Long Xiao thought for a moment, but couldn't recall knowing the old man. However, he could tell that the old man had come to his rescue.
"Hello," Long Xiao extended his hand, saying with a full smile.
Elder Cui approached Long Xiao and said in a low voice, "Young Master, your grandfather sent me. I'll take care of things here for you first, and we can talk later."
Long Xiao wasn't confident he could defeat Zhan Tianhai. Since someone was stepping in to help him, Long Xiao was naturally willing.
Long Xiao nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble you. I'll be leaving first."
Long Xiao and Ye Mei got into the car and left. No one in the manor dared to speak, and the snipers hidden in the dark didn't dare to move.
Long Jiutian knew how formidable Elder Cui was, and also knew how formidable the Dragon Guard he had brought this time was.
Dragon Guard was just a general term. The Long family had five Dragon Guard teams, each with specific missions. Even ordinary Long family members had never seen these five teams or knew their functions.
As the two cars drove out of the manor, Long Xiao noticed many cars parked on the road outside, with people from various families, all armed. It seemed that if Long Xiao had made a move, these people would have stormed the manor.
Long Xiao stopped his car next to Luan Jiping's and said through the open window, "Sister, I'm fine. Tell everyone to go back. We'll talk about anything tomorrow."
Luan Jiping nodded and said no more. Long Xiao rolled up his window and drove away. Two shadowy figures emerged from the darkness and also got into cars to leave.
Not long after Ye Mei's car drove off, it stopped on a side road. A rebellious-looking girl carrying a cello case walked towards her.
When Long Xiao returned home, the Lin family was all waiting for him in the living room. Seeing Long Xiao, everyone stood up.
"Long Xiao, are you alright?" Lin Xuan excitedly walked up to Long Xiao and said.
Long Xiao smiled and replied, "I'm fine. I talked to them and didn't have to fight."
Nangong Yue smiled and said, "It's good that you didn't have to fight. My dear son-in-law is amazing; he wouldn't be afraid even if he had to fight."
"Mom, are you short of money again?" Long Xiao asked.
Nangong Yue nodded sheepishly and said, "Your father is such an idiot. The new product isn't out yet, and the old one isn't selling. He's run the Lin Group to the brink of bankruptcy."
Long Xiao sat on the sofa and learned that Lin Shijie, lacking business acumen, had messed up the Lin Group badly.
Long Xiao looked at Lin Xuan and said, "Lin Xuan, find some helpers for Dad."
Lin Xuan nodded and said, "Let Lin Hao go. He's been performing well lately. Having Shao Yu as his deputy should be fine."
Long Xiao looked at Lin Hao and asked, "Are you okay with that?"
Lin Hao nodded and said, "It's fine, but the Lin Group's funds are a bit low."
"Let your sister figure that out. You can get a loan, or the Xuan Xiao Company can invest."
Once they were assured that Long Xiao was safe, everyone returned to their rooms. As Long Xiao left, he took out his phone. Soon, Nangong Yue's phone beeped. She took it out and saw that Long Xiao had transferred fifty thousand yuan to her.
As soon as Long Xiao returned to his room, Lin Xuan followed him in.
"Is something wrong?" Long Xiao asked.
Lin Xuan hugged Long Xiao and said, "You blockhead, I was so worried about you, and you ask if something's wrong?"
They held each other tightly. Long Xiao felt a warmth of home, a warmth only his beloved woman could give him.
The next day, Xinglin Grass Hall reopened as usual. As Long Xiao arrived, a stretched van stopped at the main entrance.
Xinglin Grass Hall was mostly renovated. The old entrance in the alley was now a side door, and the door facing the main road was the new main entrance. The former front yard was now the backyard, which would only house a few special patients, while others would not come here.
Long Xiao habitually sat under the tree and brewed a cup of tea. Just as he picked up the teapot, Xiao Ming walked over with Elder Cui.
Seeing Elder Cui, Long Xiao quickly stood up. Elder Cui hurried a few steps and said, "Young Master, there's no one else here. You don't need to be so polite with Old Cui."
"Elder Cui, please sit," Long Xiao said politely.
After sitting down, Elder Cui placed a document on the stone table and told Long Xiao that his grandfather had long ago instructed Elder Cui to find Long Xiao, but due to Long Xiao's absence from Donghai for a period, it had been delayed.
As soon as he heard Long Xiao had encountered trouble upon returning to Donghai, he rushed over with his men.
"Young Master, please sign this document. It's the transfer agreement for Zhenhai Tower."
Zhenhai Tower was a landmark building in Donghai, located at the last bend of the Huang River, not far from the estuary. Its scale was larger than three Donghai Hotels combined.
"Maybe not," Long Xiao said, not reaching for the pen on the stone table. "I don't lack money now, and this is useless to me."
"Young Master, please sign it. This is a token of your grandfather's regard. He wants you to live a better life. He'll be uneasy if you don't accept it."
Long Xiao thought for a moment, picked up the pen, and signed his name. He then said, "Elder Cui, my current identity should not be revealed. Don't tell anyone, especially anyone from the Long family."
Elder Cui nodded and said, "I know. The Master instructed me. The eldest young master's whereabouts are still unknown after the attack years ago. It would be very dangerous if your identity were exposed."
Elder Cui left his contact information for Long Xiao, telling him to call anytime he needed help. The Long family had considerable influence throughout the country and could provide any necessary assistance.
Long Xiao knew very little about the four major families in the capital. He couldn't investigate the attack on his parents and their disappearance yet, so he wasn't in a hurry to learn about these powerful families.
After Elder Cui left, Long Xiao called Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan told him that Xuan Xiao Company had returned to normal. The arrogant Pei family from yesterday had all disappeared, and Pei Yuquan no longer bothered Xuan Xiao Company.
The incident where he was threatened by Long Jiutian made Long Xiao realize that he needed to build his own power base as soon as possible.
For now, Long Jiutian was suppressed by the Long family and wouldn't dare to bother him. If he couldn't rely on the Long family's influence in the future, Long Jiutian would surely come looking for trouble again.
Without the Long family's backing, Long Xiao's own power was no match for Long Jiutian.
To deal with Long Jiutian, he had to gradually weaken his influence and strengthen his own until their powers were equal, only then could he eliminate him completely and be safe.
Long Xiao spent the entire morning pondering how to deal with Long Jiutian and those Japanese people. Long Jiutian's power was formidable, but the Japanese influence was even greater. Both of these forces now threatened him.
At noon, as they were about to eat, Ye Mei walked into Xinglin Grass Hall.
Seeing that Long Xiao and the others were about to eat, she didn't stand on ceremony and simply pulled up a chair to sit beside Long Xiao.
"Xiao Ming, get me a set of cutlery," Ye Mei said.
Xiao Ming brought the cutlery and whispered, "Sister, you're not here to deal with my Brother Long, are you?"
Ye Mei chuckled and said, "Don't worry, my strength isn't enough yet. We'll see later."
After lunch, Long Xiao took Ye Mei to the backyard and said, "Ye Mei, recommend a few experts to me. I must have my own power, otherwise, if someone bullies me in the future, I won't be able to fight back."
Ye Mei thought for a moment and said, "Hu Lei from the Martial Alliance. His strength is good."
Xiao Ming covered his mouth, almost laughing.
Long Xiao shook his head and said, "That won't do. Find someone else."
Ye Mei thought again and said, "Ouyang Tuo. If you can find Ouyang Tuo and subdue him, his strength should be comparable to Xiao Ming's."
Xiao Ming finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
Ye Mei looked back at Xiao Ming and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, nothing. Sister, I just choked on some water."
Ye Mei looked at Xiao Ming's hands. He wasn't holding a water cup.