When he came to the door, the Howling Celestial Dog scampered out, yelling and shaking its tail at Ning Tao.
Ning Tao fondled the Howling Celestial Dog's beastly head. "Where's Xiaoji?"
The Howling Celestial Dog stared around, looking quite furtive. "She's watching cartoon. I let her choose between Big Brother Bear and Little Brother Bear. Otherwise, she'll keep treating me like a horse. I'm a dog!"
Ning Tao said, "Take good care of her. If she has any strange actions, report to me at once."
The Howling Celestial Dog said, "Then buy me a cell phone, Dad. I want a smartphone with a big screen."
Ning Tao was speechless.
Qing Zhui and Jiang Hao were standing in the courtyard within the doorway. One was alluring in green clothes, the other clad in a smart uniform. They made up a visually attractive pair.
"Hao, when did you come back?" Ning Tao stepped in.
Jiang Hao said, "I just came
In the study of the subsidiary building, Liu Shiba was lying in a pool of blood. There was only a single wound on his body, but it was a fatal one. A sharp weapon had pierced through his heart. Blood gushed out from his body, dying the floor red.Other than Liu Shiba having been killed, Reverend Qingsong had also been murdered. His head had been hacked by a saber, cleaved apart directly. The killer had struck deftly. The wound was not jagged and he had been killed in one stroke.The killer had obviously struck in the study, but there was no signs of a scuffle in the room. Nor did they find anything wrecked or knocked over. Other than splashes of blood, the study was very tidy. The murder scene did not need to be cleaned up, since the killer had not left behind any signs.Who could kill a practitioner like Reverend Qingsong in one saber stroke, without even a scuffle? Ning Tao was astounded. Even if he were to attack himself, he could not have d
The night was quiet.Beep, beep, beep...Incoming messages from the practitioners' club continued to beep continuously.Doctor Ning: I have just received news. Liu Shiba is dead.Bai Shengsheng, the White Hare Spirit: Huh? Ah!Black Bear Spirit from Changbai Mountains: Is this true? Admin, don't scare me! I just paid him 5 million for my membership!Divine Horse of the Steppes: @Doctor Ning, what happened?Chief of Wudang Mountains: In other words, the practitioners' flea market will be closed. What shall we do?Next-door Practitioner Old Wang: The news is true. I called up my disciple and queried him. His son is a police superintendent of Beidu. He said that Liu Shiba's body is still in the morgue. Some weapon had pierced his heart. Another person dead is Reverend Qingsong, whose head had been cleaved apart. It seems that Liu Shiba's spiritual materials and antiques had all been
Holding the third-version Ancestor-seeking Elixir in his hand, its elixir scent crept into his nostrils. Soon, Ning Tao had an allergic reaction. His eyes lapsed into darkness and could see no light, nor could he hear any sound. Even more bizarrely, Jiang Hao was standing right next to him, yet he could not smell her odor.After more than a dozen seconds of darkness, light appeared again before Ning Tao's eyes.It was a bright moment just before sunset. Outside the window, there were fiery crimson clouds floating in the westerly horizon.A flock of pigeons were flying in the sky. But they were frozen in this scene.His father was sitting on a worn fabric sofa, reading the local gazette of Shan City. He could see the date on the newspaper—June 11, 2000. He was only a small boy of five and had not yet attended school. His father was wearing a pair of ordinary spectacles for shortsightedness, and his face was lean. His blue worker's u
The plot of land approved by the authorities was beside a village west of Beidu. To its left was the village, to its right, hills, There was a section of the Great Wall meandering in the hills. It was a nice environment, but quite remote, but since they were not buying real estate properties, its remoteness was acceptable. It was quite suitable for conducting surreptitious business.The construction contractor had just arrived and construction had not yet started. A contractor in charge wanted to see Ning Tao, but Ning Tao was not keen to see him. He got Jia Yinhong to meet him, while he and Jiang Tao roamed around the plot still covered in weeds. Jiang Hao made him pose and took a few photos just for show.After discussing with the contractor, Jia Yinhong came to Ning Tao and Jiang Hao."Doctor Ning, the contractor asked if you would like a groundbreaking ceremony. If not, he will start laying the foundations." Jia Yinhong came straight to the
The Genesis Biotech Company was just ahead about 200 paces away. Genesis Tower was a skyscraper at least 200 meters high. Its blue glass walls seemed like a mirage in the fog and haze, almost "fairyland-like."Ning Tao raised his head to look at its summit, encircled in a cloudy fog. Then he walked towards Genesis Tower. As he walked, he took out his cell phone and dialed Yin Molan again.Yin Molan's cell phone was still off.Worry overwhelmed Ning Tao's heart. "Don't be in trouble, or..."Or what? He dared not think. He was the one who made Yin Molan investigate the Genesis Biotech Company. If something untoward were to befall him, Ning Tao would be conscience-stricken.Genesis Tower loomed nearer. A few security guards in special service uniform were standing outside the entrance. In the eyes of most men, they were mere security guards. But to Ning Tao, they were warriors with exceptional internal strengths.
Li Biao walked out from the entrance, leading a large gang of men. All were in Western suits and ties, their leather shoes polished bright. Even that Spotty he saw in the day was in a suit. He was feigning class, but could not disguise his hooligan air."CEO Li!" The eight guards in Western suits all bowed and called out respectfully.Li Biao strode over, seemingly in control.Ning Tao watched Li Biao, a faint smile hovering on his lips. He had detected a familiar odor. It was a well-known trick.Li Biao harshly berated them. "You jerks! CEO Ning is my eminent guest. How dare you speak so rudely to him! Slap yourselves until CEO Ning tells you to stop!"The eight guards all started slapping themselves. They were for real, their crisp smacks resounding. One slapped himself so hard that blood trickled down the corner of his lips.Li Biao came to Ning Tao's side and spoke loudly, "CEO Ning, so sorry. My men a
"Tell CEO Ning what your name is," Li Biao said fiercely to that girl."CEO Ning, my name is... Xiaocui." The girl's voice was very soft.Li Biao suddenly shoved Xiaocui into Ning Tao's arms and started snickering. "Serve CEO Ning well. I am giving you to him as a concubine. You will have good food all your life."Xiaocui bit her lip and nodded.Song Chengpeng, Ji Xiaofeng and Lang Wei all had their preferred molls, and quite a few too. The three beckoned and a bevy of women in ancient attires went over to them. The men encircled their waists and held their hands.The rest of the unchosen women did not leave. They staged performances for Ning Tao and the men. Some were catwalking like Victoria’s Secret models, while others performed provocative pole dances. Still others were playing musical instruments, like the guzheng, the vertical flute, the pipa or the er-hu. Many seemed to be well versed in all instruments. A few
A second before that, Ning Tao was still standing there and smiling. One second later, he was engulfed by the mob. Clubs were waving in the air, blunt weapons smashing on flesh, resounding relentlessly like beaten drums."Bash him! Bash him! Bash him dead!" Li Biao growled excitedly, the expression in his eyes like a wild beast's.He had always wanted to make himself out as a serious businessman. He even demanded his men to be polite and take pride in their appearances. Yet he had forgotten one thing—his personality. He was a man rotten to the core. No matter how well he dressed himself in a Western suit, no matter how politely he spoke, he could not change this fact.Suddenly, there was a muffled thud. A man holding a knife flew out from the crowd and landed noisily on the floor. Bam! Blood streamed out from his mouth and nostrils. He had lost unconsciousness.Soon after that, one after another of the mobsters were hurled out from