Zhang Jinguang said, " The Elder Da of Zhao's's is very mysterious. Everyone only knows that his surname is Zhao, but no one knows his given name. Zhao's's is the most famous jewelry store in the world, and this is just a branch of Zhao's's."
The first floor of Zhao's Building is a large supermarket, the second floor is Zhao's Treasure Silver and Gold Jewelry Shop, the third floor is the VIP hall, and the fourth floor is a boutique hall that can only be entered by high-level members.
Li Qiang led Zhang Jinguang through the second-floor shop and headed straight for the VIP room on the third floor.
A young man in a tuxedo with a badge on his chest blocked the way. He bowed and said politely but coldly, "Please wait, sir. Please show your VIP card."
Zhang Jinguang kept tugging at Li Qiang's clothes from behind, whispering, "Boss, ordinary people aren't allowed in here."
Li Qiang said, "Oh, a VIP card? How do I get a VIP card?" He glanced at the man's badge; the man was the VIP lounge's service manager.
The manager said in a professional tone, "Anyone who spends over 100,000 yuan in the regular lobby will automatically receive VIP status."
Li Qiang nodded and said, "I want to sell Gemstone. Do you buy them?"
The manager said, "If you want to sell Gemstone, please go to the fifth floor."
As they were talking, a pretty waitress ran over excitedly and said, "Manager, Ji Tianya, the young master of the Jibaisheng Group, has arrived. The general manager wants you to go and greet him."
The young manager smiled, then said somewhat impatiently to Li Qiang, "Excuse me, please come up to the fifth floor."
Zhang Jinguang said, "Boss, where did you get these Gemstone? Can I take a look? Everyone here is a big shot..."
Li Qiang waved his hand dismissively and laughed, "Big shots are people too." He then turned and walked towards the elevator. The elevator doors opened just then, and a group of people escorted a young man in his early twenties out of the elevator. Someone outside the elevator greeted him attentively. Li Qiang's eyes lit up, and he secretly praised the young man as outstanding.
The man who came out was Ji Tianya, the young master of the Jibaisheng Group. He was about the same height as Li Qiang, very handsome, and gave people a shrewd and capable feeling. The only drawback was the arrogance he exuded. Li Qiang intuitively felt that this man was not easy to deal with. He looked like the kind of arrogant and disdainful rich kid.
The service manager stopped Li Qiang and Zhang Jinguang, and only turned to leave after the group of people walked out of the elevator and into the lobby.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, someone directed Li Qiang into an office. Li Qiang invited Zhang Jinguang to sit on a large leather sofa and wait. Shortly after, two people entered: one was an elderly man in his sixties, dressed casually with reading glasses perched on his nose; the other was a middle-aged man, burly and clearly a martial arts practitioner.
The old man extended his hand and said, "I'm Chen Ye, the manager here. You can just call me Old Chen. This is Wu Zhengrong, the security supervisor of Zhao's's Restaurant."
Li Qiang hadn't shaken hands with people in a long time, but he extended his hand and said, "My surname is Li."
Chen Ye nodded and asked, "Mr. Li, do you have any Gemstone for sale?" He didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point.
Li Qiang had collected countless Gemstone, some of which Mei'er had collected because she thought they were fun. He pretended to reach into his pocket, knowing that diamonds would never go out of style on Earth.
He opened his hand, revealing three diamonds the size of pigeon eggs in his palm, each weighing over fifty or sixty carats. These were the three smallest diamonds he could find. Then he took out a piece of emerald green jade, about the size of a fist.
Without a word, he placed the items on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Chen Ye had assumed they were all fake. He casually picked up a diamond, and after just one glance, his heart began to pound.
This was a colorless, dodecahedral, natural loose diamond, uncut and polished, its quality far exceeding anything Chen Ye had ever seen. He took out a magnifying glass, examined it carefully for a while, then picked up the other two diamonds to look at them, becoming increasingly astonished. After a moment's thought, he said, "Could I have it appraised?"
Zhang Jinguang jumped up and said, "That won't do! What if you take the bag? We'll be at a huge loss!"
Li Qiang waved his hand and said, "Take it for appraisal, but be quick, I'll wait here." He closed his eyes and said no more.
Zhang Jinguang exclaimed, "Boss, aren't you... aren't you afraid they'll cheat you?"
Li Qiang closed his eyes and said, "What's so great about a few stones? Go sit down over there!"
Chen Ye and Wu Zhengrong left in a hurry.
Zhang Jinguang asked excitedly, "Boss, where did you get so many Gemstone? Wow, we're going to be rich!" He rubbed his hands together as if all the Gemstone were his.
Li Qiang recalled that when he first went to Heavenly Court Star, he went to sell Gemstone, and this time when he returned to Earth, it was the same thing.
He suddenly realized that the place he went to on the Heavenly Court Star was Zhao's Treasure Silver and Gold Jewelry Shop, which was owned by Zhao Hao. Could it be that Zhao Hao had come to Earth? He opened his eyes abruptly, already seventy percent certain: this was Zhao Hao's silver shop, and he had actually come to Earth to wait for him.
Suddenly, Li Qiang shook his head and said, "It's just selling a few stones, why did we need so many police officers?"
Zhang Jinguang was startled. "Boss, the police are here? You... you... you didn't steal those Gemstone, did you?" He jumped off the sofa and said repeatedly, "Let's run, boss, don't just stand there waiting!"
Li Qiang said, "It's alright, just wait."
Zhang Jinguang wanted to escape first, but he couldn't bear to. What if the boss hadn't stolen the Gemstone? It would be a huge loss to escape now. He thought for a moment and said, "Wait a minute, how did you know the police were coming?"
Li Qiang smiled slightly, offering no explanation, and continued to rest with his eyes closed. A moment later, several police officers rushed in, followed by Wu Zhengrong and Chen Ye. Li Qiang calmly said, "After so long of investigation... even the police have figured it out, is there a problem?"
Chen Ye said, "I'm sorry, because the origin of the Gemstone you provided is unknown, we were worried about potential problems, so we called the police."
An officer stepped forward and said, "Please show me your identification."
Zhang Jinguang took out his ID and handed it over. Li Qiang asked, " Chen Ye, is your boss named Zhao Hao?"
Chen Ye was startled and stammered, "You... how did you know? Uh, who are you?"
After confirming that the jewelry store was owned by Zhao Hao, Li Qiang couldn't help but smile. He said, "Have him come see me."
Chen Ye was shocked that Li Qiang knew the name of the Elder Da, Zhao Hao. Only a few people inside Zhao's Treasure Silver and Gold Jewelry Shop knew Zhao Hao's name; Zhao Hao's public name Zhao Songren.
He immediately tensed up and asked, "What is your honorable name?"
Li Qiang said calmly, "If you can contact him now, tell him that Li Qiang is back and to come over immediately."
Wu Zhengrong shouted, "You're talking nonsense! How could our chairman possibly know you? Besides, our chairman's Zhao Songren, not some Zhao Hao."
Chen Ye shouted, "Old Wu, don't talk nonsense." He immediately gestured for the officers to leave and said politely, "Mr. Li, please wait a moment."
Within two or three minutes, Chen Ye stumbled in again, repeatedly saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't know you knew the chairman. The chairman instructed that everything here be handled according to your request, and he will be back immediately."
Li Qiang said, "Tell those police officers to leave and not bother me. Oh, and give Zhang Jinguang his ID back."
Wu Zhengrong, who was following behind Chen Ye, agreed and hurriedly went outside.
Zhang Jinguang stared blankly at all of this, completely bewildered.
Chen Ye said respectfully, "Mr. Li, the quality of the diamonds and jade is excellent, but..." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Because they haven't been polished by experts, their price is much lower. If they were properly cut and polished by a master, these three diamonds would be priceless treasures."
Li Qiang laughed and said, "I don't mind, just name your price, and while you're at it, open a bank account for me, and the money will be deposited into the account."
Chen Ye said, "Please wait a moment, the chairman said he'll be here soon... I'm really sorry, the jewelry you brought is too valuable. I'm just the branch manager, I can't make the decision on my own."
Zhang Jinguang tugged at Li Qiang and whispered, "Boss, how much are you planning to pay me?"
Li Qiang said with a smile, "Be patient, I haven't received the money yet, have I?"
Zhang Jinguang rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation, and said, "Boss, you definitely won't let me down."
Chen Ye and Wu Zhengrong stood with their hands at their sides. Li Qiang said, "Come and sit down, don't stand."
Chen Ye sat down and asked cautiously, "Mr. Li, are you very familiar with our chairman?"
Wu Zhengrong watched with great curiosity. It was the first time he had ever heard that the chairman's name was Zhao Hao. Although Li Qiang seemed to have an extraordinary presence, it was a bit too much of a show of arrogance for him to have the chairman come to meet him in person.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Of course we're very familiar, otherwise why would he be in such a hurry to come over, haha."
Chen Ye was increasingly confused. He smiled apologetically and said, "I'm so sorry, we should have invited you to the VIP room..."
At that moment, a bell rang on Wu Zhengrong's body. He took out a small, earplug-like object, casually put it behind his ear, and said, "Hello? Who is this? It's me... Yes! Yes! I understand."
Wu Zhengrong said, "The chairman's private plane has arrived. I'll take some people to greet it."
Li Qiang said, "No need, he'll be here soon."
Chen Ye and Wu Zhengrong went outside and called all the managers in the branch to greet them. A moment later, a figure flashed by, and Zhao Hao rushed into the room.
Li Qiang stood grinning in the center of the room. Zhao Hao steadied himself, walked excitedly to Li Qiang, and knelt down with a thud. "Master, we've been waiting for you!"
Chen Ye and Wu Zhengrong led a large group of people in, and they were all dumbfounded. No one expected that the founder of Zhao's Treasure Silver and Gold Jewelry Shop and a famous tycoon in the jewelry industry would kneel in front of a young man.
Zhang Jinguang was stunned. Hearing Zhao Hao address Li Qiang as "Master" filled him with confusion, because Zhao Hao seemed to be about the same age as Li Qiang. Could these two be monsters?
Li Qiang helped Zhao Hao up and asked, "Why are you back? I was planning to go back to Sealed Fate Planet, but you guys arrived first. Who else came?"
Zhao Hao respectfully said, "Master, there's no need to return to Sealed Fate Planet. All the disciples and friends who could come have already arrived. We've been here for a while now..." He suddenly realized that this wasn't the right place to discuss things in detail, so he said, "Master, please wait a moment."
Zhao Hao turned around and said, "You can all go back to work. Remember, from now on, when you see him... it's like seeing me. He can make all the decisions in the company. Okay, you can all go now. Chen Ye, stay."
The service manager in the VIP lobby was also in the crowd. He hadn't expected Li Qiang to be such an important figure, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared. Wu Zhengrong led everyone out. Zhang Jinguang sat dumbfounded on the sofa, not knowing what to say. He had never seen such a situation before.
Zhao Hao said, "Xiao Ye is someone I met when I first came here. He's one of the earliest employees and has been with me for decades. He's just too cautious. Xiao Ye, come and meet my elder master."
Chen Ye bowed respectfully and said, "I apologize, Mr. Li. Please forgive me if I have been rude in any way."
Li Qiang said nonchalantly, "Old Chen, there's no need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." He then asked, " Zhao Hao, who came?"
Zhao Hao said, "Senior Brother Liu Dayue set up a teleportation array, and then... hehe, everyone who could come has come, and they're all waiting for Master to return."
Li Qiang was stunned. "You've waited for me for decades?"
Zhao Hao laughed and said, "Almost a hundred years."
Zhang Jinguang finally broke down. He screamed, "Monster! Help!" and ran towards the door.
Zhao Hao raised his hand in a grabbing motion, and Zhang Jinguang retreated step by step, as if an invisible wall was pressing him back. He screamed, "Don't eat me... don't eat me... I... I don't want my wages anymore, okay..."
Li Qiang asked in surprise, "Who wants to eat you?"
Zhang Jinguang slumped back onto the sofa, tears welling in his eyes. He stammered incoherently, "Boss... old man, I... please don't hold a grudge against me! In the detention room... I admitted my mistake, I apologize... uh, you... that fruit you gave me? Waaah, it wasn't poison, was it? My... my stomach hurts!" He burst into tears, sobbing, "I have an eighty-year-old mother at home..."
Li Qiang laughed, "Aren't you an orphan? Where did this eighty-year-old mother come from... Your storytelling skills are terrible."
Zhang Jinguang cried, "Boss, I'm just a street thug, please let me go... Waaah, I was blinded by greed... I shouldn't have come with you..."
Li Qiang hadn't expected this burly guy to be so timid. He said to Zhao Hao, " Zhao Hao, get 50,000 yuan in cash." Zhao Hao nodded and said, "Xiao Ye, go quickly."
Chen Ye was one of the few people in the jewelry store who knew about Zhao Hao's extraordinary background. He immediately turned and went out, and soon returned with a paper bag. He placed the bag on the coffee table and said, "The money is here."
Li Qiang didn't even open it to look at it, casually tossing it to Zhang Jinguang and laughing, "The monster won't pay you. Take this money and go. Remember, don't talk about it when you get out."
Zhao Hao said, "His nonsense is useless."
The moment Zhang Jinguang opened the paper bag, he was filled with extreme regret. He seemed to see a road paved with gold appear before him, yet he had turned back. He suddenly said, "I... I'm not going..."
Zhao Hao glared and shouted, "What do you think this place is? You think you can just come and go as you please? Get out!" He was a master cultivator, and his glare was quite intimidating.
Zhang Jinguang was so frightened his legs trembled. He scrambled out of the room, panting heavily all the way to the street. Composing himself, he slapped himself hard across the face, ignoring the strange looks from passersby, and yelled, "I'm a pig! A stupid pig! What the hell are you all looking at!"
Li Qiang asked, " Zhao Hao, where are the others?"
Zhao Hao said somewhat embarrassedly, "Master, they've all entered society... This was Nashan's suggestion, haha. To make it easier for you to come back, they've either gone into business, joined various governments, and some... joined the military."
Li Qiang was startled. "They... they're cultivators! How could they do this... Oh well, since we've already started, let's continue. By the way, get me some identification. Hehe, the police here keep asking me for it, and I don't want to stand out from the crowd. It's really a headache."
Zhao Hao reached into his pocket and pulled out his ID card, grinning smugly. "I prepared this for Master a long time ago. I get a new one every year, and this one was just acquired a few months ago, hehe."
Chen Ye said with a forced smile, "Chairman, I'll go prepare the guest rooms. Is there anything else you need?"
Zhao Hao said, "Prepare the best room for my master, and... open a bank account in our company's name, and get a globally accepted bank card. Also, go and buy the best clothes, and be quick about it."
Li Qiang watched with a grin. He wouldn't refuse his disciple's offer of tribute; he knew very well that it was difficult to get things done on Earth without money.
Chen Ye agreed, then turned back at the door and asked, "Chairman, may I ask how much money has been deposited into the bank account?"
Zhao Hao replied without hesitation, "With Zhao's Treasure Silver and Gold Jewelry Shop as collateral, the cardholder can withdraw any amount and overdraft freely. If it's not enough, it will be deducted from the company account. Just contact the head office and have the CFO confirm with me."
Chen Ye stepped out of the room and let out a deep breath. He was truly terrified. The chairman's mentor was practically an ancestor; with this kind of servitude, how could the chairman not go bankrupt? He had never heard of opening a bank account like this before; it was truly terrifying. He calmed himself down and quickly walked outside.
Zhao Hao said, "Master, I'll contact my fellow disciples and some friends and ask them to come here."
Li Qiang waved his hand and said, "Don't rush, I still have a lot of things to do here. Don't rush to recruit them. Give me their names and contact information, and I'll go find them later... Oh, right, I plan to visit more cities and take a look around."
Zhao Hao said, "Master, I'll go with you."
Li Qiang laughed and said, "I'm used to being free. You have a company to manage, so you don't need to keep me company. I'll contact you if anything comes up... When I leave Earth, you should all go back to Sealed Fate Planet. After all, this place isn't suitable for cultivation." He was a little worried that his disciples wouldn't be able to withstand the trials of the mortal world.
Zhao Hao laughed and said, "Master, don't worry. They all came back for your sake. As long as you give the order for them to leave, no one will miss this place."
The upper ten floors of Zhao's Building are occupied by a five-star hotel. Zhao Hao had the best rooms booked, and Li Qiang did not refuse. The master and apprentice chatted in the room all night.
The next day, Li Qiang deliberately chose to wear a set of ordinary casual clothes, refusing all the designer clothes Zhao Hao had prepared for him.
He said, " Zhao Hao, since everyone wants to give me a surprise, hehe, then I'll give everyone a surprise too, haha, I'll go find them one by one."
Zhao Hao pleaded, "Master, please let me stay with you. I'm already very familiar with this place, and I've always lived in seclusion. Nobody outside knows me. Sigh, I finally got to see you, Master, and now you... you're leaving again... Master, I promise I won't cause any trouble."
Li Qiang hesitated for a moment and said, "You have such a big company to manage, how can you have time to wander around with me?"
Zhao Hao hurriedly said, "I started this company because I was really bored, Master. If you don't like it, I will dissolve the company immediately and donate all the assets." His attitude was very firm.
Li Qiang couldn't help but laugh and said, "Alright, then come with me. You can make arrangements for the company. Don't disband it for now. If you do, so many people will lose their jobs."
Zhao Hao was overjoyed. Being able to follow his master was his greatest wish. He immediately summoned Chen Ye, handed over the arrangements, and said, "Master, it's all arranged."
Li Qiang stood by the window, looking outside, and said, "Let's go find Nashan."
Zhao Hao replied, "Master, I'll have them prepare a car."
Just as Li Qiang was about to speak, Wu Zhengrong knocked on the door and came in, whispering a few words to Chen Ye.
Li Qiang and Zhao Hao both heard it clearly. Li Qiang said, "The police are looking for me? Oh, let them in." He remembered that he had quietly left yesterday morning, and those two policemen must not have given up, so they actually came here.
A moment later, Sun Ang and Wang Yuelin entered the room. Sun Ang's eyes lit up, and he said, "He really is here! Kid, you think you can escape?"
Wang Yuelin approached Li Qiang with handcuffs, about to handcuff him. Zhao Hao shouted, "You bastards, you're asking for it!"
Li Qiang caught a glimpse of a white light flashing at Zhao Hao's fingertips—the radiance of a flying sword. He said calmly, " Zhao Hao, don't act rashly."
Li Qiang readily extended his hand, Wang Yuelin sneered, "You're smart." Little did he know that he had just brushed with death; if Li Qiang hadn't stopped him, Zhao Hao would have definitely killed them both.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "You guys are quite clever; you found me so quickly."
Zhao Hao walked over to Chen Ye and whispered a few instructions. Chen Ye nodded and left. Zhao Hao shouted, "Bring out your search warrant, arrest warrant, and identification!"
Sun Ang pointed at Zhao Hao and said, "Boy, how dare you! What do you do? How dare you obstruct official business?"
Zhao Hao had a very short temper. Without saying a word, he slapped Sun Ang hard across the face. Sun Ang's face swelled up instantly, and he shouted incoherently, "You... you dare to assault a police officer! Don't move!" He pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Zhao Hao.
Wang Yuelin also drew his pistol and pointed it at Zhao Hao, asking, " Sun Ang, are you alright?"
Li Qiang said calmly, " Zhao Hao, don't hurt them both."
Zhao Hao nodded and said, "I know my limits."
Like a gust of wind, Sun Ang and Wang Yuelin felt a blur before their eyes, and their hands were empty. Zhao Hao, holding their short guns, sneered, "Who are you telling not to move?"
Sun Ang and Wang Yuelin were terrified, and they raised their hands in surrender. Sun Ang stammered, "You... you mustn't do anything rash, let's talk this out, put the gun down..."
Li Qiang couldn't help but burst into laughter, waving his hand and saying, " Zhao Hao, stop teasing these kids, give the guns back to them, haha, this is interesting."
Zhao Hao couldn't help but laugh, saying, "I just can't stand these arrogant people who think they're the king of the world just because they have a gun." He skillfully unloaded the bullets from the gun and tossed them on the ground.
Sun Ang lunged forward and grabbed the pistol, but Wang Yuelin turned on his communication equipment and began calling for help.
Li Qiang watched with a grin, then gently twisted his hands, and with a crisp "crack," the alloy handcuffs shattered into tiny fragments the size of rice grains. He clapped his hands and said, "Little kid, I just broke a tree branch, why are you making such a fuss? Fine me if you want, but you don't have to lock me up in the police station, do you?"
Seeing the handcuffs shatter, Sun Ang gaped, a chill running down his spine. He forced himself to remain calm and asked, "You... who are you?"
Li Qiang laughed and said, "I'm a good person, haha."
Wang Yuelin shouted, "None of you leave! Sun Ang, the police are on their way!"
Li Qiang had originally planned to leave, but now, disturbed by the two police officers, he didn't want to go anymore. He took two steps back and sat on the sofa, saying, " Zhao Hao, you sit down too. Hehe, I didn't expect to be arrested and taken to the police station as soon as I got back to my hometown. It's quite amusing." He was in a good mood; no matter what happened in his hometown, he found it fascinating.
About ten minutes later, seven or eight heavily armed police officers rushed in from outside. The burly officer in the lead shouted, " Wang Yuelin, what's going on?"
Wang Yuelin said, "They resisted arrest!"
Sun Ang, with half his face swollen, said, "They assaulted the police!"
The lead officer said, "Them? The two of them? Okay, arrest them both and take them to the police station."
Zhao Hao sneered, "How dare you! What gives you the right to arrest me?"
Just then, Chen Ye entered. He nodded slightly to Zhao Hao, then stepped forward and said, "Please wait a moment."
The lead officer, also a hot-tempered man, shouted, "What are you waiting for? Arrest them all!"
Li Qiang chuckled and said, "Are all police officers this unreasonable these days? Heh, then don't move." He stood up and released a small restriction with his left hand. The group of police officers were immediately thrown into a nightmare; they could see and hear, but they couldn't move.
Li Qiang laughed and said, " Chen Ye, what are you making them wait for?"
Chen Ye bowed and said, "It's nothing, I just wanted to speak with their officials."
A few more people entered shortly after. Li Qiang stood up in surprise and said, "What the hell? Isn't this Zhao Zhi?"