Chapter 90: The Investigation

The interaction between Gu Zixi and Jiang Yun set Xiao Kaitian thinking. After a moment’s hesitation, he turned back to the business office of First Ocean View, where Yu Mei was in charge of reception.

In Yu Mei’s eyes, Xiao Kaitian was now a major client. A company that made no profit had nevertheless rented the largest conference room in First Ocean View, along with an office suite, at nearly three hundred thousand a month in rent alone. A true tycoon. With a professional smile, she set a cup of coffee down before him.

“I’ve come to ask about something,” Xiao Kaitian said, crossing one leg over the other. He drew out a red Marlboro and lit it. “Last time you mentioned that you had connections with some martial arts sects. Could I trouble you to arrange business through them?”

“So President Xiao already knows. I didn’t expect your information network to be so well informed,” Yu Mei said, startled at first, then smiling. “No problem at all. It just depends on what level of fighter you intend to hire.”

That answer left Xiao Kaitian somewhat dazed as well. What did she mean, well informed? His meeting with Gu Zixi had taken place less than half an hour ago. Puzzled, he looked at Yu Mei.

Only then did Yu Mei realize that what Xiao Kaitian had said and what she had meant were not the same thing. She called out loudly to her staff, and soon someone brought over a courier parcel. Yu Mei handed it to Xiao Kaitian. “This is a new challenge letter received by Qixi Media Consulting. I assumed you already knew.”

Another challenge letter. Xiao Kaitian could not help frowning. It was truly an eyesore. He had no time to deal with such trivial matters now. With a careless motion, he tossed the parcel onto the table. “Another fighter from the Mystic tier?”

“No,” Yu Mei explained, shaking her head. “Don’t you know? Since Qixi Media received financing from Fenghua Holdings, the company’s rating has already risen to C class. The one they’ve sent this time is a martial artist from the Profound tier.”

“A Profound-tier one?” Only then did Xiao Kaitian take the parcel back. By the standards of this world’s martial cultivation, his current strength was roughly at the peak of the Profound tier, only a hair away from entering the Earth tier. If he had not been so busy lately and neglected to cultivate the Ninefold Transformation of the Divine Source, perhaps he would already have broken through. He took out the sheet inside and unfolded it.

The page was filled with flamboyant, slashing brushstrokes. Xiao Kaitian could not be bothered to read it. He went straight to the signature, where the name “Duan Fei of the Hidden Mountain Secret Gate Sect” was written in bold characters.

Only then did Xiao Kaitian remember that the man he had beaten senseless in the last challenge match, the one named Su Lie, seemed to be from this so-called Hidden Mountain Secret Gate Sect. It had even been emphasized several times at the time. So this must be a revenge visit.

“President Xiao, what do you think about this matter…” Yu Mei asked cautiously.

“No interest. Can I refuse it?” Xiao Kaitian tossed the courier back onto the table. It was simply too boring. He could not help suspecting that the officialdom of Han-Tang had too much time on its hands and had come up with this absurd nonsense out of sheer idleness.

“You can’t refuse it. It will affect the company’s rating,” Yu Mei said helplessly, unable to do anything about Xiao Kaitian’s willfulness. With a bitter smile, she tried to persuade him. “I think it would be better to hire a martial artist to handle it. At least then there’d be a chance.”

“I’ll handle this myself.” Xiao Kaitian waved a finger. He did not have that much spare money to hire some martial artist. Better to do it himself. For some reason, Bai Kou’s figure appeared again in his mind. That was a fellow with a combat rating of five hundred and seventeen. If she could be used by him, it would be wonderful.

After a brief moment of distraction, he quickly adjusted his mood. “I came to you about something else. I want to investigate someone. This person is followed by a martial artist, and his combat strength… his level is probably Earth tier. Is there any way to do it?”

“To investigate a person, and one connected to a martial artist at that, is a bit troublesome,” Yu Mei had not expected that to be his request. She thought for a moment. “How about this, President Xiao? Your need is rather unusual, so I can’t give you an answer right away. Could you give me some time? I’ll make some inquiries.”

“All right, then I’ll leave it to Manager Yu,” Xiao Kaitian said, standing with obvious satisfaction. Yu Mei’s measured reply put him even more at ease. He pointed to the courier on the table. “As for this, just hand it to someone at the company. They’ll know how to deal with it.”

Last time, the challenge match had been delivered by Guo Lei, and she knew his abilities, so there was no need to hide them.

“Also, I’d like Manager Yu to help me keep an eye out for places where martial cultivation medicines or the like can be bought.” Xiao Kaitian urgently needed items that could improve his strength. He could not possibly keep relying on theft every time, though admittedly that had been his method all along.

“Do you mean things like pills?” Yu Mei asked in return. She knew about that. She answered readily, “Martial artists hold specialized auctions or trade fairs for such things. However, the exact times and locations are known only to martial artists themselves. Outsiders rarely take part. Still, they usually invite the heads of some large companies to attend, in order to strengthen ties between both sides. I think you understand what I mean.”

Xiao Kaitian nodded. The relationship between martial artists and businesses, put bluntly, was that companies served as the martial world’s patrons. Appropriate interaction was necessary.

“What level of company would generally receive such an invitation?”

“At least B class. Of course, there are a small number of C-class companies as well. It mainly depends on whether the company has value to the martial world. I may be putting it a little too plainly.”

But Xiao Kaitian liked plain answers. They allowed him to see his situation very clearly and then think through a solution. He stroked his chin. It was a pity he could not turn invisible. Otherwise, he could slip in secretly… No, that wouldn’t do. After all, I am a hegemon from a higher dimension! Such methods are far too despicable… I won’t consider them for now.

After leaving First Ocean View, Xiao Kaitian drove back home. Along the way, the image that kept flashing through his mind was that of Gu Zixi standing alone.

That girl clearly knew him, and she was very likely the “second young miss of the Gu family” from his past. He remembered that the records said that in the year he graduated from high school, he had acted with absurdly reckless lust, harassed the second young miss of the Gu family, and beaten the young master of the Bian family until he was half dead. Could there be a story hidden in this?

And Gu Zixi’s departure at the end was visibly reluctant. Xiao Kaitian did not know what sort of person he was in her eyes, but he had a keen sense that something here was very wrong.

Perhaps there was some story between the two of them that he did not know. Especially at the very moment he saw Gu Zixi, a trace of warmth had unexpectedly flowed through Xiao Kaitian’s heart. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

Feeling, or emotion, was the thing he had most deeply come to understand since arriving in this world. It was elusive to him, yet it truly existed within the bodies of beings in this dimension.

Very interesting. Xiao Kaitian suddenly found that he was no longer resistant to such an experience. A faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

This was also why he had begun to investigate Gu Zixi.

When the car entered the residential compound, he parked it and got out, pressing the alarm lock. Only then did he see that in front of his house stood two people, a man and a woman, speaking with Uncle Zhong.

Both were martial artists, and neither was weak.

The woman had a combat rating of 389, and the man was as high as 422. They were astonishingly powerful. Xiao Kaitian’s pupils contracted sharply.