God-Level All-rounder Expert
Chapter 506 - 543: The Problem of Disposing of Stolen Goods

Chapter 506: Chapter 543: The Problem of Disposing of Stolen Goods

Li Xuan’s expression turned dark, Fang Yi’s sudden raise in the bidding disrupted some of Li Xuan’s preparations.

Taking a deep breath, Li Xuan said, "Fine, then add another five million for him, let’s secure the ’Bewitching Mouth Fragrance’ formula first!" Given the circumstances, it was better to clinch the deal in one fell swoop.

After hanging up the phone, Li Xuan gripped his cell phone tightly, but feeling a surge of anger he could no longer contain, he slammed the phone down onto the steering wheel, acting impulsively and recklessly.

Li Xuan had dealt with many people, but none were as troublesome as Fang Yi. Fang Yi’s shamelessness and shrewdness brought Li Xuan a sense of powerlessness.

"Fang Yi!" Inside the car, Li Xuan’s eyes revealed a vicious glint as he muttered coldly to himself, "Let him be arrogant for now, once I get the formula, he will regret it!"

Li Xuan had already rented several shops near the night market, deciding to open barbecue stores with all of them, and then steal all the business from the Qingtian Barbecue stalls in the night market. As soon as he got his hands on the ’Bewitching Mouth Fragrance’ formula, he could start immediately.

...

Liu Dasheng pocketed his phone and trotted up to Fang Yi, saying, "Mr. Fang, it’s settled, fifteen million. The higher-ups have agreed. When would you like to sign the contract?"

Thoughtfully, Fang Yi said, "But I still feel that it’s a bit too little..."

Hearing this, Liu Dasheng shuddered immediately. Was there another change of heart?

Seeing Liu Dasheng’s expression drastically change, Fang Yi silently sneered and said, "I’m just saying, don’t take it to heart. Do you have the contract with you? We can sign it anytime."

Liu Dasheng replied hurriedly, "Yes, yes, I’ve got it."

Liu Dasheng was desperate, he quickly took out the contract, two copies of it, and the originally agreed amount had been changed to fifteen million. Fang Yi carefully read through the contract and then signed his name.

Then, leaving Liu Dasheng outside, Fang Yi went to write out the ’Bewitching Mouth Fragrance’ formula. Of course, it was impossible for Fang Yi not to play some tricks, but he couldn’t make it too obvious.

Familiar with traditional Chinese medicine ingredients, Fang Yi deliberately added a herb called ’Bagan’ to the formula and then included a seasoning named ’Xiangdou.’ Half an hour later, Fang Yi came out with the formula and handed it to Liu Dasheng.

Holding the recipe, Liu Dasheng hesitated, "Mr. Fang, this formula... is it okay?" He knew from Li Xuan that Fang Yi was an absolute "scoundrel," and one couldn’t afford to let their guard down around him, always having to be on the alert.

"Do you not trust my character? How can we continue to cooperate in the future?" Fang Yi said with ’righteous indignation,’ "Besides, isn’t the contract there? If you don’t trust me, Director Liu, then let’s just tear up the contract. Give me back the formula."

Liu Dasheng hastily said with a smile, "Mr. Fang! Mr. Fang, my apologies, I shouldn’t be harboring unwarranted suspicions. I was just asking, don’t take it personally. No problem, everything is fine."

Afraid that Fang Yi would change his mind, Liu Dasheng grabbed the formula and ran down the stairs. However, after descending, Liu Dasheng suddenly remembered something—didn’t they have a contract already? Why was he so overly humble and servile?

Even if there was a problem with the formula, they still had the contract, what was there to fear?

Arriving outside the complex and getting into the black sedan, Liu Dasheng respectfully handed the formula to Li Xuan.

Upon receiving the formula, Li Xuan glanced over it, recognizing some of the seasonings but not understanding the medicinal herbs. Then he passed the formula back to Liu Dasheng, saying, "Take this for research immediately, start the operation right away."

Liu Dasheng responded, "Yes!"

Several days had passed, and Fang Yi guessed that Li Xuan’s barbecue restaurant must have opened by now. So he took a stroll around the night market and discovered to his surprise that Li Xuan had ambitiously opened five barbecue restaurants, each of a considerable size.

Fang Yi had to admire the guy for his boldness, opening so many restaurants in close proximity without fearing a potential loss.

Fang Yi acknowledged that his own barbecue stall was extremely popular, and there were indeed a dozen or twenty chain barbecue stalls throughout the entire night market, but that was due to high demand. Hence, the thriving business.

However, the restaurants that Li Xuan opened were substantially larger, with one restaurant equivalent to about ten barbecue stalls. When supply exceeded demand, the results could be unpredictable.

Fang Yi didn’t immediately make a move against Li Xuan, opting to let him bask in his success for a while longer before heading to Coastal Park.

Since it was night, Coastal Park had already been purchased and was closed to the public. Intruders were prevented from entering due to the locked gate, and two guards stood watch. When Fang Yi arrived, Yang Dingfeng came running out from inside, instructing the guards to open the gate to welcome Fang Yi.

"Alliance Hierarch," greeted Yang Dingfeng respectfully.

"Mm," responded Fang Yi, glancing at the quiet surroundings outside the park, "Lead the way."

The two made their way to a small hill, and on the road, Yang Dingfeng said, "Alliance Hierarch, we’ve actually made a discovery."

"What discovery?" Fang Yi inquired.

Yang Dingfeng explained, "We initially conjectured that the gold vein was limited to the vicinity of the hill without straying too far; however, it turns out that the gold mine extends over an area exceeding one kilometer."

One kilometer—that was a thousand meters. Fang Yi couldn’t help but be surprised. Shen Binnan’s luck must have been incredible to stumble upon such an immense gold mine by sheer coincidence.

Naturally, imagining the scale was one thing, but it was quite another to see it firsthand after arriving inside the hill. Numerous tunnels had been carved out by machinery, and with the illumination from the searchlights, the interior sparkled with gold.

In reality, the gold found in a mine wouldn’t be pure upon extraction. Additional refining and purification processes were necessary, with "purification" being the term used to describe these steps, and only after which the gold could be used.

Along with Yang Dingfeng, Lin Mu, Meng Wei, and Su Ge’er were all present, evidently treating the matter with great importance. They couldn’t afford to take it lightly—everyone had a stake in it, and the allure of absolute profit motivated them to work even harder.

Upon seeing Fang Yi, the group greeted him in unison. Fang Yi took a walk around the site, saying, "You have all worked hard."

Lin Mu quickly replied, "It’s not hard at all. To serve the Alliance Hierarch, how could we find it difficult?"

Fang Yi smiled without saying much more, until Yang Dingfeng came closer and said, "Alliance Hierarch, there is a dilemma that needs your resolution."

"A dilemma?"

"Yes, it concerns how to deal with this gold," Yang Dingfeng clearly had given this much thought, and continued, "This gold is valuable, of course, but it’s hard currency, not Xuan Cang currency. Even if we mine a lot, we dare not use it carelessly, especially not in the mainland."

It was indeed a problem.

Gold was valuable and had numerous advantages. Whether it depreciated or appreciated, its value wouldn’t differ too much. But after all, gold wasn’t cash and couldn’t be used freely, especially in the mainland. If one dared to release a large quantity of gold into the market, the government would swiftly teach a lesson.

"Do you have any ideas?" Fang Yi asked, following the conversation.