Ye Qiu found it amusing, thinking to himself, I did warn you earlier, and you said it was fine, now look what happened…
To his surprise, he was a fraction too slow to act, and Elder Tang fainted outright.
“Elder Tang!” the War God exclaimed.
Ye Qiu quickly grabbed Elder Tang’s wrist to check his pulse.
“What’s wrong with Elder Tang?” the War God asked.
“His blood pressure is too high, causing him to faint,” Ye Qiu said.
The War God: “…”
Ye Qiu channelled a wisp of true qi into Elder Tang’s body, and soon, Elder Tang opened his eyes.
“Elder Tang, are you alright?” Ye Qiu asked with concern.
“Hmph, it’s all your fault, this wasn’t just a surprise, it was a fright,” Elder Tang glared at Ye Qiu. As the highest authority, fainting in front of others was truly…
Too embarrassing!
Ye Qiu helped Elder Tang up, chuckling, “Did you like this surprise?”
Like it? He bloody loved it.
Elder Tang took a deep breath and asked, “How much in total?”
Ye Qiu said, “Twenty thousand tonnes.”
“All from the Rodell family?”
“Yes.”
Elder Tang placed a hand on Ye Qiu’s shoulder, saying, “Young man, you’ve made a tremendous contribution this time.”
The War God, filled with emotion, said, “Back in the early days of our nation’s founding, our annual national income wasn’t even this much.”
“Even now, with our economy booming and national strength flourishing, we have countless expenses, every penny carefully accounted for.”
“Now, with all this gold, our treasury is enriched.”
Elder Tang added, “Indeed, with this gold, our nation’s gold reserves could claim the top spot in the world.”
“Most crucially, we can do so much with it.”
“We can develop agriculture, focus on infrastructure, research cutting-edge weapons…”
“In short, we can accelerate our march toward becoming the world’s leading superpower!”
The two elders were visibly excited.
“But there’s a problem now,” the War God said.
“What problem?” Elder Tang asked.
The War God said, “Ye Qiu has achieved such a great feat, I really don’t know how to reward him.”
Elder Tang fell silent.
Indeed, how to reward Ye Qiu?
Ye Qiu had already been named the War God of the Nation, with immense power and influence, leaving no room for further promotion.
In ancient times, it would have been simpler, perhaps granting a hereditary title, a noble rank for his heir, or eternal imperial favour for his family.
But now, what could be done?
Money? Ye Qiu wasn’t short of it.
Besides, if Ye Qiu cared for wealth, he could have kept the twenty thousand tonnes of gold for himself, and no one would have known.
What reward, then?
Elder Tang was at a loss.
Ye Qiu smiled and said, “As a citizen of Hua Country, contributing to the nation is my honour. Elder Tang, I don’t need any reward.”
“No!” Elder Tang said sternly, “Merit must be rewarded, and faults must be punished, that’s a matter of principle. You’ve made an extraordinary contribution, and I must give you some reward.”
“But what should it be?”
“Ye Qiu, tell me, what do you want? Anything I can give, I’ll grant you.”
Ye Qiu said, “Elder Tang, I truly don’t need a reward…”
“I’ve got it,” Elder Tang suddenly said.
Instantly, Ye Qiu and the War God looked at him curiously.
“Ye Qiu, I’ll grant you a marriage!” Elder Tang said, “I’ll betroth Tangtang to you!”
Ye Qiu was startled. If he married Tangtang, what about Sister Lin?
And Qianshan Xue, who had given him a daughter?
“Elder Tang, I’m still young, there’s no rush for marriage,” Ye Qiu quickly declined.
“What, you don’t like Tangtang?” Elder Tang’s face darkened.
“Tangtang is refined and beautiful, of course I like her,” Ye Qiu explained, “But my father has gone missing in the cultivation world, his fate unknown. I swore I wouldn’t marry until I found him.”
Using his father, Ye Wushuang, as an excuse was a clever move, leaving Elder Tang speechless.
But Elder Tang, cunning as ever, came up with another idea.
“Very well, I won’t force you into marriage, but…”
Elder Tang shifted tone, “You’ve made such a great contribution, there must be a reward.”
“I’ve decided to give Tangtang to you.”
“Ye Qiu, listen carefully, she’s my only granddaughter. You must cherish her and ensure she faces no harm. If I hear she’s suffered any grievance with you, I won’t let you off.”
Ye Qiu was dumbfounded.
This was a reward?
It sounded more like Elder Tang was getting the better deal.
“Did you hear me?” Elder Tang snapped, seeing Ye Qiu’s silence.
“I heard, I heard. Rest assured, I’ll take good care of Tangtang,” Ye Qiu glanced outside, noting it was already daylight, and said, “Elder Tang, War God, I won’t stay longer, I’ll take my leave.”
With that, he quickly left.
He feared if he stayed, Elder Tang would urge him to have a child with Tangtang soon.
The War God watched Ye Qiu leave, smiling, “Elder Tang, congratulations on finding an outstanding grandson-in-law.”
Alas!
Elder Tang sighed, saying, “Honestly, I’m reluctant to hand my granddaughter over to him.”
“This lad is great in every way, except he attracts too many women, each one devoted to him without complaint.”
“If my granddaughter didn’t like him, I wouldn’t agree to this, no matter what.”
The War God said, “Elder Tang, don’t act like you’re hard done by. You gained all this gold, what’s wrong with giving him your granddaughter?”
“If I had a granddaughter, I’d give her to him even if he offered nothing.”
Elder Tang burst into laughter, “This lad has some skill, and he’s decent-looking, just about worthy of my granddaughter.”
Who’re you trying to impress?
The War God rolled his eyes, saying, “Elder Tang, you haven’t slept all night, go rest. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Alright,” Elder Tang nodded and turned to leave.
After a few steps, he turned back, instructing the War God, “By the way, don’t mention my fainting to anyone, got it?”
…
Ye Qiu stepped out of the August First Building and saw Tangtang still waiting in her car.
“Why haven’t you left?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Waiting for you!” Tangtang smiled and asked, “All done?”
“Yes,” Ye Qiu nodded.
Tangtang said, “Get in, I’ll take you for breakfast. I know a place with great bean juice.”
Bean juice…
Ye Qiu’s face twitched at the mention.
Tangtang noticed his expression and laughed, “Don’t like bean juice? No worries, I’ll take you for something else tasty.”
Only then did Ye Qiu get in the car.
Tangtang drove him to a bustling street, eventually parking in front of a high-end hotel.
Ye Qiu, puzzled, asked, “Weren’t we going for breakfast? Why are we here?”
Tangtang leaned over, wrapping her arms around Ye Qiu’s neck, and asked coyly, “Do you want breakfast, or do you want me?”
