186: Chapter 186 Raising Dragons

Liu Qing shook his head abruptly: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

The Old Man chuckled: "Nothing is impossible, because you have no choice now. Either you give up everything you've worked for, or you pay this money."

He paused there, then added: "Of course, this money is absolutely worth spending. This is about raising a dragon, after all. There is no one else in the world who knows this craft besides me. Furthermore, raising a dragon requires many casting materials and top-tier dharma instruments. Charging one hundred million is definitely not an exorbitant demand; it is truly worth the price. We are old acquaintances, so why would I cheat you? You should think about how everything you possess right now came to be—wasn't it all my doing?"

The Three Liu Brothers fell into silence.

One hundred million was not a small sum.

Especially for Liu Qing. If they were really going to pay, he would definitely be the one to do it, because his two brothers didn't have much money—they were the type who had enough for small expenses but lacked the funds for large ones.

But, that was one hundred million.

Liu Qing thought about his company's financial situation and his family's savings, then considered their current harmonious, happy, healthy, and wealthy life. Finally, he nodded: "But I can't come up with that much money all at once; I'll need to scrape it together."

The Old Man gave a sly chuckle: "That's fine. Raising a dragon isn't something that happens overnight. However, bring whatever you have first. dharma instruments don't wait for anyone; if you're a little late to act, they'll be bought by others."

"This..."

"At least fifty million. Anything less, and you won't be able to buy good dharma instruments. Back in the day, when your father met me right after I finished my apprenticeship, he didn't even hesitate to take out his entire savings for his bride price and wedding. Although it wasn't much, it was all the property your father could muster at the time. That's what gave you three brothers and your descendants your happy lives. Look at the Old Man's courage, and then look at you all… No wonder someone occupied your dragon vein; in my opinion, you brought this on yourselves."

Liu Qing nodded with a bitter face: "I am willing, but Mr. Tian, you must give us the specific operating procedures."

"I certainly need to explain things clearly to you three brothers," the Old Man said as he sat down. "A dragon vein is like an irrigation ditch. You dig a trench, channel some water, and that's a dragon vein. When a dragon vein is severed, it's like blocking the ditch and letting the water inside dry up. Raising a dragon is simply clearing out the ditch and channeling the water again. Understand?"

Liu Qing nodded: "That's very clear."

"Good that you understand. But clearing the ditch and channeling the water are not small tasks, and involving a dragon vein makes it even more complex. It's hard for me to accomplish this alone, so I need a large amount of auxiliary materials and dharma instruments. Especially the dharma instruments—the higher their grade, the better the clearing effect, and the better the water channeling. The dragon vein nurtured in the process will be that much stronger. Understand?"

"You mean..."

"You get what you pay for. If you can give me five hundred million, I can raise one twice as big as the original."

"That big?"

"Yes. The bigger the dragon vein, the better the effect. Your grandfather knew this. All the blessings your grandparents and your family currently enjoy are built upon the dragon vein that your house's foundation straddles. However, a dragon vein is not immutable. Especially these days, simply building a road or a house can affect the effect of the dragon vein. Your village's population is larger than before, and there are more and larger newly built houses. The Yellow River has also changed significantly compared to sixty-some years ago, not to mention the highways, railways, and bridges built around your village. The dragon vein under your house's foundation is being severely suppressed. Although it hasn't been severed yet, its effect is only one-tenth of what it used to be. If you don't make changes, your family's blessings will end here."

Liu Xin whispered: "Having three generations of blessings is not bad."

"If it were only the blessings disappearing, that wouldn't matter," the Old Man narrowed his eyes and sneered: "But heaven and earth are fair; there is taking and giving, borrowing and returning. Moreover, your family, like me, doesn't cultivate hidden virtues but instead has done many wicked things. Once these blessings are cut off, retribution will arrive immediately."

Liu Qing glared at his brother and said softly: "Mr. Tian, I need a more detailed plan."

"Fine, I'll explain it to you slowly. I have plenty of time, anyway."

"Please."

...

Xiaohe Village.

In a residential house less than five hundred meters from Liu Qing's villa.

Huo Qian was dozing off.

Liu Ming was scrolling through his phone in boredom, glancing at the three young girls from time to time. He felt a little sympathy, but only a little. These were people requested by the Three Liu Brothers, and he dared not make any rash decisions.

Let them go?

If he let the three girls go, he would be thrown into the Yellow River by the Three Liu Brothers to act as a water monkey.

Therefore, he was feeling quite tormented inside.

But Liu Qing was paying too much.

And once you do this kind of thing, you can never wash yourself clean; you can only go down this path until the end.

Just then, Huo Qian, who had been dozing, suddenly scrambled up: "Old Liu, everything okay?"

"Nothing, everything is normal. What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just feel like something isn't quite right. I couldn't even sleep soundly."

"Did you get scared out of your wits last night?"

"And how much better are you?"

"I'm better than you—wait, there's a sound." Liu Ming suddenly became alert, pulled over his laptop, and carefully observed the surveillance footage. All eight screens covered the front, back, left, and right of the villa, and everything was normal.

Huo Qian frowned and said: "Don't be so jumpy. We've been doing this for several years; when have we ever had any trouble? With the treasure Master Tian gave us protecting us, as long as we are careful, we don't need to worry about getting caught."

"That's what you say, but we should still be careful. I think I heard the sound of a car approaching."

"That's normal. Master Tian should be done drinking by now. Sit up straight; don't let Master Tian look at you with displeasure."

"Oh." Liu Ming thought of Master Tian's terrifying nature and quickly sat up straight, waiting for the arrival of the gaunt-looking but fierce-tempered Master Tian.

Once Master Tian arrived, the two of them would be relieved for the night. They just had to wait two or three days and then send the three girls back. It was foolproof, because Master Tian could wipe the three girls' memories of these past few days.

Once they sent the girls back, they would be completely safe.

At that time, they would go to Liu Qing to collect their money—at least one hundred thousand each—which would be enough for them to live lavishly for quite a while.

They couldn't find students this young, but there were plenty of women in the street-side shops. They could change one every day for a month without repeating.

But just at this moment, the lights in the room went out instantly.

"Did the power go out?" Huo Qian asked blankly.

Liu Ming was also stunned for a moment, but the next second, relying on his memory, he rushed to the back balcony. He climbed down the balcony with practiced ease, slipped into the backyard, grabbed a ladder, propped it against the courtyard wall, climbed over, and jumped straight down from the wall, which was over two meters high.

Just as he landed, a bright flashlight turned on.

He looked up and saw two fully armed SWAT officers.

His mind went blank, and in a daze, he was handcuffed, hooded, and dragged into a police car.

Inside the room, Huo Qian still didn't know what had happened. He was just turning on his phone's flashlight to look for Liu Ming, but as soon as he went downstairs, he was pinned down by two burly men.

The rescue process was exceptionally smooth.

Shen Yuhai breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to Han Jingyang: "Brother, thank you. Let's wrap up the operation."

"What about the Three Liu Brothers?"

"They won't be able to run."

Han Jingyang nodded. He had some concerns, but he didn't voice them.

He wasn't worried that the Three Liu Brothers would escape; he was only worried that something might happen to the Three Liu Brothers.