Chapter 142: I Still Have a Secret Stash

Tang Long had no desire to take advantage of anyone, nor was he interested in any other form of exploitation.

To be honest, he hadn't cared much about money in the past, but today he had truly been provoked by that little bastard from the Yang family.

Having money might not guarantee that you can do whatever you want in the ordinary world, but having money allows you to accomplish many things that others would rather avoid.

Everyone must acknowledge that money is an exceedingly important thing!

Without money, who would dare to boldly declare that they will simply buy all the mountains near Yutou Village? Spending a fortune like that is definitely no small sum!

"If you think it's viable, then let's do it. If not, it doesn't matter to me either. There's no need to try leveraging personal relationships!" Tang Long paused slightly, then continued with a smile, "In this lifetime, I am bound to Yutou Village—we sink or swim together, we prosper or decline together. Yutou Village having money means I have money, and Yutou Village remaining poor means I am incompetent!"

"..." Xu Shiyun had indeed wanted to use Tang Long as a breakthrough point. However, this guy didn't seem to buy into this routine at all!

An investment of over a hundred million was not something Xu Shiyun could decide in just a few words. She needed to go back and analyze it thoroughly; there were simply too many variables that she couldn't afford to ignore!

"Boss Tang, would you mind giving your little sister a few days to think it over?" Xu Shiyun asked, looking at Tang Long with a smile.

Tang Long shrugged and smiled, "Sure, why not? Don't just say a few days—you have until the infrastructure project in Yutou Village is officially completed!"

"Then many thanks, Boss Tang!" Xu Shiyun thanked Tang Long with a smile.

Actually, even if Xu Shiyun chose not to get involved, Tang Long had already been pondering over finding a capable person to handle this venture. In this field, leaving aside profits for the moment, the culture of Yutou Village would represent its future. If Yutou Village lacked its own culture in the future, then all superficial prosperity would be hollow. Even if a building stood a hundred meters tall, a weak foundation could easily be toppled by the slightest gust of wind.

Tang Long valued this sector greatly and was very optimistic about its prospects. The cultural industry chain was a crucial link in the future development of the Yutou Village enterprise, as well as a golden button!

"Have you seen Shanzui?" Tang Long changed the subject and asked. He had originally come looking for Shanzui, only to be waylaid by Xu Shiyun for a long chat.

"Shanzui?" Xu Shiyun turned around, pointed toward the nearby riverbank, and said, "She was right over there just a moment ago! Do you want me to help you find her?"

Tang Long shook his head, "No need, I'll go myself!"

"I'll go too!"

The two walked side by side toward Lianggou Wazi. Although there were fewer tourists now, the waterside remained lively, and the village children still loved playing around here.

"Big Brother Tang!" Zhao Xiaoyue spotted Tang Long, hopped over excitedly, grabbed his arm, and refused to let go. She was quite a little clingy creature.

Tang Long said helplessly, "Go play with the others, why are you latching onto me? Where is Shanzui?"

"You're looking for Shanzui?" Zhao Xiaoyue paused briefly, then pointed deeper into Lianggou Wazi and said, "She's in there catching fish!"

Catching fish?

Tang Long rubbed his nose. Considering she was practically a minor tycoon—with wealth and looks to spare—she didn't care about anything else at her young age, yet she insisted on wading into the marshes with a bunch of kids to catch fish. What was one supposed to say to that?

A lot of the fish in the marsh had been harvested recently, but that didn't mean there were no fish left in Lianggou Wazi.

The marsh teemed with fish, and because the area featured a mix of freshwater and seawater, it held not only river fish but also marine fish!

Even "Big Old Black" could crawl out from the nearby sea, which indicated that there were massive underwater caves beneath. Big Old Black had mentioned that there used to be a passage leading to an underground river inside the "Ghost King Cave," but it had been blasted apart by lightning some time ago, burying the entrance to the underground river along with it.

The subterranean river beneath the Ghost King Cave must be very deep and vast; even a creature the size of a Black-Scaled Flood Dragon could hunt and feed down there, which gave one some idea of its scale.

However, for the short term, that passage would certainly be difficult to open. Even Big Old Black was helpless against it—could Tang Long and the others possibly find a way?

At least for the immediate future, there was no way, nor should they waste effort trying!

Since Big Old Black could hunt in the underground river, who knew what else might crawl out from there and treat the Black-Scaled Flood Dragon as prey?

That underground river could wait. Until he had the spare energy, Tang Long didn't want to deal with it.

Shanzui poked her head out of the water in Lianggou Wazi!

"Come up, I have something to discuss with you!" Tang Long waved at Shanzui on the water's surface.

Shanzui dove back under with a splash, and by the time she resurfaced, she was already close to the bank. It was clear that her swimming skills were exceptional.

Clad in a bikini, she stepped out of the water, her curves tightly accentuated by the swimwear, causing many of the local men, youths, and college students nearby to stare fixedly.

Shanzui rarely wore makeup in daily life, and her attire tended to be rather neutral, so she wasn't overly flashy. Yet, without a doubt, she was an absolute beauty—a stunning beauty second to none.

"What is it?" Shanzui pulled a bath towel over herself, wrapped it around her body, and walked toward Tang Long, asking indifferently. It wasn't that her personality was cold, but rather that this was simply her natural demeanor. One rarely saw her initiate a smile at anyone—not that she didn't know how to smile, but she just wouldn't bother bestowing one upon you voluntarily.

Perhaps it was a habit formed over many years. Once a habit was formed, whether good or bad, it was very difficult to change!

Tang Long smiled and said, "Wasn't it you who said you wanted to talk to me about the Longshan Spring Company?"

"Oh, right!"

Shanzui seemed to remember, offered a faint smile, and asked indifferently, "Do you have time now?"

"Yes!"

Tang Long nodded. In the past, he hadn't really cared much about the "Longshan Spring Company" that Shanzui had set up. Whether she made a profit or went broke in the future wouldn't affect the bigger picture for Yutou Village. But things were different now; someone had come right to his doorstep to act arrogantly, delusionally trying to crush people with money. Perhaps the time to compete over "capital" was far from over.

Shanzui's "Longshan Spring Company" happened to be one of the ventures that Tang Long believed held developmental potential, so it was worth cultivating.

No matter the era, economy and culture were inseparable. Without a sufficient economic foundation, what was the point of talking about cultural development?

To put it more bluntly, without money, what could you possibly use to promote culture?

Tang Long had also figured things out by now: in this world, there was no such thing as losing face or not; there were only those who could get things done and those who couldn't.

History has always been written by the victors, hasn't it?

"I heard Sister Xiue say that today a consortium bought all four mountains on the west side of Yutou Village?" Shanzui walked alongside Tang Long, speaking softly as they strolled.

Tang Long nodded, "Mmm."

"Just say the word if you need my help. I... I still have a private vault with some money in it!" Shanzui said softly.

A private vault?

Tang Long paused for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile. It seemed he couldn't even compare to these women! They had little vaults tucked away, whereas he didn't.

"There's no need for now. When I need it later, I'll let you know!" Tang Long nodded.

"Alright, don't stand on ceremony with me!" Shanzui's tone was calm, but her words were sincere. Deep down, she was deeply grateful to Tang Long, because it was Tang Long who had allowed her to live the life of an ordinary person. A single "Jing Ke Token" was worth over a billion... US dollars!