Chapter 143: Earth-Shattering

“Don’t worry. Fishhead Village isn’t as fragile as everyone thinks.” Tang Long smiled and nodded. Compared with the village’s surroundings when he had first returned, Fishhead Village had undergone earth-shaking changes—changes that had taken place at the very roots.

“Mm!” Shan Xiu nodded. She had only wanted to remind Tang Long that, if anything happened, he must not forget her. After all, one more person meant one more source of strength.

“Has something happened to Longshan Spring Company?” Tang Long asked with a smile, changing the subject.

Shan Xiu shook her head. “Nothing has gone wrong. I just wanted to talk to you about the company’s future development!”

“Good.”

Tang Long glanced at her thighs beneath the bath towel and smiled. “There’s no hurry. Why don’t you go change first?”

“Is this inconvenient?” Shan Xiu asked casually.

Tang Long was left speechless. Did she really need to ask? Had she not noticed how many men behind them were secretly staring? It was not a matter of convenience—it was practically an invitation to sin!

“If you don’t mind, I don’t either.” Shan Xiu’s expression remained calm. She did not care what other people thought. It was not as if she were naked. People dressed like this at the beach, on the shore, and in swimming pools all the time. As long as she was comfortable, that was all that mattered.

Tang Long shrugged and said nothing more. Fine. If she liked dressing that way and did not mind being watched, why should he worry about it?

They walked over to a beach chair and sat down. These chairs had once been prepared for tourists, but there were not as many visitors now, so they had been left unused.

In a while, they might even be torn down.

“I think Longshan Spring Company has tremendous potential for the future,” Shan Xiu said, going straight to the point.

“Hmm?”

Tang Long nodded. He had never said that Longshan Spring Company lacked potential. He simply did not understand what Shan Xiu meant by bringing it up herself.

“I think Longshan Spring Company will make money in the future. A great deal of money.” Shan Xiu looked at Tang Long, without the slightest sense that she was stating the obvious.

Tang Long smiled. “And?”

“And I think you should pay more attention to the company’s affairs,” Shan Xiu said seriously.

Tang Long was stunned, then laughed helplessly. “Longshan Spring Company is your company. Shouldn’t you be the one worrying about its management? How did this become my responsibility?”

Shan Xiu replied earnestly, “It’s true that Longshan Spring Company belongs to me, but Fishhead Village also owns shares in it, doesn’t it?”

Before Tang Long could speak, she continued, “Since it has something to do with Fishhead Village, and you’re the head of Fishhead Village, then it has something to do with you too, right?”

Tang Long burst out laughing. “Are you reciting a tongue twister? All right, all right. Let’s not argue over whose company it is. Can you just tell me what you actually want to do? I’m still completely confused.”

Shan Xiu blinked. “I want the Black-scaled Flood Dragon to become the brand image of Longshan Spring Company. I want Longshan Spring Water and the Black-scaled Flood Dragon to be deeply linked, so that we can maximize the profits.”

Using Big Black to promote Longshan Spring Company would make the obscure Longshan Spring Water an overnight sensation.

Tang Long smiled, staring at Shan Xiu with an ambiguous expression. He did not speak. No one here was a fool; they were all among the cleverest of the clever.

Shan Xiu straightened her face and said calmly, “What? Is it not possible?”

Tang Long shook his head. “It’s not impossible. But I want to know how you intend to use Big Black to promote Longshan Spring Company. Don’t tell me you want to shoot a commercial with him directly.”

“Yes.”

Shan Xiu did not shake her head, nor did she hesitate. “The Black-scaled Flood Dragon is already one of the people of Fishhead Village. Why should we continue hiding it? Once Fishhead Village is fully developed, didn’t you also intend to use it to attract tourists?”

Tang Long froze and frowned. “Big Black can’t appear in public…”

Shan Xiu looked straight at him. “Why can’t the Black-scaled Flood Dragon appear in public? Who made that rule?”

Her question left Tang Long speechless.

Indeed. Who had decreed that the Black-scaled Flood Dragon could not appear before the world?

No one had ever said such a thing.

Tang Long suddenly realized that he seemed to have been bound by certain unwritten rules of society.

Just because no one else had done it, just because there was no precedent, did that mean it was forbidden?

Why not?

Had Shan Xiu not challenged him, those three words would never have kept circling through Tang Long’s mind. Yes—why not?

This world had begun as nothing and become something.

The smile disappeared from Tang Long’s face. He seemed to have become an entirely different person. Sitting there, he was like a drawn blade, every inch of him radiating sharpness.

In the past, Tang Long had never believed there was anything he could not do. Put simply, he had grown timid.

“You’re right. Why not?” Tang Long nodded, repeating Shan Xiu’s words as though he were saying them both to her and to himself.

Shan Xiu smiled sweetly. “Exactly. Why not? No one has ever said that the Black-scaled Flood Dragon cannot appear before the world, right? In the past, people simply didn’t know it existed. But things are different now. The Black-scaled Flood Dragon has already become Fishhead Village’s guardian beast. In other words, it will be a member of Fishhead Village.

“We haven’t stolen or robbed anything, and the Black-scaled Flood Dragon has never eaten anyone or caused trouble. We can live together peacefully. So why can’t we turn the Black-scaled Flood Dragon into a symbol, or an emblem, and let it appear before the world?”

Tang Long had once entertained the same idea, but in the end he had strangled it himself. On some instinctive level, he had felt that Big Black should not appear before the world because it was too shocking, too extraordinary.

But was Fishhead Village not trying to make use of precisely that extraordinary quality?

If it did not frighten people, no one would be curious.

“You’re right.” Tang Long nodded. Shan Xiu’s words had struck him like a hammer and awakened him completely.

Although the Black-scaled Flood Dragon was enormous, it had a gentle temperament and had never shown any bloodthirsty tendencies. It was even tamer than the lions and tigers in a zoo. If zoos could open their gates to visitors, why couldn’t Fishhead Village’s guardian beast do the same?

When all was said and done, Tang Long had simply allowed himself to be shackled by convention. He had become timid and overly cautious.

“Boss Tang, you’re the leader of Fishhead Village now. The village rose because of you, so… I think whether everyone gets to eat meat should be up to you. Even if there isn’t enough meat, everyone can at least share the broth. I doubt anyone would blame you.” Shan Xiu smiled softly.

Tang Long raised his head. “I’m not as good as you.”

A blush spread across Shan Xiu’s face. She lowered her voice. “Don’t say that. You’re a tree, and I’m a bird. I’m counting on a big tree like you to shelter me from the wind and rain in the future.”

She was not exaggerating. In Shan Xiu’s eyes, Boss Tang was indeed a great tree. As for money, it was probably nothing more than a number to him. If he needed money, he could likely produce an enormous amount of it.

After all, even a single Assassin’s Token was worth a fortune.

Tang Long smiled but did not deny it. He nodded. “This can be done, but not yet. The most important task for Longshan Spring Company right now isn’t publicity. It’s building the factory and organizing the workers to begin production.

“If we can’t make the product, then no matter how famous Longshan Spring Water becomes, it will be useless if people can’t buy it. Someone else might even end up profiting from the situation.”

Shan Xiu nodded. “I know. I only wanted to discuss it with you. If you agree, then I’ll know where we stand.”

Tang Long asked curiously, “What if I don’t agree?”

Shan Xiu blinked, a mischievous glimmer passing through her eyes. “Don’t agree?”

“Mm.”

“Then we’ll do it secretly,” Shan Xiu whispered.

Tang Long seized on the important point. “What’s this about accomplices? Who else is involved besides you? Come on, tell me.”

It could not be Zhao Xiaoyue. That girl was good at fooling around, but if asked to think about business, she would probably scratch her head until it hurt. Nor could it be Zhang Xiue. There was no way Zhang Xiue would agree so easily. Even if Tang Long agreed, whether Zhang Xiue would accept it was still unknown.

Shan Xiu lowered her voice. “Can I not say?”

Tang Long rolled his eyes and pretended to snort coldly. “What do you think?”

He had caught them already, and she still wanted to refuse to name her accomplice?

Shan Xiu hesitated, then whispered, “It’s… Qiu Yuxia. We discussed the matter of Longshan Spring Water together.”

Qiu Yuxia?

Hearing that name, Tang Long froze for a moment. Only then did he remember that there were really just one or two people in the village capable of giving advice and coming up with plans. It was not that he looked down on the others; they simply might not be able to handle such matters.

But the village’s “little doctor,” Qiu Yuxia, was an exception. She was a bona fide university graduate, well educated, knowledgeable, and probably quite capable as well.

Tang Long had not paid much attention to her lately, but Qiu Yuxia had certainly not been idle. She was in charge of the village hospital. Whenever there were many tourists, she also served as the chief coordinator of emergency care. Whether it was a villager or a visitor suffering from a headache, fever, or any other discomfort, she was always the first person who had to step forward.

“Qiu Yuxia?” Tang Long rubbed his nose and muttered, “That girl is quite the restless one too.”

He looked up at Shan Xiu and asked curiously, “Other than Longshan Spring, did the two of you discuss anything else?”

“No.” Shan Xiu rolled her eyes. She could not quite figure out what Boss Tang meant. Surely he had not decided to settle accounts with Qiu Yuxia and give her a warning by smacking her bottom?

“Really?”

Shan Xiu insisted, “Really. Besides, the idea for Longshan Spring Company was basically mine. Qiu Yuxia didn’t really come up with anything.”

“You thought of it?” Tang Long could not help laughing. He gave her a sidelong glance and muttered, “If I asked you to figure out how to kill someone, you might be good at that. But asking you to think about business matters? As if you could come up with this.”

It was clear now. The person behind the idea of deeply linking the Black-scaled Flood Dragon with Longshan Spring Water had to be Qiu Yuxia.

Perhaps she was the only one who had seen the situation so clearly. In the future, it would not be only Longshan Spring Water that needed to be closely associated with the Black-scaled Flood Dragon. Nearly every industry in Fishhead Village would depend on it.

It would be no exaggeration to say that the influence generated by the words “Black-scaled Flood Dragon” would be like mounting a spacecraft engine on an ox cart and using it to propel the old ox straight into the heavens.

Everything depended on the Black-scaled Flood Dragon.

If Fishhead Village wanted to become famous throughout the world, it could not keep Big Black hidden away like some priceless treasure. It had to show itself. Remaining unseen was no longer an option.

“Are you usually close to Qiu Yuxia?” Tang Long asked, suddenly thinking of something.

Shan Xiu blinked. “Yes. Not only is she close to me, she gets along well with everyone in the village. With Zhao Xiaoyue, with Sister Xiue, with everyone!”

Tang Long felt that he had failed rather badly as the village chief. There was such a promising talent in the village, yet he had not noticed her. He had nearly buried her abilities.

“Good.”

Tang Long gave a mischievous grin. “As long as she gets along with all of you, that’s enough.”

“You’re not planning to punish her, are you?” Shan Xiu asked, knitting her brows.

Tang Long was amused and exasperated. “Punish whom? Every one of you is a treasure. Do you really take me for some cruel landlord? You people… I wouldn’t dare punish any of you.”

A blush spread across Shan Xiu’s face as she muttered, “You say that, but you still ‘punished’ Sister Xiue.”

Tang Long looked at her. “What did you say?”

“Nothing at all.” Shan Xiu rose with a red face. “I’m going back to change.”

And with that, she ran off.