Chapter 122: Money Talks

The Ministry of State Security also received reports: the tall, thin man codenamed Cloud had died! He was supposedly strangled by a ghost, only to have his body subsequently riddled with bullets by police and military personnel.

Given the multitude of witnesses, the Ministry of State Security investigated and confirmed the facts. As their ranks included supernatural individuals and cultivators, they did not dismiss the existence of ghosts. However, one person had caught their attention during this incident: Ling Tian. This young man, who appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen, had single-handedly sent all those spirits to oblivion—a feat certainly worthy of serious consideration.

Another organization, the Dragon Group, also received orders to investigate a man named Ling Tian in Jianghai City.

In a refined courtyard house in the capital, a man with a cold expression and sharp facial features was watching the footage from Wei County.

Ling Tian? The Yin-Yang Art? Ghosts!

Hmph! Could this Ling Tian be the very person I am searching for? The name and the cultivation technique match, but the appearance and age are far too different. Did he undergo plastic surgery? Perhaps it is possible. After that massive explosion, even if he survived, his features would likely have been destroyed. I must have someone investigate this Ling Tian thoroughly.

The news also reached the Dark Group. Its leader was initially quite agitated upon hearing the report—it had to be him! Only he could be that powerful. The name and technique aligned, but upon seeing the photos and videos, the leader calmed down, also concluding that the discrepancies in age and appearance were too great. Nevertheless, the Dark Group did not give up and began dispatching personnel to Jianghai City to investigate.

Ling Tian was unaware that his actions in Wei County, triggered merely by the death of a Ministry of State Security agent, had drawn the attention of multiple behemoth organizations in the capital, instantly turning Jianghai City into a focal point.

Ling Tian, however, did not care. He had fully integrated into this life. It was worldly, but it felt more like living; there was family, love, brothers, and women. Protecting them was his responsibility.

The next day, after treating Yuan Bao’s father again, he went to Dai Jin’s house to learn more about the situation. He was very clear that Shi Xiaocai was from the Shaolin Temple, and no one dared to provoke them. Therefore, Shi Xiaocai could help him look after Lin Youya and the others, otherwise, he would truly be spread too thin.

"Ling Tian, my father was truly framed, but without catching Manager Ding, there is no evidence," Dai Jin said, looking at Ling Tian as if he were a savior. He knew Ling Tian had ways to handle many things.

"Don't worry, I will handle it. Problems that can be solved with money are not major issues. As for the ones that can't, leave them to me."

After hearing the details, Ling Tian realized it wasn't as serious as he had imagined. Fortunately, he had transmigrated into the body of a wealthy second-generation heir; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to solve Dai Jin’s problem.

"Can you really solve it?" Dai Jin asked, somewhat disbelieving. To him, his father’s predicament was like the sky falling, yet Ling Tian spoke so casually.

"According to what you said, Manager Ding embezzled the company’s funds, swallowed payment for goods, and committed some tax evasion. These are the matters your father is being held for." Ling Tian summarized the situation.

"Yes, the tax evasion isn't much, and it's a gray area; if we pay it back, it won't be a big problem. The key is the payment for goods—ninety million. Our family can't manage the cash flow, and our house and bank accounts have been frozen."

Dai Jin wore a look of distress. In economic crimes, even a few hundred thousand is considered a huge sum. With ninety million, his father would likely never get out. It wasn't that his family had no assets, but a typical business family, unless they were at the billionaire level, wouldn't have that much liquid capital.

"I have the money. I don’t know how much I can overdraw on my card, but if it's not enough, I'll ask my father." Ling Tian felt no self-consciousness at all; he didn't think it was bad to spend his family's money, but rather took it for granted. Isn't that what being a rich kid is for—spending money?

"This... how could I? The amount is too large." It wasn't that Dai Jin hadn't thought of borrowing money from Ling Tian's family, but this wasn't one or two thousand—it was ninety million! Nearly a hundred million! Even though he dressed like a nouveau riche, he didn't have that kind of money.

"We are brothers; why be embarrassed?" Ling Tian patted Dai Jin on the shoulder.

In truth, Ling Tian had secretly resolved to find ways to make money. He had promised Han Bing that he would earn a hundred million in assets on his own. Now, his brother needed at least ninety million, and with other expenses, it would be a hundred million. Even with his family's wealth, how many times could he spend a hundred million like this?

According to Forbes, the 2013 net worth of Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, was 30 billion USD—about 200 billion RMB. Of course, that was net worth. Still, could even Li Ka-shing handle such reckless spending? Let alone his own family?

He was truly being too wasteful!

However, Ling Tian didn't realize that the Forbes list wasn't necessarily reliable, and his own family's wealth might not be less than Li Ka-shing's. Li Ka-shing’s wealth was in public companies, but for a hidden family, those figures didn't mean much.

Ling Tian went to the bank to withdraw cash with his black gold card. To his disappointment, a single card could only withdraw 30 million in cash. *Pah!* Ling Tian thought, they bragged about "no limit" and "unlimited consumption," yet he could only take 30 million. After the staff explained that consumption and cash withdrawals were different, he finally walked out with the money.

Fortunately, he had more than one card. He over-withdrew from several others and finally took another 10 million from a cash card. After all that, he was left with only 4 million, which was enough for him. Ordinary people couldn't earn that much in a lifetime.

He had managed to scrape it together without asking his father for money. He had already troubled his father recently over the Song Ziyue incident. When had he become so dependent on others? It wasn't a good habit. In his past life, he never thought of asking his grandfather for help. Ling Tian decided to trouble his parents less in the future. Of course, using the family's money for daily expenses was fine, but for hundred-million-dollar outlays, he had to find his own way.

Ling Tian did not know that his father, Ling Kun, received SMS notifications for every transaction. When he saw the series of withdrawals, he was surprised. Was Xiao Tian in some kind of trouble? Why did he need so much money? He wanted to call and ask, but then realized the boy was grown and deserved his own space and financial independence, so he shook his head and let it be.

Money can make the devil turn the mill. Ling Tian and Dai Jin went to the relevant departments to process the paperwork. Ling Tian mentioned his father’s name during the process, and things went very smoothly. Dai Jin’s father was released on bail, and the fugitive Manager Ding was placed on an international wanted list for economic crimes.

Through others, Ling Tian learned of the "talisman" status of the Ling family in Jianghai City—the saying that the Ling family covered the sky. Naturally, he used it where he could, and he was pleased that he didn't need his father to step in; many people gave the Ling family face regardless.

After settling this, Ling Tian headed to Lin Youya’s villa. In these troubled times, he hoped nothing else would happen there.

Returning to the villa and seeing Shi Xiaocai, Lin Youya, and Song Xiaomei safe and sound, Ling Tian finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"Ling Tian, you're finally back! Yuan Bao and Dai Jin both called me. You're a real brother!" Shi Xiaocai excitedly hugged Ling Tian. He had been under immense pressure while Ling Tian was away, protecting Lin Youya and Song Xiaomei—he had almost been seduced into breaking his vows by Song Xiaomei.

"We are brothers; this is only right. I should be the one thanking you for protecting Youya. How is it? Nothing happened here, right?" Ling Tian had always kept Lin Youya in his heart. Although they hadn't gone all the way, they had slept together, and she had given him her first kiss; she would be his eventually.

"Nothing happened, except Song Xiaomei and Lin Youya kept nagging to go shopping. I was afraid of trouble, so I didn't let them." Shi Xiaocai scratched his head, embarrassed. He had nearly argued with the two young ladies over it.

"Ling Tian, you're back! Great, we can go shopping!" Song Xiaomei emerged from the room with Lin Youya, excited to see him. Tingting followed, equally thrilled; if not for the presence of the two older girls, she probably would have thrown herself into Lin Youya's arms.

"Uh, alright, I'll go with you." Ling Tian was busy and didn't really have the mood or interest in shopping, but thinking of Lin Youya's desire to go, he felt it was necessary to accompany her.

"Yay! Great! Cousin, Tingting, let's go change!" Song Xiaomei was overjoyed and hurriedly pulled Lin Youya and Tingting to change.

Lin Youya didn't say anything, but the excitement in her expression didn't escape Ling Tian. It was just shopping; he didn't quite understand why they were so happy.

Ling Tian put his worries aside for the moment and joined Shi Xiaocai in taking the three beauties shopping. As he looked at Lin Youya and Tingting, he remembered the five girls he had slept with that night. The eldest was the same age as Lin Youya, and the youngest was the same as Tingting. Perhaps, he thought, he had taken those girls as subconscious substitutes for them.

*Wait, someone is following us!* Just as his thoughts drifted, he noticed a car in the rearview mirror that seemed out of place. His intuition told him that the people inside possessed an aura that felt familiar.