The entire Tang family turned their heads in the direction of Tang Qinghong as soon as he said that. The once scornful look in their eyes disappeared in an instant. Now, their facial expressions reflected the inner-conflict they were going through.

They were shocked to see the bunch of pills sitting in the center of Tang Qinghong’s palm. Such items that could help one level up in the ancient martial arts world would typically only be found in the legacy bases of powerful families. If people like them needed it, they would have to go looking for it themselves. The key thing here was that even if they possessed such an item, it was unheard of for it to work so well that one could enter the Bone Refinement realm whilst being unconscious.

They knew very well how precious these pills were. Much to their surprise, instead of belonging to Tang Qinghong, Tang Yanling was the rightful owner of this bunch of pills.

If it was back then, it didn’t matter to them if they belonged to her or not; they would forcefully make her hand the pills over to the Tang family, so that they could be used on members who had the potential for further growth. Why waste the pills on some piece of trash? However, seeing how Jiang Shuxuan had Tang Yanling’s back made them go silent.

At the very least, no one would dare to go through with this plot, for now.

Tang Yanling stared as Tang Qinghong placed the bunch gently on her palm. It took a while before her senses returned, upon which she was surprised to find how much weight the seemingly small bunch of pills had to them. This entire event played out like a dream in front of her. She looked up at the young man, eyes wide open. “Qinghong, you said that person was… Miss Gu?”

“Yes, your goddaughter, Aunt,” replied Tang Qinghong with a friendly smile.

“Oh.” Tang Yanling nodded. Then, she stared painfully at the bunch in her hand.

Jiang Shuxuan was standing nearby, watching their interaction. “Why don’t you store it in a box?” Then, a white flash appeared at his hand before a container carved from jade materialized in his palm.

“…”

Tang Qinghong was speechless. He remembered the way in which Gu Xiqiao had given these pills to him. He thought that it was on purpose; perhaps she wanted him to store it in his pocket for some unknown reason, which was why he did not use a container nor a pouch to carry them up until now.

He was astonished when he peered at the box. Just one look was enough to tell him that there was already a restriction spell casted onto it. Besides Tang Yanling, no one else could open the box.

Tang Yanling looked at Yin Shaoyuan, who was lying motionlessly on the floor before turning toward the handsome Jiang Shuxuan. Her mouth opened and closed but words failed to come out.

She would remember this forever.

“Well then, it’s time for me to leave now Aunt.” Jiang Shuxuan looked at his wristwatch to check the time. It was 12pm sharp, the hour when the sun was at its highest point in the sky; it was getting late for him now.

No one stood in his way when he left. They all stared in silence at his receding back as he disappeared into the bright light outside.

The dense atmosphere that had shrouded the entire place dissipated in the blink of an eye. Finally, the minds of the Tang family members started functioning again after he had left.

“Yanling, the thing in your hand…” The elder dressed in the Tang-dynasty robes started thinking about the pills. His mouth curled up into a sinister grin, he kept his eyes locked onto the jade box the entire time he spoke to Tang Yanling.

Tang Yanling’s expression was gentle and calm as she tucked the jade box into her pocket. She was no fool. She knew just how badly she and her son were viewed in the eyes of the Tang family. She had not taken a single thing from them throughout her entire stay here.

There should also be no issues with Yin Shaoyuan entering the legacy base as she herself had been deprived of that chance when she was younger.

“That’s right, Second Young Lady, why not keep the jade box in the ancestral hall?” The men who were treating her with contempt mere moments ago were now acting very cautiously around her.

Tang Yanling smiled at them in a friendly manner. “This is a gift from my own daughter. Why would I place it in the ancestral hall?”

This was the first time she was able to speak in such a frank manner to the people here at the Tang family. It was as if the title of “Second Young Lady” had returned to her the instant she became the owner of these magical pills. Despite not sharing the same blood, she felt much closer to Gu Xiqiao than any of these fools.

Tang Yanling gripped the jade box in her pocket as she finally made her mind up. From now on, this would be the status quo in relation to her and the ancient martial arts world.

Finally, an opportunity has opened itself up in front of her; no way was she going to sit here and wait for her death. If Gu Xiqiao had decided to give her a helping hand, it would be downright wrong to give up so easily!

Tang Yanling’s words hit the men around her like a tidal wave. Even the facial expression of the wise elder had grown bitter.

She has been through constant struggle because of them. Now that the tables had turned, was there a reason for her to care about their wellbeing?

Now that Yin Shaoyuan was in safe hands, she prepared to head home. Take a shower, eat a hot meal before finally calling home to tell them she and her son were well. She’d have a good night’s sleep and Yin Shaoyuan should be up and about come next morning.

After Tang Yanling left, the young man snorted grumpily. “We weren’t sucking up to her, why does she have to act all high and mighty like that?! So what if it’s a couple of magic pills? Can’t she share some with her own family? What is the meaning of this? Monopolizing on such a precious treasure!”

“I will report this issue to the clan leader,” said the elder slowly after letting out a long, disappointed sigh.

“That’s right. The leader must be informed of this! A member of the clan not looking out for her own people! This is selfish and outrageous!” The rest added on.

It seems like they have all forgotten what happened just a few days ago, when they refused to recognize Yin Shaoyuan as a part of their great family.

They had forgotten the meaning of the saying, “a man’s wealth is his own ruin by causing the greed of others”.

***

At the film production site.

Tang Qingqiu walked slowly toward the spot where his vehicle was parked. He was sporting a pair of dark sunglasses, leaving only his masculine jawline visible to nearby pedestrians. Who couldn’t help but look at him twice. Perhaps he was a well-known movie star that they did not know about?

“Young Master Tang? What are you doing here?”

Someone’s voice came from the other movie production team working on the opposite side of the place where ‘Empire Under Siege’ was being filmed.

Only a handful of people recognized who he was. To be able to call his name, it must be someone he knew personally. Tang Qingqiu slowed down and turned toward the source of that voice. Upon seeing a familiar face, he paused for a moment, unable to come up with the person’s name.

Knowing that Tang Qingqiu was struggling to recall her name, Peng Zixian smiled at him. “You might have forgotten about me Young Master Tang. I met you at a party that I attended with my father.”

Tang Qingqiu was even more confused now. He nodded slightly at her before turning to leave.

“I wonder why he’s here.” Peng Zixian asked her agent as she watched Tang Qingqiu walk further into the distance.

Her head was lowered, making her face barely visible at eye level. However, her voice sounded extremely indifferent, as if the question had been muttered unconsciously.

A new thought popped into her agent’s mind. “I’ve just got news that the president of the Tang Enterprise has come here personally to meet the movie star, Song Guanjing in person. In fact, she’s working for the film project, ‘Empire Under Siege’, which is conveniently opposite of where we’re working.”

Peng Zixian got her answer now. Silently, she put on her sunglasses before leaving the place.

***

“Qin Heng, say goodbye to your vacation time.” The car was just meters away in front of them but for some reason, Tang Qingqiu felt that it was the perfect time to break this news to him.

Qin Heng, whose heart was stabbed again remained silent.

“…”

Qin Heng didn’t feel like talking about this anymore. His heart was bleeding profusely after all.

What he originally had in mind was that since both sides have been devastated from all the fighting, it was the perfect time for him to get in Nine Heavens’ good graces so they could profit off future joint-projects. In reality, Nine Heavens had laid out such a foolproof plan that he found it to be near-impossible to start approaching them.

Sigh. Seems like the opportunity to work together was never going to come.

Qin Heng opened the driver’s door and prepared to slide back into his seat. All his efforts this morning had gone down the drain. God knows how much work he still has to do after this.

And yet, Tang Qingqiu remained standing by the open car door. His eyes were staring straight in front of him as he froze in his tracks.

“Boss?” Qin Heng had no idea what Tang Qingqiu was up to. Shutting the door, an odd expression surfaced on his face before he glanced back at Qin Heng. “It’s nothing. You start the car first. Looks like an acquaintance of mine. I’ll go check it out myself.”

Within a split second, he recognized the distinct contours of Jiang Shuxuan’s black Bugatti. To confirm his suspicion, the number plate on the car was also incredibly distinct.

Putting his sunglasses back on, Tang Qingqiu approached the car. He wanted to knock on the car window but it had already rolled down the moment he lifted his arm.

The elegant, refined and matured face of Jiang Shuxuan entered the view, sitting behind the steering wheel.

“What are you doing here?”

There was no doubt that the person was Jiang Shuxuan but Tang Qingqiu was astonished to find him here at the filming studio. Considering his background, it was hard to imagine that he would appear in such a place.

Jiang Shuxuan looked down at his wristwatch before giving Tang Qingqiu a brief glance. “Is there a problem with me being here?”

Tang Qingqiu shook his head. “No, not at all.”

He was different from the rest of the Tang family. Tang Qingqiu was far inferior to Tang Qinghong in terms of their ancient martial arts qualifications. As such, Tang Qingqiu relied on building the corporate empire that was Tang Enterprise to make up for his shortcomings. Despite this, the Tang family refrained from meddling with Tang Qingqiu’s matters as he was a close friend of Jiang Shuxuan’s. Apart from that, he also maintained connections with many powerful people back in the ancient martial arts world.

A lightbulb lit up in Tang Qingqiu’s mind when he recalled seeing Gu Xiqiao in the cast of ‘Empire Under Siege’. Out of curiosity, he asked Jiang Shuxuan, “Ahem, I have a question for you. Are you here to pick Miss Gu up?”

He was already expecting the answer to be yes but Tang Qingqiu was still surprised when Jiang Shuxuan nodded to his question.

‘He really is here to pick Miss Gu up?’

Tang Qingqiu rubbed his chin. He thought to himself, ‘If the Jiang family was to know of this matter, no doubt, they would react like ants on a hot stove.’

Seeing the arrogant, tyrannical Jiang Shuxuan waiting in his car for a girl he cared about, it shouldn’t be weird for Tang Qingqiu to laugh in his face, right?

“Boss, what are you laughing at?” Tang Qingqiu was acting weird when he returned to Qin Heng, who was waiting in the car. His chuckling was incredibly mischievous, so much so that the assistant couldn’t help but wonder what on earth was going on.

Tang Qingqiu slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Oh, it’s nothing. You can start driving now.”

How could he possibly say that he was laughing at Jiang Shuxuan?

***

Gu Xiqiao had just walked out of the set. Within just a few minutes, she had successfully located Jiang Shuxuan’s car. Climbing into her seat, she beamed at him. “Brother Jiang, you’re pretty early today, aren’t you?”

No matter how cold of a person you were, you simply couldn’t stop yourself from smiling back at such a carefree young girl’s smile. This was especially so for Jiang Shuxuan.

And yet, Jiang Shuxuan’s expression was unchanging today. As usual, he started operating the vehicle. His face was sullen, and his eyes seemed to be devoid of any emotions. The interior of the car was shrouded in a tense, dead silence.

Gu Xiqiao rubbed her chin. She wondered if she had done something wrong that angered him.

“Miss Gu?” Suddenly, his low voice broke the silence, like the mellow tone of a cello.

It took Gu Xiqiao a while before she responded to him as she was totally not prepared to hear him speak. She suspiciously eyed the handsome face beside her. Scratching her head, she thought to herself, ‘Miss Gu? Where’s the punch line?’

Red light, he stopped the car.

Seeing how she was struggling to come up with an answer, Jiang Shuxuan finally opened his mouth. “I went over to pay the Tang family a visit today. I even met Aunt and Shaoyuan.”

‘Hm, and?’ Gu Xiqiao stared seriously at Jiang Shuxuan. ‘Why did you turn out this way after that?’

“Tang Qinghong took out a bunch of pills.” Green light. Jiang Shuxuan continued driving. His voice however, was drowned out by the sound of honking from a car behind them.

Gu Xiqiao did hear what he said. She blinked a few times. “That’s right, I gave it to Brother Yin. I heard he was unconscious and when Tang Qinghong came looking for me, I said that the pills were effective in treating his condition, so I gave it to him.”

“Are you even that close to him?” Jiang Shuxuan shot her a look.

Rubbing her nose, Gu Xiqiao replied, “No, not really.”

“Then why did he come looking for you?”

“…”

‘Someone’s life was at stake so was there a problem with him coming over in search of me?’

“It’s 1 pm and I still haven’t eaten yet! God I’m so hungry!”

Cleverly, she swapped the topic into a harmless one.

Although they did provide food at the filming site, and the uncle in charge of their meals would always remember to give her an extra chicken leg, Gu Xiqiao tried not to eat the meals there. Mainly, this was because of Cheng Zhou and Xiang Kun’s unbearable gazes.

As expected, Jiang Shuxuan went silent after that. Gu Xiqiao was searching for something in his car and out of nowhere, he pulled out a bag of chips before shoving it in her face.

Gu Xiqiao’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw the bag of chips. She wanted to say something but upon realizing that Jiang Shuxuan was probably going to ignore her, she shut her mouth and ripped open the bag of chips wordlessly.

Xixi, who was hanging out in the back observed the situation keenly. It understood that this was the worst possible time to piss Master Jiang off. Too bad, whenever such a situation developed, it would turn into cannon fodder, where his anger would be directed toward.

It was afternoon already. Instead of returning to their villa, Jiang Shuxuan picked an insanely high-end hotel where they would have their lunch.

The name of the hotel was stated in large, gold-plated characters. Since she had done her research in calligraphy, Gu Xiqiao studied the three characters, all written boldly and exuding a sense of magnificence. No doubt, this must’ve been done by some famous calligrapher; it was a step above many other subpar hotels.

Underneath the main name were two very small characters. Gu Xiqiao had to strain her eyes in order to make out what words they were—Tang Enterprise.

So it was a Tang family-owned hotel. No wonder it looked so extravagant on the outside. No matter from which angle you looked at the building, it had the words “I am insanely rich” written all over.

Jiang Shuxuan disliked having the valet park his car for him; he personally drove his car into the garage while Gu Xiqiao was told to go upstairs with his card to wait for him.

The building was a surprisingly tall structure. The beautiful waitress brought her to the 21st floor where they had to turn left and right before reaching their destination.

Clang! Krash!

Just as she turned around a corner, she saw a waitress, who was pushing a food cart, slip and fall, sending the food that was already on the table flying all over the floor. The waitress in front of her too, had fallen over. Standing in front of them was a pretty woman, who glared angrily at the waiters.

“Where’s your head waiter?! I demand to see your head waiter! How can he allow workers like these in this establishment?! Can’t you see that I’m on the phone here?! Look at this! This is my new bag, and my shoes! All covered in juice! You think you can compensate me for this?!” The woman was well-dressed, which allowed her to blend right into the glamorous atmosphere of this hotel.

“I’m sorry, I’m terribly sorry! I am the head waiter! This is entirely our fault. We will compensate you for this mistake!” The waitress lying on the ground was silent. Instead, it was the waitress that was leading Gu Xiqiao who spoke up and apologized for the incident. Seeing the food on the floor, and her colleague, she couldn’t help but sigh. Even for the food alone, it must cost her an arm and a leg, no?

As a head waitress, she knew that the outcome of this depended solely on the customer. If the customer was a good person, they wouldn’t mind the situation too much. At most, she’d get her wages cut for the losses incurred. However, encountering a difficult customer was pure bad luck for people working in the service industry; she was entirely at her mercy.

The woman looked up at the head waiter. With an impatient voice, she yelled, “Compensate me? You think you can do that? Where’s your manager?! I demand to see the manager! I’m not gonna leave until you get fired!”

The woman then whipped out her phone and started yapping away. It seems like she was familiar with the manager. The head waitress took her walkie-talkie out and reported her situation over to headquarters.

“I’m terribly sorry, but I have something to deal with here. I’ll get someone else to bring you to your private room, would that be okay?” asked the head waitress with an apologetic look.

The main reason she did this was because she felt that Gu Xiqiao was a relatively easygoing customer. Although she showed little expression on her face, her years of working in the service sector had allowed her to distinguish between difficult customers and well-mannered ones, like Gu Xiqiao here.

Ding! Daily Mission activated: Help the waiter, Su Qing find out the truth behind the accident!

Mission Completion Reward: 20 points!

The sound of the system filled her ears once more. Gu Xiqiao was momentarily taken aback but she quickly stood to the side. She began fiddling with her phone, indicating that she didn’t mind being held up for a moment.

The woman spun around the moment she heard what the head waitress was saying. She saw Gu Xiqiao, in her T-shirt and jeans combo. The woman looked at her with disdain but only for a moment she proceeded to look away seconds later.

Gu Xiqiao kept her eyes fixated on the waitress who had fallen to the ground. She kept her mouth sucked in, refusing to say anything. The waitress was beautiful. In fact, Gu Xiqiao was impressed by how high the standards were for the employees here at the hotel.

“I want her to apologize to me!” The floor manager rushed over in an instant. As soon as he appeared, the woman started yelling and pointing her finger at the helpless waitress on the floor.

The manager responded with a courteous smile. “Understood, understood. I will get her to apologize to you right away, Mrs. Dai. Xiao Qing! Hurry up and apologize to Mrs. Dai!”

To his surprise, the waitress looked up at her manager coldly and loudly announced, “I’m not doing this anymore!”

‘Bold one huh? But she’s too young, too rash. Even if she’s quitting, she’ll continue being targeted if she doesn’t change her game plan soon,’ thought Gu Xiqiao.

“If you’re going to quit, you better pay up for my purse and my shoes. 30 grand! You think you can fork out that amount?!”

Su Qing looked up angrily at the person standing triumphantly in front of her. A grudge was forming in her heart but as a mere employee, there was nothing she could say to defend herself with. Clearly, it was the woman who had tripped her over but even if she told the truth, who would believe her?

“Excuse me.” Suddenly, a clear voice echoed down the hallway from behind.

She spun around to see a pretty face, as if the person had just stepped out from a master painter’s illustration. Even she, who had been praised for her looks ever since she was a child, was surprised at how beautiful Gu Xiqiao was.

Gu Xiqiao swiped through her phone before flashing a smile at the manager and the steaming woman. “I’m sorry but I’ve just hacked your hotel’s surveillance system. I will pay for any mental anguish you suffer but I must say, you’ve got to look closely at what happened, Mr. Manager.”

Her phone had a large screen; everything that was on display could be seen very clearly by everyone around her.

The footage showed the waitress pushing her cart along when the woman suddenly stretched her foot out to deliberately trip the poor employee over.

Gu Xiqiao even zoomed in on the high-heels that the woman was wearing.

“Who are you?” The woman stepped forward, attempting to snatch away Gu Xiqiao’s phone. Owing to her quick reflexes, she was able to pull her phone back in time. On the other hand, the clumsy woman almost lost her balance when her hand grabbed nothing but thin air. She almost exploded from rage. “Manager! I want you to get this woman out of this place!”

The head waitress sighed in relief and immediately gave Su Qing a reassuring look. Then, she whispered something into the manager’s ears.

The manager was wide-eyed from shock when he turned over to look at Gu Xiqiao, who was as calm as still water.

“Mrs. Dai, we will be investigating this issue very soon. Rest assured, whoever’s responsible for this will be held accountable,” said the manager. Then, he said to the head waitress, “Hurry up and bring Miss Gu here to her room.”

The sound of a mission being completed rang out in Gu Xiqiao’s mind. The mission was over.

“Complain! I will make complaints about your behavior!” The woman’s face was beet red from anger. “You…”

She shut up before she could finish her sentence. A man was slowly walking over. She saw her husband following behind that handsome man, smiling cautiously like a mere underling. Never has she once seen her husband act this way around someone else.

Jiang Shuxuan of course, knew about what was going on here. He walked over slowly, ignoring Gu Xiqiao as if she were a complete stranger. No doubt, he was still keeping up an act.

He appeared extra-noble today, and paired with the scene of Boss Dai’s sucking up to him, there was nothing they could say to change the situation.