Chapter 2 Chapter Two Treat

In September, Jinling City was still like a huge steamer. It was so humid and hot that it was disturbing. Apart from the noisy and monotonous cicadas, there was hardly any other sound.It was the scorching sun, and except for cicadas and insects, all living things naturally hid in the shade of the trees to escape the heat. This kind of weather was not a good time to treat guests, but Shen Beixiong chose to treat them at this time. Shen Beixiong likes to treat guests, especially those who are about to become his prey.In his eyes, a banquet is also a killing field, and the drinking table is also a river and lake, which is even more fascinating and tempting than the rivers and lakes of swords, lights and swords, and makes people willing to devote their lives to it.

"My lord, the guests are all here and waiting outside the door. Do you want to invite them to the table?" Hearing the report from the attendants outside, a smile finally flashed in Shen Beixiong's condensed and cold eyes.This was completely in his expectation. Thinking about three months ago, as a foreigner who first arrived in Jinling, even if he had a lot of money, no one really valued him in the eyes of Jinling merchants who were accustomed to luxury and arrogance. But three months later Today, even if there are knives falling from the sky and fire burning on the ground, these merchants who received their invitations will definitely come, and they dare not not come!

"Don't be busy, let them wait a while." Shen Beixiong ordered lightly, and after his entourage retreated, he stood up from the grand teacher's chair surrounded by ice trays, came to the window in a leisurely manner, and peeked through the gaps in the bamboo curtains Outside, from the window on the third floor of the most magnificent Tianwaitian restaurant in Jinling, you can just see the gate of the restaurant.Dozens of gorgeously dressed merchants had gathered outside the door at some point. Regardless of the hot weather, they were whispering to each other. From a distance, it could be seen that there was a hint of worry on their faces.Shen Beixiong smiled slightly when he saw this, and as soon as he stretched out his hand, a maid immediately handed over a glass of iced sour plum soup. He took it and savored it carefully, while admiring the scene downstairs with a smile on his face.Shen Beixiong is probably the first person to treat guests sincerely but not let them in.

It wasn't until the cup of sour plum soup was finished that he lightly ordered to the door: "Let them in." The door of the hotel finally opened, and everyone rushed into the slightly cooler restaurant in a hurry.Guessing that everyone was seated on the second floor, Shen Beixiong went down from the third floor. As soon as he entered the banquet hall on the second floor, he cupped his hands with a smile on his face: "Beixiong feels very ashamed for keeping the bosses waiting for so long." .” Everyone stood up to return the salute, and at the same time carefully scrutinized the person who came. Although the word "Shen Beixiong" is very popular in Jinling now, it was the first time that everyone took a serious look at this legend who conquered Jinling's business circle in just three months. figure.His complexion was purple and black, his facial features were unusually prominent and clear, and he had a sparse short beard under his chin. Although he was over forty, he had eyes that were clearer and colder than those of young people.That tall and muscular figure is not at all rich and bloated like an ordinary businessman, and he does not look like a businessman at all.Everyone was looking at it, but they saw Shen Beixiong frowned, and suddenly turned around and scolded his followers: "It's such a hot weather, how can there be no ice tray at the banquet? Someone bring it up quickly!"

The entourage left immediately, and after a short while, girls in light gauzes filed in. Everyone held ice trays and placed them in a large circle around the hall.Everyone suddenly felt very cool, and at the same time they were surprised.It is not uncommon for rich and powerful families to have ice cubes in their cellars. Shen Beixiong is only a foreigner who has only been in Jinling for three months, but he took out so many ice cubes at once. He is not sloppy in such small things, obviously he came prepared . "Bosses, the weather is so hot that I shouldn't have asked everyone to come to the banquet at this time, but fortunately, there are chilled Turpan grape wine and a few light dishes, which can be used as an apology." Shen Beixiong clapped his hands as he said. Immediately, beautiful maids in cool clothes filed in with wine and dishes, and spread them out on the table silently.Everyone was amazed when they saw the wine and food. These rich businessmen who are used to big scenes can tell that it is Turpan wine that has been cellared for more than 60 years just by smelling the wine. It is rare for such wine to have a small jar. But the other party took out two large barrels at once. Just looking at the shape of the wooden barrels, which are as tall as half a person and as thick as a hug, one barrel of wine should be around a hundred catties.Looking at the side dishes, they are all unnamed flowers and plants, either mixed or fried or made into soup, all of which are fresh and tender as if they were just picked.Someone couldn't help asking the maid standing behind him in a low voice, only to find out that it was made of Tianshan snow lotus, Changbai bracken, Dali euphyllum, Liaoxi fennel, etc.Everyone was even more surprised now. It is not uncommon for these things to be the same individually, but it is very rare to put them together to make a banquet.Especially for Dali euphyllum and Tianshan snow lotus, the flowering period is short and it is extremely difficult to keep them fresh, and they cannot survive if they leave their homeland. Therefore, even these Jinling merchants who have seen the world have never seen them when they are fresh.Some people had doubts, so they humbly asked the host: "Boss Shen, how do these flowers and plants keep fresh?"

Shen Beixiong smiled and spread his hands: "I don't know, I always leave it to my servants to do such small things. I just tell them my needs, and they will naturally fulfill them for me." He turned to the maid behind him, "Go and call Manager Bai, and let him introduce to you how to keep these flowers and plants fresh, so that the bosses can prepare them according to the law, and you can enjoy these light game at any time." Not long after, Director Bai came to the hall, but he was a lean and capable old man.After presenting to Shen Beixiong, he explained to everyone: "Snow lotus in Tianshan is the flower buds that are about to open, and they are dug out by the roots and planted in a special ice cart. The destination is hidden in the ice cellar, and when it is necessary to use it, it can be used after the sun shines to make the flower buds open. The same method is generally used for other kinds of flowers and plants.”

Everyone was amazed, this method is simple to say, but the manpower, material and financial resources consumed, I am afraid that only the royal family can do it.Everyone believed in the rumor that Shen Beixiong had a royal background, and their worries became more serious.Shen Beixiong smiled slightly when he saw everyone's dazed expressions, as if he was proud of his ability to deter his opponents.And choosing to entertain these strangers at noon is to test their status in their minds.Now that Shen Beixiong is aware of his own weight, the following things will be much easier.While talking and laughing, he raised his glass to greet everyone to enjoy the food and drink as if nothing had happened.Everyone had something on their minds, and they didn't know how to taste the rare delicacies on the table. After drinking for three rounds, Shen Beixiong asked everyone: "Bosses, I take the liberty to invite you here today, just to hear what everyone thinks about the next three. What is the answer to the proposal made a month ago?"

The hall became silent when it stood still, and even though there were ice trays around, everyone was still sweating profusely.Three months ago, everyone also received such an invitation, and the place was also at Tianwaitian Restaurant.But at that time, everyone had never heard of Shen Beixiong, the Yankee, so naturally they didn't take it very seriously. The number of people who attended the banquet politely was less than one-third of today's. face.Unexpectedly, those who attended the banquet that night were all overwhelmed by the luxury of the banquet and the magnanimity of the host, and even more awed by his arrogance of devouring the world. To his arrogant request during the banquet, only two of the attendees refused face to face. The next ones just shirk and say that they have to go back and think about it.At that time, Shen Beixiong didn't want everyone to express their opinions in a hurry, he just said that he would invite everyone for a banquet in three months and listen to everyone's answers, so today's banquet was held.

"You are all leaders in the Jinling business world," Shen Beixiong said in a quiet voice, "This time Shen came to the south just because he wanted to enter the Jiangnan business world and make a fortune in the world-famous Jinling City. For Jinling to stand firm, of course the first thing to do is to buy a property. You have to buy a few shops as the foundation. After checking the entire Jinling business name, I found that most of the shops I like are in the hands of you, so I would like to ask you to sell it to me. I hope Everyone, don’t let Shen down. As for the price, of course, you won’t suffer.”

Three months ago, the wealthy businessmen who attended the banquet were a little amused when they heard this request. You must know that what Shen Beixiong wanted to buy was not just a few shops, but dozens of large shops, all of which were in the most popular places in Jinling City. At the intersection of the bustling streets, some of them are century-old shops with a thriving business.Most of the bosses of these shops are the leading figures in Jinling's business circle, and all of them have strong financial resources. Not to mention that everyone is not short of money, but if they are short of money, they can also raise money from any bank with the name of their own shops.So at that time, everyone saw that Mr. Tian did not refuse in person for the sake of Master Tian, ​​and only prevaricated that they would go back and think about it.Only Boss Zhang of Rongbaozhai and Boss Chen of Jinyu Pawnshop said on the spot that they would never sell their ancestral property. As a result, within these three months, the two well-off big firms collapsed.Only then did everyone realize that Shen Beixiong was not joking, he not only has that strength, but also that means!There are even rumors in the Jianghu that Shen Beixiong has quietly swallowed more than a dozen gambling houses of "Baiyetang".

Jinling is the most prosperous city in the south of the Yangtze River and the commercial center of the whole south of the Yangtze River.In the whole world, the south of the Yangtze River is the richest and most prosperous place, and the trading volume of goods such as antiques, jewelry, cotton, linen and satins ranks first in the world.Therefore, for businessmen, it can be said that those who win Jinling win Jiangnan, and those who win Jiangnan win the world. Therefore, almost every merchant in Jinling has a well-off family. A time-honored jewelry store and pawn shop will collapse in a short period of time, unless it encounters natural disasters, wars or robbers, and there will be riots in the city, but Rongbaozhai and The Jinyu Pawnshop collapsed without making a sound. During the whole process, I didn’t hear that any bandits were involved, nor did I hear that it had anything to do with Shen Beixiong. However, the business community in Jinling guessed that he did it. It felt even more frightening in everyone's hearts.Everyone now finally realizes that Shen Beixiong's appetite, wealth, and ruthlessness are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.So today, three months later, as soon as Shen Beixiong's invitation was received, everyone rushed over regardless of the scorching heat, without missing a single one. The cicadas and insects outside the window were as noisy as ever, but the hall was extremely quiet, and everyone was silent. On the one hand, no one wanted to sell their property, and on the other hand, they didn’t want to be that stupid bird who refused to face someone who didn’t know why. Shen Beixiong. "I have asked someone to estimate the price of your shop. Please take a look. If you think it is fair, you can seal the deal with your fingerprint on the contract. I can also eat all the bottom goods in your shop." Shen Beixiong's voice As soon as it landed, Manager Bai immediately handed over the contracts one by one to everyone.Everyone looked at the valuation on the contract, but it was still fair.It seems that Shen Beixiong has put in a lot of effort, and today he is officially showing his cards to everyone. Someone coughed lightly, and asked in a low voice, "How much money would it cost to buy our dozens of shops, plus all the stock?" Shen Beixiong turned to look at the questioner, and said with a chuckle, "Are you doubting my strength?" He clapped his hands as he spoke, and immediately dozens of strong men came down from upstairs carrying mahogany boxes one by one, and put the boxes away in an orderly manner. Put it neatly in the hall and open it.When standing in the hall, it was shrouded in yellow light, which made people unable to open their eyes.The people in the hall are all wealthy businessmen, what scene have you not seen?However, few people have seen so much gold, and everyone was stunned for a moment.Seeing this, Shen Beixiong smiled slightly: "The gold here is worth about one million taels of silver, which is probably enough to buy your shop and stocks. If it's not enough, I'll pay with this temporarily." He took off the fingers of his left hand Put a jade ring finger on it, and put it casually on the side of the table.An old jeweler with white beard and hair saw the jade wrench from a distance, and his cloudy eyes immediately shone with a strange light. He pointed at the jade wrench and asked shyly, "Old man... can I have a look?" Shen Wanxiong made a "please come" gesture, and the old man immediately came to the table, and carefully picked up the jade wrench finger, which was as green as a new willow, and then his hands and the three-foot white beard under his chin trembled at the same time, trembling He muttered in his voice, "It's the dragon-patterned jade, the unique dragon-patterned jade, this... this is a priceless treasure!" His words caused another commotion among the crowd. Even these rich businessmen had only heard of the legendary "Dragon Pattern Jade", and few people saw it with their own eyes. Now Shen Beixiong just casually took out one, and everyone couldn't help but gather around. Come up and open your eyes.I saw a small white dragon with claws, horns, mouth, and eyes naturally formed in the emerald green and cold jade wrench fingers, so lifelike that every scale can be clearly distinguished, it makes people suspect that it is sealed in the dragon. This ancient elf in emerald jade. The dragon pattern jade wrench was passed around in the hands of everyone, and finally returned to Shen Beixiong's hands.After everyone sat down again, the old man who recognized the dragon pattern jade just now cleared his throat and said, "We dare not doubt Boss Shen's strength, and the price Boss Shen gave is also very fair. But the old Wenyu Pavilion is the foundation of our ancestors, and we don't plan to sell it off." , so no matter how much money you have, I have nothing to do with this old man. I just want to know, if we don't agree to your request, how will Boss Shen deal with us?" Shen Beixiong chuckled, and said lightly: "For Shen, there are only two types of people in the business, one is a partner, and the other is an opponent. For opponents, Shen has always killed them all, leaving no way out." Speaking of this, Shen Beixiong smiled leisurely, "I believe there will always be someone who is willing to cooperate with me and sell the store to Shen, and then we will each compete based on our strength." Everyone couldn't help but look at each other, this is not the method a businessman should adopt at all, and Shen Beixiong is really not like a serious businessman, but such a person is the most terrifying to an honest businessman.Everyone knows that if they unite, they may not be as powerful as Shen Beixiong, but it may be more difficult to unite dozens of businessmen who are famous for their strengths. Sooner or later, Shen Beixiong will defeat them one by one.Businessmen value profits the most, and they will inevitably hesitate before their interests are about to be damaged. A few people have the intention of giving in. After all, the price Shen Beixiong gave is considered fair.Some people were lucky enough to think: This Yankee is obviously not a serious businessman. He thinks that if he has a lot of money, he can do whatever he wants. If he can sell the shop to him at a high price, he might not know how he will suffer in the future. Everyone was thinking about their own calculations, and they didn't speak for a while.At this moment, only one person asked sternly: "Jinling is an important town in the south of the Yangtze River, which is related to the peace of the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas. How can Mr. Tian allow you to disrupt Jinling's business?" Shen Beixiong didn't look at the merchant who dared to question him like this, but Walking slowly to the window, pointing to a tall building opposite, he said lightly: "It blocked my sight, so it has to be demolished." Director Bai agreed and ran downstairs, and after a while, countless craftsmen poured out from all directions, quickly surrounding the two-story building.Regardless of the hot weather, everyone immediately demolished the house. In a blink of an eye, the tall building gradually dwindled, leaving only broken walls and ruins, which would soon turn into ruins. The merchants were stunned.Everyone knows that the famous Jinling brothel on the opposite side, like the restaurant under your feet, is a secret property that Jinling prefect Mr. Tian is proud of in private, but Shen Beixiong demolishes it as soon as he wants, even if he secretly pays a high price from Mr. Tian The purchase also shows Shen Beixiong's self-confidence that he doesn't care about Mr. Tian's face at all, and his courage to not care about the loss of tens of thousands of taels of silver. "It's getting late," Shen Beixiong said coldly, "The owner who is willing to transfer the shop, please stay and discuss the details of the transfer with Manager Bai. Those who do not want to sell, please feel free to do so. I'm sorry Shen will not give it away." Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, it was difficult to decide whether to leave or stay for a while.At this moment, Manager Bai quickly went upstairs with a greeting card in his hand, came to Shen Beixiong's side and whispered: "Master, Jinling Su Muxian is asking to see you." Shen Beixiong frowned: "Didn't I say that I would never see anyone except the guests I invited?" Director Bai leaned down and whispered in his ear, "It's Mr. Su from the Jinling Su family, Jian Xiao Jiangnan Su." The Su family is unmatched in Jiangnan in terms of financial resources, material resources and status in the martial arts world. Mr. Su is the famous previous suzerain of the Su family. Although he is no longer in charge of family affairs, Shen Beixiong's arrogance is still there. Not daring to be slighted, he quickly nodded and signaled: "Please!" Manager Bai immediately rushed downstairs and shouted: "Please, Mr. Su!" As soon as the words fell, an old man in white clothes with an elegant demeanor had strode upstairs, and all the merchants rushed to greet him.Su Muxian nodded slightly in agreement, but his eyes fell on Shen Beixiong.Before Mr. Bai could introduce him, Shen Beixiong had clasped his fists from a distance and asked with a smile: "What kind of wind brought Mr. Su here. When Shen first arrived in your place, he thought to himself that he was just a small businessman, and he was not qualified to meet Mr. Su, so he didn't Dare to interrupt, but I didn't expect that Mr. Su would move his jade toe to see me, which made Shen extremely terrified!" "Boss Shen, you're welcome," Su Muxian stroked his beard lightly and said indifferently, "I've long since neglected common affairs, and I'm just entrusted by someone to send an invitation to Boss Shen." Shen Beixiong was full of surprise: "Who can actually work for Mr. Su, just to send an invitation?" Su Muxian chuckled: "If it weren't for the old man, it might not be easy for others to see you. The invitation is here, you can tell it at a glance." As he spoke, the old man took out an envelope from his pocket, and shook it before Mr. Bai came up to pick it up. The hand flew flatly towards Shen Beixiong.Shen Beixiong remained calm, until the envelope dangled and flew over a distance of several feet, and he reached out to grab it when it was less than a foot away from his chest.Su Muxian nodded slightly: "Good skill!" Shen Beixiong smiled faintly, and raised his hand to signal: "Master Su, please take a seat, and I will toast you and make amends." "Don't dare to interrupt, since the invitation has been delivered, I'll take my leave now!" Su Muxian said as he cupped his hands, turned around and left.It wasn't until he was far away that Shen Beixiong slowly opened the envelope and unfolded the invitation inside. There were only a few lines on it: On the outskirts of Jinling, in the Wangjiang Pavilion, a pot of tea and an elegant song have been prepared, waiting for Shen The boss boarded the pavilion to watch the clouds and clouds over the river, and the sunset over the long river. The last inscription is the two characters of "Zhu Yuan Yu Run" - Yunxiang. When he saw the last two words, Shen Beixiong's hand holding the post couldn't help trembling, but he didn't speak.Seeing that his expression was different, Director Bai quickly asked in a low voice: "My lord, who is the invitation card?" Shen Beixiong handed the invitation card to Director Bai with a complicated expression, stared blankly at the dilapidated building outside the window, and murmured: "You Let's see." Manager Bai took the invitation, glanced at it and blurted out: "It's Mr. Xiang! Mr. Xiang of Qianmen!" "Prepare the horses! Let's rush to the Wangjiang Pavilion on the outskirts of the city immediately!" Shen Beixiong said while looking at the sky, and his expression became calm in a moment.Manager Bai glanced at the unknown merchants around him, and asked in a low voice, "What should they do?" Shen Beixiong waved his hand: "Today's business is temporarily put on hold, let them go back and wait." After being sent away by Director Bai in a daze, all the merchants were asking each other along the way, wondering who this young master Xiang was, who could make Shen Beixiong lose his composure like this?Most of the people looked blank, obviously they had never heard of this name, only the boss of Wen Yuge murmured with a complicated expression: "I have heard of Gongzi Xiang, but I don't know if he is a mortal or a god, a saint or a devil ?”