487: Chapter 480: 13 Years Later 487: Chapter 480: 13 Years Later Toyoda Shonan watched the video content several times with great attention.
In reality, he had never met Chen Hai.
However, he had taken a good look at Chen Hai’s photo when he previously emailed it to the Blood Kill Organization.
He was over ninety percent certain that the man wearing flip-flops in the video was indeed Chen Hai, beyond doubt.
Special effects?
It didn’t look like it.
If that video was just a product of special effects, the Blood Kill Organization would not have reacted in such a way.
Toyoda Shonan had dealt with the Blood Kill Organization more than once or twice.
Based on his understanding of those mercenaries, they were quite reliable and had no reason to deceive him with a manipulated fake video.
Sitting in his office chair, he silently zoned out for quite some time.
Then, he picked up the phone and called a mercenary organization in Southeast Asia that had a certain intersection with their Toyota Group.
Those mercenary organizations, upon hearing that the target Toyoda Shonan wanted to deal with was Chen Hai, basically hung up the phone as quickly as the Blood Kill Organization had.
“If the video is real and that Chen Hai is truly that terrifying, then…”
He shuddered and dared not think about what could follow.
“Such a living god among men, becoming a shareholder of the Toyota Group, is the group’s good fortune.”
“No, I need to have a serious talk with those shareholders.”
“With their divine skills, after seeing this video, if they want to investigate, they will certainly dig up something.”
“By then, Chen Hai becoming a shareholder of our group will be inevitable.
Let’s see who would continue to oppose…”
After much thought, Toyoda Shonan quickly made his decision.
He rarely breathed a sigh of relief and got up to walk out of his office.
…
As for what was happening over in Japan, Chen Hai was completely unaware.
He spent time with his mother, Jiang Meixian, carrying a fishing rod to fish in the river, and occasionally gathering with Sun Jinzhong and Wang Dalong.
His days were leisurely and relaxed.
By the Yuan River, he cast his lure rod and after a few reels in, he suddenly felt a heavy tug in his hand.
“Damn, after all this time in the air force, finally a big fish takes the bait…” Chen Hai thought with joy.
The force transmitted from the fishing rod was incredibly strong.
The drag system couldn’t even release the tension, and the fishing line was being pulled with a hissing sound.
Nothing less than a meter-long creature could produce such an effect.
Such a huge catch was the ultimate goal for lure fishers.
Chen Hai felt the same excitement on encountering such a big haul for the first time; at that moment, he was almost beside himself with excitement.
For him, no matter how strong the fish under the water was, it was nothing noteworthy.
However, while he could handle the force, the fishing rod and line could not.
With this in mind, he had no choice but to play the fish slowly and steadily.
If he really had to, jumping into the water and catching the fish with his bare hands would take away the true pleasure of fishing.
After about fifteen minutes of playing the fish, his phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
“Who the hell is calling at this time?”
“Is there anything more important than me landing a big catch?” He muttered, clearly irritated.
He continued to play his fish, too lazy to even take a close look at his phone.
The phone rang and then stopped, stopped and then rang again.
For a good fifteen minutes straight, while Chen Hai had yet to land his fish, his phone in his pocket was still ringing incessantly.
“Hello, who is it?” Finally, Chen Hai gave in.
He held the fishing rod with one hand and fished out his phone with the other, pressing the answer button.
“Boss, it’s me, Xiang Dong.”
“Toyoda Shonan has actually come; he’s willing to honor the agreement and offer you thirty percent of the shares of the Toyota Group.”
“He’s in the company right now, and it seems like he wants to meet with you but is hesitant to ask.”
“Do you have the time and are you willing to meet him?”
…
Xiang Dong was reporting to Chen Hai over the phone.
From his words, it was clear that he was filled with excitement, utterly thrilled.
This reaction was only human nature.
After all, the Toyota Group was a globally renowned name.
Thirty percent of shares was not a small sum; in market value, that was several hundred billion Yanhuang currency.
Unfortunately, before he could finish his sentence, Chen Hai cut him off.
“Damn, I lost a fish weighing dozens of pounds…”
“Just a guy from Japan, why the hell would I want to see him?”
“If he’s willing to give up the shares, you take them.
Haven’t I already left you guys to handle this whole thing?”
“A fuss over nothing, was it worth calling nonstop?”
Muttering under his breath, Chen Hai had already hung up the phone.
In a fluster, he quickly reeled in the line.
It was empty, not only was the fish gone, but the fishhook and the bait were nowhere to be found.
Mandarin fish are known for their sharp teeth, likely the line had been worn through, resulting in this outcome.
Just after answering one call, the fish was gone.
Seeing this scene, Chen Hai could have cried but no tears came out.
Billions upon billions, so what?
They are just numbers after all, can they be more important than the mandarin fish he had so difficultly caught?
In his heart, not only did he curse Toyoda Shonan’s ancestors for generations, Xiang Dong too didn’t escape his tirade.
He stayed by the Yuan River until after eight o’clock in the evening.
Sadly, after that big mandarin fish got away, he didn’t get a single bite, let alone catch another fish.
The following period was calm and quiet.
Not just from the Toyota Group, but also from other Japanese corporate entities where Chen Hai owned shares, good news quickly followed.
Whether it was Mitsubishi Heavy Industries or Mitsui Bank, within the global scope, they were among the giant corporations that counted.
But faced with Chen Hai, they ultimately chose to submit.
However, these matters were all handled by Four Seas Holding, represented by Xiang Dong as the legal person; Chen Hai himself did not make an appearance.
Information about him was tightly sealed at the top.
His existence might be completely unknown to the general population, but to those major countries, it was certainly not a secret.
Within this tranquil life, years passed, one after another.
Unknowingly, thirteen years had gone by.
His mother, Jiang Meixian, although frequently receiving health adjustments from Chen Hai, had still passed away five years earlier.
Ye Qingqing’s hair had by now gained quite a few white strands.
During her youth, she might have been gorgeously attractive, but she ultimately couldn’t withstand the ravages of time.
Over the years, Chen Hai also tried to lead her onto the path of Taoism, but unfortunately, due to differences in understanding, no matter what he tried, it was still to no avail.
Things that don’t exist are either truly non-existent or, due to cognitive limitations, undetectable.
Just as blind people don’t know color and deaf people can’t hear sound, those with colorblindness can only see red and green.
Modern science fundamentally denies metaphysics and Taoist skills.
The more studious one is in math, physics, and chemistry, the more they tend to believe science explains everything.
When thinking becomes rigid, cognitive limitations arise, and under these circumstances, learning metaphysics and Taoist arts, which are in direct opposition to science, becomes impossible—even the threshold cannot be crossed.
Among the ancients, there might have been learned scholars who achieved success in Tao Cultivation, but what the ancients learned was different from today.
Modern science transported to ancient times would be considered crafty gimmicks, and most scholars would be above learning such things.
Able to attend Tsinghua University, Ye Qingqing was not only backed by her own background, she was indeed a scholarly genius of her time.
In front of her, Chen Hai talking about metaphysics and Taoist skills was simply casting pearls before swine—a complete waste of effort.
Perhaps, there were other cultivation methods that would suit her, but she truly couldn’t get started with Chen Hai’s Tao Path.
According to Chen Hai’s conjecture, today’s Blue Star was merely one fragment of the shattered Primordial realm.
He had also considered whether he could find a way to visit other fragments, to seek out the method of longevity for Ye Qingqing.
He had revisited Great Snow Mountain in Hokkaido.
Regrettably, he could no longer find that gateway he had seen that day.
He had also explored places like the Bermuda Triangle and Hell’s Gate at home.
At the Bermuda Triangle, he found nothing.
Hell’s Gate was a place of chaotic magnetic fields; he barely made a quick turn inside and almost couldn’t find his way back out.
It was because throughout these years, he had been searching the world for gateways, hoping to travel to other fragments.
His promise to take Ye Qingqing to live in reclusion on Zhongnan Mountain was thus unfulfilled for the time being; they still stayed within Liuyuan County.
Sun Jinzhong, Wang Dalong, and Xiang Dong, over these years, also had no shortage of money and led lives without material concerns.
Regrettably, all in their sixties and seventies, they too had aged.
“Life, aging, illness, and death are human nature.
To be with you, Chen Hai, is already my greatest happiness.”
“Immortality and eternal youth, I’ve never dreamt of such things, because they are just too difficult to achieve.”
“You’ve done enough for me over these years.”
“Although you’ve never told me, what you’ve been through each time you go out, every time I see you come back exhausted, my heart aches.”
“Stop tormenting yourself, Chen Hai.
You’ve promised to retire to Zhongnan Mountain and spend the rest of our days with me.
Let’s go there in a few days, shall we?”
On their own balcony in the Eastern Pearl Community, Chen Hai and Ye Qingqing each sat in a chair, chatting idly.
But it was mostly Ye Qingqing talking, Chen Hai only occasionally responding.
“There must be a way to achieve immortality; look, am I not a living example?”
“Don’t worry, Qingqing, just wait three more years.”
“If I still can’t find other ways to immortality, then we’ll go to retire on Zhongnan Mountain, okay?”
Silent for a while, Chen Hai then spoke.
However, judging by the tone of his voice, he himself probably wasn’t clear about how credible his words were.
Rumble, rumble…
Suddenly, thunder and lightning struck, and the whole world went completely dark.