectedly, as soon as they left, Li Quanshuo told him they were being followed. He immediately checked and indeed found a beat-up car of an unknown brand trailing them. The followers weren't even afraid of being noticed. There were four Myanmar locals in the car, all carrying handguns.

He wasn't worried about safety in the city; no one dared to openly attack a foreigner, especially during the public auction when the military was stationed nearby. If anything happened, the army would quickly arrive to suppress it, as it wouldn't just be an insult to the Myanmar government but could also cause diplomatic issues. Thus, he didn't take it seriously and had Duan Hong drive toward the suburbs while he tried to contact Cai Xidong. However, the call wouldn't go through. After checking the time, he realized Cai Xidong’s flight had already taken off.

He had originally thought Wu Meng had sent people for revenge, but Cai Xidong’s days in Yangon had been peaceful. With the power of the Wu Meng family, finding someone in Yangon was easy. If they truly wanted revenge, their first target would have been Cai Xidong, and it would have happened quickly; they wouldn't wait until now to act against him. If it wasn't the Wu Meng family, then it could only be Jiang Hezheng’s lot. He remembered how they were all full of killing intent toward him yesterday, but then they had 'bullied' him once more, which should have vented some of their anger. He hadn't expected them to actually want his life, or perhaps to leave him with nothing? He felt like complaining; once his jadeite strategy was complete, the title of Jade King would lose its meaning. Moreover, those people were all in jadeite-related businesses and would have to rely on him for their livelihoods in the future. To him, they would be like a group of ants, completely unworthy of his attention and easily dealt with. Therefore, he didn't want to engage in any more meaningless entanglement with them, as they were on completely different levels of strength. But if these people were in a hurry to find trouble, he could only fulfill their wish ahead of time.

There wasn't much else to say. They stopped on a remote road in the suburbs. Before the pursuers could react, several bursts of gunfire riddled their car like a sieve. Faced with such fierce firepower, those few didn't even have the courage to fire back. They were dragged out of the car like little chicks. After a heavy beating, they confessed everything. It turned out these men were from an underground hitman gang active in Southeast Asia, a third-rate criminal organization made up of desperadoes from the Golden Triangle. They didn't have much fame or strength; their main business was accepting assassination contracts. This time, they were hired by an underground casino boss in Yangon to kidnap Cao Xiao. The task was to take him away and hand him over to that underground power for disposal; there was no requirement to kill him directly. They likely wanted to squeeze a large sum of money out of him.

Knowing this, Cao Xiao had a general idea of the situation. It couldn't be anyone else but Jiang Hezheng's group. Wu Meng wouldn't need to go through such trouble. Only Jiang Hezheng's group, who didn't know enough about him, would act so rashly. Although it was confirmed, dealing with it was a bit of a headache. This was Myanmar, and it was during the sensitive period of the public auction; he didn't dare challenge the tense nerves of the Myanmar police. Aside from force, he had no good way to deal with so many people at once. In a foreign land, he had no overt power to utilize. He thought he would let it go this time and settle the score when they came begging to him in the future.

As for the thugs, Cao Xiao didn't kill them. He simply confiscated their weapons, gagged them, tied them up tightly, and hung them on trees in a small roadside forest, ignoring them thereafter. Consequently, he wasn't disturbed again and spent a good day sightseeing with the mindset of a tourist. Around noon the next day, the batch of raw stones he had purchased finally arrived at the warehouse. With everything settled, he didn't stay any longer and went straight to the airport. Before the plane took off, Cao Xiao dialed a strange set of numbers. Then, the plane soared into the sky, flying toward Hong Kong.

At the same moment, in the town of Pakan far away in Myitkyina, after a thunderous explosion, the estate where Wu Meng's family resided was instantly engulfed in a sea of fire. The once-prominent old-school Myanmar family vanished into thin air. Except for a few family members who were away, over thirty people in the family, including Wu Meng, were killed. Shortly after, the residents of the entire town of Pakan were alarmed. The police, firefighters, and even the nearby garrison rushed to the scene as if facing a great enemy. However, all that was left for them was a pile of ruins, with no clues found. It wasn't until six months later that the case was closed, classified as a revenge killing. The reason given was that the family had always acted tyrannically and committed many evils, leading to frantic retaliation from enemies. The culprit remained a mystery even years later.

Meanwhile, the culprit who had committed such a sensational crime had no awareness of his wrongdoing. He was currently at the entrance of a temporary warehouse near the customs of the highway bridge between Yuen Long, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen, chatting and laughing happily with someone.

“Haha! General Shen, I didn't expect the higher-ups to take this so seriously, actually sending your unit specifically to receive this. Being able to see the legendary, elusive Golden Army with my own eyes is truly an unexpected surprise!”

The person in front of him was a major general who wasn't even fifty years old. If the other party hadn't taken the initiative to reveal his identity, Cao Xiao would never have guessed that this transport team, which looked like a private freight company, was actually the mysterious Chinese Golden Army.