235: Chapter 230 Journey to the Western Frontier

Mr. Zhang and the others could not describe the shock in their hearts at this moment. Looking around, not a single piece of jade jewelry was worth less than a million. Aside from diamond chips, there wasn't a single diamond under one carat to be seen; rare large colored diamonds were everywhere. There were quite a few top-tier emeralds, the authentic rubies and sapphires from Myanmar were shockingly large, and high-quality natural freshwater pearls, usually hard to come by, were strung into necklaces as if they were worthless...

Usually, jewelry worth over a million was something they kept at the very bottom of their chests, but today, it was laid out like a street stall, dazzling and numerous. A rough calculation showed no less than three thousand pieces. Just in terms of raw material value alone, it was a heart-stopping figure, not to mention that the retail price of jewelry was more than double the cost of the raw materials. If they added up all their combined net worth, it wouldn't even be half the value of the jewelry before them. Compared to this, the raw materials in their own warehouses were just a pile of cheap trash!

What made them feel even more ashamed and indignant was that they only just noticed that the pine boxes they had previously dismissed were overflowing with brilliance, dazzling so brightly under the lights that one dared not look directly at them. Various pieces of jewelry, unpacked and scattered, filled the openings of the boxes. Every piece looked like it wasn't some cheap, ordinary item; any random piece was worth at least tens of thousands, and there were nine such cubic boxes!

Among them, the most horrified was Mr. Chen from the Liang Lake Pearl Farm. His main industries were several pearl farms around Liang Lake, a pearl processing plant, and a skincare factory. With a net worth of nearly six hundred million, he was far inferior to the others, let alone in a different league compared to a behemoth like Hongdu. If it weren't for the fact that he had come together with the others, brandishing the banner of the Jade King, and had heard that Cao Xiao was just a "pretty boy," he would never have had the courage to tweak the tiger's whiskers at Hongdu. Even though his business had nothing to do with Hongdu Group, an international enterprise like Hongdu was immensely powerful in both capital strength and influence. They wouldn't even need to lift a finger themselves; a single word dropped in the circle would be enough to bring disaster upon him.

But now, he realized with horror that the situation was not as simple as they had understood. These countless pieces of jewelry, regardless of their origin, proved that Cao Xiao was not the "pretty boy" living off a woman that was rumored. Even with the full support of Hongdu Group and Elder Chen, it would be impossible to obtain so many shocking top-tier gemstone raw materials. This scene was comparable to an international jewelry exhibition. With this capability, Cao Xiao's strength was definitely ten or a hundred times greater than all of them combined, with a net worth of at least ten billion. He was a local tyrant far more powerful than himself. Cao Xiao might be helpless against others, but dealing with a small fry like him who was right on his doorstep would be easy! How could he not be terrified?

Cao Xiao watched these people, all with wide eyes, flushed faces, and terrified expressions, and felt immense satisfaction. He curled his lips coldly and said with disdain, "How is it? Is the courage Jiang Hezheng gave you still enough? Do you want me to lend you a few more?"

"Mr. Cao, today it was us who failed to recognize your greatness, acting arrogantly before you and making a fool of ourselves. We have other matters to attend to, so we will take our leave." Hearing this, the group finally snapped out of their shock. Their expressions changed drastically, realizing that Cao Xiao was about to make a move. Just as they didn't know how to respond, Mr. Zhang decisively spoke up to bow his head to Cao Xiao, and as soon as he finished speaking, he pulled the others away, intending to leave.

"Hehe! Walk slowly, I won't see you out!"

These people actually naively thought that a bow and an apology would be enough to easily brush this off. They came as they pleased, left as they pleased, and came to bully his woman—how could this matter be settled so easily? Cao Xiao sneered internally. These people were just worthless lackeys. Given his temper, he should have at least skinned them and broken their legs before throwing them out. However, he had important matters today, so he would let them go for now; he could deal with them casually in a while.

"Cao Xiao, are you just letting them off like this?" He Yueyou watched these people flee in a panic. Although she felt satisfied, she thought letting them off was too easy. She had suffered such a great grievance today, yet Cao Xiao had let them off so lightly; naturally, she was a bit unhappy.

Gently holding He Yueyou's hand, Cao Xiao smiled and said, "There's no such thing as an easy escape. These people are just grasshoppers after the autumn frost; since they bullied you, don't think they'll get away unscathed. Once the jewelry store opens and stabilizes, I'll take you around. When the time comes, I'll drag them out one by one to vent your anger. Only then will they know what true despair feels like!"

Half an hour later, Cao Xiao appeared at Elder Chen's villa. He had originally planned to ask He Yueyou to find a quiet place to confess his feelings, but unexpectedly, he received a call from Elder Chen urging him to come over immediately to discuss an urgent matter. Helpless, he had to set it aside for the time being.

Elder Chen was in very good spirits today; one couldn't tell he was weak from just recovering from a major illness. He was pacing anxiously in the living room, his face full of worry. Seeing Cao Xiao arrive, he forced a smile and said, "Xiao Xiao, an old friend of mine in the Western Frontier has run into trouble. The situation is very bad, and I need you to rush over to help as soon as possible. It happened suddenly, and I intended to have you go straight to the airport, but the situation is complicated, so I had to call you over to explain things in person. Time waits for no one; the plane is already prepared, let me make a long story short..."

After listening to his teacher, Cao Xiao didn't ask any more questions. He nodded in agreement and quickly left the villa. After having someone take Guoer home, he took Duan Hong and Li Quanshuo and rushed to Xianhe Airport, boarding the chartered flight directly to Hotan Airport in the Western Frontier.

Night gradually fell. Outside the terminal building of Hotan Airport, in a Land Rover covered in mud, a resolute young man in his twenties with a crew cut was leaning against the car window smoking, looking very agitated. His eyes were constantly scanning the passing passengers. This Land Rover had been parked there for a long time without turning off its engine, and it was blocking the main exit, forcing passengers to walk around it. Several airport staff were standing by the car helping to maintain order, with no hint of displeasure on their faces; they seemed to be empathizing with the person in the car, waiting expectantly.

Such behavior of openly disrupting public order in public by the Land Rover owner, and the airport's indulgence in using public resources for private matters, should have caused public outrage, yet no one criticized it, not even half a word, as if this scene was taken for granted. It was truly strange.

An airport staff member covered their headset and muttered a few words, then whispered apologetically to the young man with the crew cut in the car, "Mr. Shen, communications have been restored. The flight that gentleman is on encountered thunderstorms mid-journey, which will cause a delay. It is expected to land in another twenty minutes."

Upon hearing this news, the young man with the crew cut felt as if he had been struck by lightning. The anxiety and anticipation on his face instantly turned into despair and despondency. He slumped back against the seat, closing his eyes, but tears squeezed out. However, in an instant, he opened his eyes again, his gaze full of determination. Without looking at the person speaking to him outside the window, he muttered to himself, "It's not your fault, heaven doesn't grant one's wishes! Grandfather can't wait anymore! I'm afraid if I'm late, I won't even see him one last time! Anyway, I shouldn't have counted on someone my age having such miraculous medical skills. I'm not waiting!"

The Land Rover's horn blared urgently, and pedestrians around scrambled to avoid it. The Land Rover roared and sped away, disappearing into the night behind the flickering lights.

In the suburbs between the airport and the city, a few kilometers away, a cluster of villas with a Chinese retro style sat along the banks of the Yurungkash River. Red flowers, green willows, pavilions, rockeries, and lotus ponds were interspersed, making it hard to imagine how such an exquisite and gentle Jiangnan garden landscape could exist in this rugged and desolate Great Northwest.

A dirty Land Rover came roaring at high speed from afar, its bright lights cutting through the night, adding some noise to this quiet, neon-lit Jiangnan manor.

In front of the largest villa, a middle-aged man in a red suit in his forties sighed to a middle-aged man with graying hair sitting in a wheelchair in front of him, "Big brother, start preparing for the funeral! It's not that we don't trust Uncle Chen, but the old man's condition is not just an illness. What happened in previous years damaged his roots, and his body has long since collapsed. Besides, eighty-three is a big hurdle; even if an immortal came, they couldn't turn the tide. He has already suffered enough, and passing away quietly like this can be considered a natural end. Don't let outsiders disturb his rest in his final moments. I think Uncle Chen thinks so too, otherwise, he wouldn't have sent a twenty-something-year-old student here; it's just to represent him in paying respects."

Hearing this, the gray-haired middle-aged man in the wheelchair withdrew his gaze and turned the wheelchair around to scan the people behind him one by one. His scholarly yet weathered face seemed to be covered in a layer of frost. He stared at the person who had just spoken with eyes like lightning and said calmly but forcefully, "Old Six, I have taught and educated people my whole life and thought I understood human nature well enough, but after being brothers for decades, today I realize that I have been self-deceived all along. Human hearts, huh! Hehehe! I don't care what you are planning, and I won't argue with you. I have yielded to you all my life, but don't you dare hinder me from fulfilling my duty as a son, or I will throw you all out! You had better pray that you haven't tampered with Dad, otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding this ridiculous family bond and making you pay the price!"

The man in the red suit showed no fear. With an exaggerated expression of pain, he pointed at the gray-haired man and said, "Big brother, what nonsense are you talking about! Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? How could you say such things! Are you senile?"

At this moment, a thin, middle-aged man with glasses, who was older than the man in the red suit, chimed in with a sarcastic tone, "Big brother, we know you are reluctant to let the old man go, but don't take your anger out on us! We also hope the old man recovers, but this is heaven's will. It is a relief for Dad to go now; this is a joyous funeral, we should be happy. You are the big brother, you should set a good example, don't act recklessly and cause family discord or infighting!"

Immediately after, a pale young man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight stood out and said with a playful tone, "That's right, Uncle. It's just a contract, isn't it! Anyway, you don't want it, so just sign it and be done with it. Grandfather's life's work is all in the company, and Xiaoyun has been guarding here every day. Now there is no one in charge of the company, and the people below are all outsiders, so we are worried! If you sign it early, we can handle things and pay our respects to Grandfather sooner!"

"You..." The gray-haired man was instantly choked with anger, his face turning livid. He clutched his chest in pain and pointed at these people, unable to speak.

A young girl in a small suit, about twenty-five or twenty-six, saw this and immediately stepped forward to pat the gray-haired man's back to help him breathe, while pointing at the people in front and cursing, "You are simply too shameless, unworthy of being children, heartless, a bunch of traitors who only know how to fight among yourselves. Grandfather is still lying on the hospital bed, and you are already thinking about dividing the family property. You don't do anything usually, and every few days you ask Grandfather for money to go out and squander it. Now that Grandfather is seriously ill, not only do you not think of ways to treat him, but when Uncle traveled thousands of miles to invite someone to help, you tried every possible way to obstruct it, and you are still cursing Grandfather to die sooner. Why don't you die! Big cousin will be back soon, I will have him beat you animals to death!"

"Shut up, you fatherless and motherless wild girl, only learning the demeanor of a street shrew. Who taught you to talk to your elders like that?"

"You are a junior, and an outsider at that. Letting you manage the company is taking care of you; don't think too highly of yourself, biting people indiscriminately!"

"This is not your place to speak! If you dare to say another word, get out!"

"Vroom..." Just then, the rapid roar of a car approached quickly, and the bright lights illuminated the suddenly frozen expressions of the crowd in sharp detail. The Land Rover braked sharply and stopped at the gate, and a haggard-looking young man appeared before everyone. As soon as the young man got out of the car, he asked anxiously while walking, "Dad, how is Grandfather? Why aren't you watching inside? Why are you standing here?"

The gray-haired man sighed, "Sigh! It's nothing! After you left, your grandfather was awake for a while but then fell into a coma again. The doctor said it was a final burst of lucidity and won't last long! Where is the person you picked up? What happened?"

"The flight was delayed due to thunderstorms, and I didn't dare wait there. Before I left, didn't the doctor say there was still hope? How did it become a final burst of lucidity in just a short while! Liars! Quack doctors! It's all because I was bewitched, going to pick up some person! Grandfather will definitely be very regretful if he wakes up and doesn't see me! No, I don't believe it! Grandfather will be fine; it must be that those doctors are incompetent and can't cure Grandfather. Tell them no matter what to stabilize Grandfather's condition. I will contact all major hospitals in the country immediately and invite the best doctors for a consultation! Grandfather is blessed by heaven, he will definitely be fine." The young man was very frustrated and remorseful. Suddenly, his emotions became very agitated, and as he spoke to himself, he picked up his phone and began to frantically flip through his contacts.

"Xiao Hao! Pull yourself together! Every method we could think of has been used; now we are just relying on that piece of thousand-year-old ginseng we begged for to keep him going. Go inside and see your grandfather! It's too late..."