Medical and Martial God

Chapter 569: Attracting Investment of 78.89 Billion

"A misunderstanding?"

Ye Xiu snorted, leaning in so close to Wang Yue that their faces were almost touching. He whispered, "The Wang Family and I have no grievances, yet you colluded with the Ye Family and the Long Family to kill me. I kindly saved your life, and you repaid my kindness with malice by instigating the Envoy to kill me. You call that a misunderstanding?"

"Enjoy this last supper. Eat as much as you can, because you won’t be able to eat where you’re going."

Without waiting for Wang Yue to respond, Ye Xiu walked onto the stage. He coughed lightly, drawing everyone’s attention to himself.

THUMP!

Wang Yue, Ye Tianming, and the Lord of Long slumped heavily into their chairs, their bodies trembling violently as they were engulfed in the shadow of death and fear.

After Ye Xiu finished his inaugural speech, Bao Longtu stood up and said, "Divine Doctor Ye, I think the matters of the Global Commerce Guild should be put aside for now. The preparations for the Mist Chant Martial Meeting are far more urgent, don’t you think?"

This was, in fact, exactly what Ye Xiu had instructed him to say.

"That makes sense," Ye Xiu nodded and then asked the crowd, "What does everyone else think?"

The crowd voiced their agreement with Bao Longtu’s suggestion.

Wang Yue wanted to protest. As the chief sponsor of the Mist Chant Martial Meeting, the preparations should have been his responsibility. He could see that Ye Xiu was completely sidelining him!

However, since Ye Xiu had already handed him a death sentence, he didn’t dare utter a single complaint.

"This session of the Mist Chant Martial Meeting will be different from previous ones," Ye Xiu said after a moment of thought. "First, all War Gods and those above their level—Martial Artists, Extraordinary Abilities Holders, and Totem Inheritors—must participate. The number of people will be staggering. They certainly won’t come alone, as they’ll be accompanied by family or subordinates.

"Providing food, water, and housing for these people is a major issue. They are all distinguished individuals, so their food and drink must be exquisite, and their accommodations cannot be ordinary.

"For food and drink, we’ll need to hire chefs from major global cuisines, which is one expense. Transporting ingredients, alcohol, and other beverages will require purchasing agents, transport staff, vehicles, and even chartered planes—that’s another expense.

"The participants certainly can’t trek into the mountains; they’ll need drivers and dedicated cars for transportation, which is also a significant cost.

"Constructing the housing is the most difficult part. The roads in the Wanjin Mountains of Nanjing are rugged, so we must first build new roads so that building materials can be delivered smoothly and quickly. That will be the biggest expense of all..."

As Ye Xiu detailed all the expenses required for the preparations, Wang Yue, Ye Tianming, and the Lord of Long inwardly cursed him for his shamelessness. If he wanted money, he should have just said so. Was all this talk really necessary? They realized that Ye Xiu intended to make a fortune from the meeting’s preparations.

"It seems Mr. Ye has already considered the details for the Mist Chant Martial Meeting’s preparations. Why don’t you just tell us how much money is needed?" said the man known as big-nosed Robin.

At this statement, many in the crowd grew nervous, fearing that Ye Xiu would demand an exorbitant sum.

"I haven’t calculated the exact total," Ye Xiu replied. "For now, how about everyone contributes an initial amount? If there’s any left over, I’ll return it to you. If it’s not enough, we can contribute more later. What do you say?"

"Then how much should each of us contribute?" someone asked.

Laying the groundwork, Ye Xiu said, "Everyone present has different financial means, so it wouldn’t be fair to ask for the same amount from each person. Let’s do it this way: those with a net worth over 100 billion Xuanse Currency will each contribute 300 million; those with a net worth between 50 billion and 100 billion will contribute 200 million each; those between 10 billion and 50 billion, 100 million each; those between 5 billion and 10 billion, 50 million each; and those between 1 billion and 5 billion, 20 million each."

This was already asking for a fortune. So, after stating the terms, Ye Xiu added, "I will personally contribute 500 million."

That single sentence effectively silenced everyone. Moreover, the amounts Ye Xiu quoted were within everyone’s ability to pay, so they were all generally satisfied.

Wang Yue, Ye Tianming, and the Lord of Long, however, were green with envy. Of the 1,400 people present: 26 were worth over 100 billion; 202 were worth between 50 and 100 billion; 148 were between 10 and 50 billion; 439 were between 5 and 10 billion; and 682 were between 1 and 5 billion. Based on the amounts Ye Xiu requested, the total came to 78.39 billion Xuanse Currency. Adding Ye Xiu’s 500 million, the grand total would be...

78.89 billion.

A sharp pain shot through Wang Yue’s heart.

So much money! It should have all been his, but Ye Xiu had stolen it away.

"Mr. Ye, how will this fund be supervised?" asked big-nosed Robin. He was asking about oversight; without it, Ye Xiu could embezzle the money, and they would all suffer a massive loss.

Ye Xiu smiled and said, "The Wanjin Mountains in Nanjing are a treasure trove. Its tourism potential alone is very promising. Therefore, I will establish a company in which everyone present will be a shareholder. I will have the buildings constructed into guesthouses, inns, and hotels. After the Mist Chant Martial Meeting, we can develop the company into a tourism enterprise, and everyone will receive dividends from the profits."

With this statement, everyone felt reassured. As shareholders, they could audit the accounts and wouldn’t have to worry about Ye Xiu misappropriating public funds.

However, Ye Xiu’s words also made a few tycoons with keen business sense instantly spot an opportunity.

Big-nosed Robin asked, "Mr. Ye, if I wanted to establish a company in my own name to develop the Wanjin Mountains of Nanjing, would that be possible?"

That’s exactly what I was waiting for you to say... Ye Xiu thought. Aloud, he said, "Of course. However, everything you do in the Wanjin Mountains of Nanjing must be legal and must receive approval from the Xuanse Official Family."

In truth, Ye Xiu’s plan was simple. The Wanjin Mountains in Nanjing were impoverished, and the Mist Chant Martial Meeting was the perfect opportunity to make the sponsors bleed a little, using their money to benefit the mountain’s inhabitants. At the same time, he could coax them into participating in the future development of the region.

The crowd, however, was unaware of his true intentions.

Robin and a few others, sensing a business opportunity, began to discuss it amongst themselves after getting Ye Xiu’s definitive answer. Seeing these influential tycoons taking an interest in the Wanjin Mountains, the other wealthy individuals also began to contemplate how they might get a piece of the action in Nanjing.

"Brother Ye, this move of yours might just be the biggest investment drive since the founding of Xuanse!"

Seeing Ye Xiu, Bao Longtu, and the others in such a heated discussion, the Lord of Long whispered to his companions, "We cannot simply wait to be slaughtered!"

Wang Yue and Ye Tianming whipped their heads around to face the Lord of Long. Ye Tianming demanded, "What do you mean by that?"