Return of the Celestial King

Old Wu nodded and said cheerfully,

"Mr. Huang, I know this was all a misunderstanding. I’ve come on behalf of the Patriarch to express his sincere gratitude."

Upon hearing this, a look of elation spread across Huang Junkai’s face.

If they could use this opportunity to build a connection with the Xue Family, it would make their future raw stone business significantly more convenient.

Seeing that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, Qin Tuo didn’t hold a grudge.

Only now did Xue Qingqing have the time to get a good look at Qin Tuo.

Everything had been so rushed before that she hadn’t even seen his face clearly.

Old Wu waved his hand and said with a smile,

"Gentlemen, our Patriarch would like to meet you. Please, come with me."

Huang Junkai, however, looked troubled. It wasn’t his decision to make, so he could only look to Qin Tuo at his side.

After a moment’s thought, Qin Tuo nodded and said,

"Very well. I was hoping to speak with President Xue about purchasing raw stones anyway. I’ll go with you."

This dispelled any lingering doubt in Old Wu’s mind; Qin Tuo was indeed a raw stone merchant who had come to Shi City from out of town.

The group left the hotel and returned to the Xue Family’s villa.

As they entered the villa’s main hall, Xue Chengdong immediately came forward to greet them, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Patriarch, these are the two young heroes who saved the Young Miss!"

Old Wu said with a smile.

Xue Chengdong nodded, first expressing his sincere gratitude to them both before his gaze landed irresistibly on Qin Tuo.

He said, his face filled with amazement,

"Brother Qin, I never imagined someone so young could be so formidable. To take down more than ten masters in an instant... I’m simply astonished!"

Qin Tuo simply waved it off, and Old Wu chimed in with his own words of praise.

"Brother Qin is truly a remarkable young man. Even among our three great families, someone like you is exceedingly rare!"

Xue Chengdong thumped his chest and declared,

"Gentlemen, you saved my daughter. My Xue Family will be sure to repay this immense favor!"

Hearing this, Huang Junkai was so excited he was rendered speechless.

Qin Tuo, however, appeared perfectly calm, for he hadn’t forgotten his purpose for coming here.

With this in mind, Qin Tuo said slowly,

"President Xue, there’s no need for repayment. I came to Shi City to purchase a batch of raw stones, and I was wondering if you could help me?"

Upon learning Qin Tuo’s intentions, Xue Chengdong agreed on the spot. He said with a smile,

"Rest assured, Brother Qin. The Xue Family controls a large number of raw stone mines, so a small request like this is no problem at all."

Qin Tuo nodded in satisfaction. Now that Xue Chengdong had given his word, the matter was perfectly settled.

Then, Xue Chengdong continued,

"And don’t you worry, Brother Qin. No matter how many raw stones you want, I’ll sell them to you at half price!"

Xue Chengdong could see that a man like Qin Tuo was too proud to simply accept a handout.

Therefore, this was his way of repaying the favor.

Huang Junkai, standing beside them, was ecstatic!

’If it’s really like he said,’ he thought to himself, ’and we get everything at half price, we’ll save several hundred million on this shipment’s cost.’

After all, they planned to import a huge batch of raw stones this time; the quantity was no joke.

At this thought, Huang Junkai nodded repeatedly and said gratefully,

"Thank you so much, President Xue! We’ll be relying on your assistance for this!"

Xue Chengdong waved his hand magnanimously and said casually,

"Not at all. You saved my daughter. A little help like this is nothing worth mentioning!"

Qin Tuo, however, wasn’t particularly interested in the price of the raw stones.

What did pique his curiosity, however, was the new mineral vein that had recently appeared.

After all, he understood perfectly well that with so many Grandmasters gathered in Shi City, something big was about to go down.

The value of that new mineral vein was self-evident; otherwise, it wouldn’t have attracted so many people to come and fight over it!

This was also why the three great families had spent a fortune hiring so many people as muscle for the sake of this vein.

Thus, Qin Tuo couldn’t help but ask,

"President Xue, is it true that a new mineral vein has been discovered at Hongshan?"

The smile on Xue Chengdong’s face instantly froze, and his eyes grew sharp.

Beside him, the butler, Old Wu, also narrowed his eyes and fell silent.

Only Xue Qingqing showed no reaction, as she neither understood nor had any interest in family affairs.

Xue Chengdong asked in a low, slow voice,

"Brother Qin, how did you find out about that?"

As far as Xue Chengdong was concerned, this was a secret. Few people outside the three great families should have known about it.

He never expected a raw stone merchant from out of town to be so well-informed.

Seeing Xue Chengdong growing suspicious, Huang Junkai’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly explained,

"President Xue, please don’t misunderstand! We just happened to overhear it while eating at a restaurant earlier. Everyone was talking about it!"

Qin Tuo nodded but didn’t say anything else.

Xue Chengdong’s face instantly turned ashen. He snorted coldly and said,

"I can’t believe it. So the news has finally leaked? It seems exploiting this new mineral vein will be difficult."

He frowned deeply, a sense of anxiety creeping in. His outlook for the future grew even more grim.

Seeing that Qin Tuo seemed curious about the matter, Xue Chengdong decided to simply reveal many of the secrets concerning the new mineral vein.

Qin Tuo nodded repeatedly as he listened. Only then did he learn that the three great families had already recruited their forces and made their preparations, just waiting for the showdown over the mineral vein.

However, as for what was actually inside the mineral vein, Qin Tuo remained completely in the dark.

This was because Xue Chengdong himself wasn’t entirely clear on the details. There were only vague rumors suggesting that this vein was extremely important, far surpassing any major mine from the past.

After a moment’s thought, Qin Tuo asked again,

"President Xue, when the time comes, could you take us up the mountain for a look?"

A hint of hesitation appeared on Xue Chengdong’s face.

Qin Tuo was not a member of the Xue Family, just an outsider.

If Xue Chengdong were to take Qin Tuo up the mountain, he would surely be taking on some unavoidable risks.

Seeing this, Huang Junkai quickly chimed in with a smile,

"Rest assured, President Xue. We’re just curious and want to have a look. We absolutely won’t meddle or cause you any trouble!"

After hearing Huang Junkai’s assurance, Xue Chengdong thought for a moment, then nodded and agreed.