The Scheme

Inside a villa spanning over a thousand square meters. Zhang Yushu, the second director of Buzhou Group, listened to the news brought by Wei Bolai, his eyes full of smiles. "So, our opportunity has arrived?" "Yes. We looked into it: while the Su family holds plenty of assets, their liquid funds only amount to four or five hundred million. Any more, and he would have to embezzle from the group. Yet he first placed an order at White Jade Pavilion for three hundred million's worth of medicinal ingredients, and then contacted the Wanfa Chamber of Commerce, wanting to secure their 5A-grade battle suit. It's fair to say the Su family just threw out all their liquid capital in one breath." Wei Bolai smiled and said, "Perhaps they've already tapped into some internal funds of the group, just through discreet methods we haven't uncovered yet." "Three hundred million for medicinal ingredients—he's certainly willing to splurge. And every one of them is a potent, aggressive medicine targeted at the internal organs. Add to that the purchase of Wanfa Chamber of Commerce's 5A-grade battle suit... I can pretty much guess what he wants to do," Zhang Yushu said. "A desperate gamble to force out a Grandmaster!" Wei Bolai said heavily, "Using these potent herbs to force Leng Jun into the realm of internal organ tempering. Even if these medicines leave behind lingering complications, as long as he successfully breaks through, the Su family will gain another Grandmaster! Combine that with the performance of a 5A-grade Chixing battle suit, and who would dare use underhanded tactics against the Su family? For the next eight to ten years, the Su family would sleep easy!" Zhang Yushu nodded. If Su Chiming succeeded, he truly could buy the Su family eight to ten years in their current disadvantageous position. With eight to ten years of peaceful development, who knew what new variables might emerge within Buzhou Group? "That old man certainly has guts," Zhang Yushu chuckled. "He has no choice. Over the years, too many institutions have been siphoning benefits from Buzhou Group, but in the eyes of the shareholders, that's just Su Chiming's poor management. With a little steering from us, it naturally became an issue for the board of directors. On top of that, Su Huaifeng's notoriety as a playboy has spilled over onto Su Chixin and Su Huaigu. In short, it's all the Su family's fault. Nine times out of ten, they won't be able to retain Su Huaifeng's board seat." Wei Bolai wore the same smile. "Once they lose that seat, the Su family will only have three members left on the board. We can practically declare that the chairmanship of the next board will change hands." Zhang Yushu nodded. The Su family was indeed cornered into taking a desperate gamble. "The Grandmaster realm isn't something that can be broken through just by throwing potent herbs at it," another middle-aged man in the room spoke up. His name was Qi Qingsong, a top Martial Master. Originally, his path in the martial world had reached its dead end. Unless he could take another step forward and internally temper his organs, achieving mastery over muscle and bone was his limit. Yet tempering the internal organs was far too dangerous. He had tried several times, and each time he ended up bedridden for months; during the worst incident, he had nearly failed to pull through. That experience stripped away his courage to keep cultivating, so he naturally shifted his focus toward elevating his social status. It just so happened that Zhang Yushu, who could be considered half a member of the martial circle, was eager to build connections, and Qi Qingsong readily went along with it. In just two short years, he achieved both fame and fortune, not only making a name for himself among the Ten Tigers of Tiannan, but also pulling in over a hundred million annually across various revenue streams. With money came the natural desire for greater social influence. At this juncture, Zhang Yushu and his allies were conspiring to seize the Su family's Buzhou Group. To prevent the Su family from resorting to desperate violence, they also needed sufficient martial muscle on their side. Both parties hit it off immediately and forged an even deeper cooperation. Having personally experienced the perils of the Grandmaster realm, Qi Qingsong's words naturally carried great weight. "I understand that, of course. When it comes to the internal organs, the slightest misstep can cost a life. For an ordinary Martial Master to break through, they either rely on astonishing talent to perceive every minute change in their physical body, or they rely on top-grade herbs, pouring vast fortunes into continuous conditioning to increase the margin for error..." Zhang Yushu had practiced martial arts himself. Although he couldn't endure the hardships of reforming tendons and forging bones, and only obtained his Rank 4 Martial Master certificate by wining and dining the Martial Arts Association leadership several times, he was thoroughly versed in the ins and outs of martial cultivation. "The Su family has accumulated no small fortune over the years, and they have several Martial Masters in the clan. Now that they're suddenly using such potent medicine, if they actually manage to foster a Grandmaster, it would introduce extra variables." "Does Director Zhang mean we should intercept those herbs?" "Intercept them? If we intercept them, wouldn't we waste this opportunity in vain?" Zhang Yushu said meaningfully, "When people are driven into a corner, they tend to stake everything on a single throw. The direr the straits, the greater their appetite for gambling!" He leaned back against the sofa, crossing his legs. "Not only will we help him complete the purchase of these herbs, we'll even find a way to have White Jade Pavilion procure a bottle of Snow Ginseng Pills for him." "Snow Ginseng Pills?!" Qi Qingsong's expression changed visibly. That was the signature pill of the Zhao family—the Pill Saints of the Royal Capital! It worked miracles for tempering internal organs! Even Grandmasters using it for daily cultivation experienced exceptional supporting effects. Because of this, whenever such pills became available, they were snapped up instantly. It was no exaggeration to say that for a Martial Master, aside from being expensive, this medicine had zero side effects. "Director Zhang has a connection?" Qi Qingsong asked. "No connection is needed. We only need to release the news to lure the Su family into the trap," Zhang Yushu said. "A bottle of this medicine sells on the market for as much as a billion. Since the Su family is already taking a gamble, once we have White Jade Pavilion spread word that a bottle of Snow Ginseng Pills is up for sale, they will never let it slip by. At that point, we can have White Jade Pavilion ask the Su family for a deposit of several hundred million upfront." He declared with complete confidence, "Buying those herbs and the Chixing battle suit has already drained the Su family's liquid funds dry. As long as we don't give them time to liquidate assets to raise cash, they will have no choice but to divert funds from within the group to pay the deposit for the Snow Ginseng Pills. With several hundred million siphoned away, if we keep a close watch, we will definitely catch wind of it. Once the issue is exposed, joint investigations from various government bureaus will follow in rapid succession. Not only will Su Chiming's days as chairman be over, but if all goes smoothly, he'll spend the rest of his life in prison." "This requires White Jade Pavilion's full cooperation. After all, their century-old reputation is on the line..." Wei Bolai said. "I have my ways to get White Jade Pavilion to cooperate," Zhang Yushu said with a slight smile. "Then it's set." "Still not enough! We must apply even greater pressure to turn him into a true gambler who stakes everything on the slim chance of Leng Jun becoming a Grandmaster. Make some more noise—Su Huaifeng no longer has the capacity to fulfill his duties. Convene an early board meeting. It's time to clear out such deadwood," Zhang Yushu said. Wei Bolai nodded immediately. "I'll get in touch with Director Yan, Director Liu, and the others... Buzhou Group has suffered under the Su family for too long." ... At Deyuelou. Over the course of the meal, Yaoguang had at least gotten to know several relatives. However... It was strictly limited to getting to know them. Although Su Yaoxue, Su Yaoshuang, and Su Yaoqin were somewhat curious about him, he didn't have much free time to chat with them. After a polite meal, he headed straight for Yuyuan under Lei Yun's lead. Although Villa No. 49 in Yuyuan wasn't in the best location, it was indeed spacious. When he chose the villa, all daily necessities had already been fully stocked under Lin Xia's instructions, allowing him to move in directly. Upon arriving home, he gave an immediate instruction: "Gather voice recordings of all high-ranking personnel within Tiannan for me." "Understood." Lei Yun didn't ask a single question, accepting the order right away. As for Yaoguang... After looking around the villa, he nodded with satisfaction. While he could certainly live in a rented apartment of a few dozen square meters, hadn't he cultivated so bitterly just to make life better? Since he had the ability to live comfortably, why force himself into a cramped, dilapidated space? After touring the villa, he went to the entertainment room and turned on the provided computer. At the same time, his mind kept replaying the voice he had heard in You Long's office, as well as the voice from the memories within the orb. Those two voices... belonged to the same person. In other words, the mastermind behind Yulong International and the demon who had come to assassinate him belonged to the same organization. This made them far more threatening than the demons he had slain before. "Even if it's only a voice... it's enough!" He would run voice comparisons to select a few suitable targets. Then, by using his "Perception" secret technique to sense each one, he would soon drag the mastermind into the open.