Chapter 264: Living Like Immortals in Taoyang
After this incident, Su Tao felt that Taoyang’s private military force needed to grow stronger—quickly.
Otherwise, they would always have to hire outsiders to handle things.
They also needed to designate a specific area as a training ground for Taoyang’s private military, similar to the one used by Leopard Path.
Xu Qi suggested using the old training grounds at the former station:
“It’s pretty close to the Taochi Business Tower, just behind it. That whole area is empty.”
Taking his advice, Su Tao personally went to inspect the location. Any land surrounding Taochi could be acquired using crystal cores.
The old training ground covered a considerable area—at least 1,500 square meters. However, it was too basic, with only dirt roads that kicked up clouds of dust when running.
There were also a few rundown houses nearby, seemingly still occupied.
Seeing the place again, Xu Qi felt a wave of nostalgia. Shaking his head with a bitter smile, he said,
“Back then, it didn’t feel like much. A bunch of us brothers trained here, crawling through the dirt every day. By the end of the day, we were covered in dust. Going back, we’d often face power and water outages—forget taking a bath, even washing our faces was difficult. The next day, we’d be back at it, covered in mud and sweat.”
After living in Taoyang for a few months, seeing these conditions again, he was amazed that he had endured them for over a decade.
Su Tao nodded, deciding to secure the land that very night.
On the way to Xindu, they could begin construction gradually.
By the time they returned, Xu Qi and his team could start training.
Looking at Xu Qi, she suddenly recalled that the three remaining spots for the Alliance Summit had yet to be decided.
“Old Xu, do you want to attend the Alliance Summit?”
Xu Qi froze. “As a participant, not just an escort?”
Their role was to accompany and protect Boss Su and the others on the trip to Xindu. However, escorts weren’t allowed to enter the conference hall itself.
“Yes, as a participant.”
“I… can?” Xu Qi could hardly believe it.
“Of course, you can. Here are three invitations. Ask Mist and Nie Sibo if they’re willing to go. If they are, the three of you will attend the summit together.”
Xu Qi took the invitation and was still in a daze.
Back when he was with Tan Yong, the Old Station never even had the qualifications to attend the Alliance Summit. Even if they did, the spots would go to Qu Jingwen or Wei Xiang.
He had never imagined he would have the chance to attend such a prestigious event.
The people who went were all well-known figures.
Yet Boss Su had casually handed the three spots to them.
To Su Tao, it didn’t matter. There were plenty of invitations, and if they weren’t used, they’d go to waste. It was better to take the three of them along to broaden their horizons.
Once Taoyang’s private military was fully established, these three would be considered founding members.
Xu Qi didn’t dwell on it too much. Controlling his excitement, he returned to call Mist and Nie Sibo for a small meeting and handed them the invitations.
The two were equally stunned.
They knew just how valuable these spots were. Every year, Tan Yong would go to great lengths, practically begging and pleading with bases that had invitations, hoping to buy a spot at a high price.
But he never succeeded.
One year, he even had Qu Jingwen act as a companion to another base’s representative just to sneak into the venue, completely disregarding his dignity.
Mist’s expression was complicated. “Tan Yong begged for this but never got it. And now Boss Su just gives us three spots like it’s nothing.”
Nie Sibo was also deeply moved.
“Last Tuesday, Wei-ge called me, asking how I was doing and if I wanted to join him at Luonan Base.”
Wei-ge was Wei Xiang.
When Boss Su took over the Old Station, Wei Xiang refused to stay. He took a group of men and left, thinking Boss Su wouldn’t treat them well. He figured it was better to work independently or join another base.
From the way he talked, he clearly believed staying in Taoyang would lead to a bad outcome.
Xu Qi raised an eyebrow at Nie Sibo. “What? You thinking of going?”
Nie Sibo immediately cried out, “Hell no! I’d have to be crazy! The only thing that makes me uneasy in Taoyang is getting paid for doing almost nothing. Other than that, everything is great. Boss Su treats us well. And now, she’s even giving us a chance to attend the summit.”
“Last time we spoke, Wei-ge bragged about how he and his men went to Gannan Base and got recognized. He said housing was covered but not food, but the pay was decent. I asked him how much I’d get if I joined.”
“You guys won’t believe this!”
Xu Qi and Mist could already tell it wasn’t much from his expression.
Nie Sibo scoffed. “Only housing, no meals, and 15,000 federal credits a month.”
In Taoyang, any ability user started at 20,000 credits per month, with three meals included!
And Taoyang’s meals were so high-quality that people wouldn’t even believe it if they heard. The cafeteria had unlimited food and drinks—just don’t waste them.
On top of that, salaries could be used to offset rent, and the housing conditions were leagues ahead of what Wei Xiang could offer.
Xu Qi smirked. “No wonder he only called you. He probably thought you were easy to fool. But he didn’t realize you’re living like a king in Taoyang.”
Mist nodded in agreement.
Nie Sibo sighed. “He looks down on me. But even if Gannan Base doubled my salary, I wouldn’t go. I’ve realized something—aside from Boss Su, no other base would treat someone like me this well.”
Xu Qi silently agreed.
Boss Su even planned to rebuild their training ground.
He patted Nie Sibo’s shoulder. “We need to make a good impression in Xindu. The journey won’t be safe, so we have to be extra vigilant in protecting Boss Su.”
Nie Sibo nodded seriously. “Oh yeah, Wei Xiang said they’ll be escorting Gannan’s leadership to Xindu as well, but just as bodyguards, not as participants.”
Then, he grinned mischievously. “Maybe I’ll run into him. I’m gonna eat black pepper beef rice and ice cream right in front of him.”
Boss Su had packed an enormous amount of supplies for the trip, telling them to eat freely on the road, just like in Taoyang—no need to worry about running out.
Traveling with a boss like this made even the toughest journey feel like a blessing.
Xu Qi and Mist shook their heads, amused. It was childish, but they couldn’t help feeling a little excited too…
Su Tao had not only prepared food, drinks, and necessities for the journey but also a variety of goods to sell.
Things like beautifully packaged candies, pastries, red and white wines, and various snacks.
She planned to set up a high-end retail shop at the trade fair—just for three days—where everything would be sold at three times the original price.
After all, the attendees of the Alliance Summit were the wealthy and powerful. The pricier the goods, the more exclusive they seemed, perfectly fitting their image.
