Chapter 24

Several people were joking around, chatting about the increasingly rampant Sōngjí Sect in the outskirts recently.

They also talked about the recent unusual activities at the Hong Family Fortress outside the city, one of the two major sects.

Cheng Shaojiu then mentioned the terrifying monster his escort team encountered, which dragged away a skilled and strong escort in an instant.

Everyone was amazed, marveling at the strangeness of it.

When the monster was mentioned, Jiang Su recalled something.

"Cheng Shixiong, you said you encountered the monster, Hei Fengzi, with your junior, Wei He?"

"That's right." Cheng Shaojiu nodded, lowering his head to add some braised pig's ear to his plate.

"Wei He has always been with you. Come to think of it, I find it a bit strange. He comes from a humble background, has ordinary talent, and is even somewhat mediocre, not much different from other mediocre juniors. Why does Cheng Shixiong treat him differently?" Jiang Su asked casually.

She had always valued talent and family background, and couldn't understand why Cheng Shaojiu would lower himself to befriend someone like Wei He.

Before Cheng Shaojiu could respond, Jiang Yan shook his folding fan and smiled, "Su, you don't know the reason. Winning people's hearts is all about helping them when they're in need. Cheng Shixiong is cultivating loyalty in Wei He."

"Loyalty?" Jiang Su pondered.

"Exactly. Think about it, Wei He comes from a poor background, is introverted, and quiet. What kind of insight could he have? But let me tell you, the more such a personality, the more they value kindness and favors.

"Think about it, if it were someone not so poor, would Cheng Shixiong's efforts yield such good results? Would Wei He be so devoted?

"Don't underestimate this. If used well, in the future, Cheng Shixiong might have a loyal bodyguard by his side!"

Jiang Yan seemed to have a deep understanding.

He had seen many elders in his family use this technique, and immediately understood Cheng Shaojiu's intentions.

Xiao Ran and Jiang Su were suddenly enlightened. Compared to Jiang Yan, their families were much weaker in this aspect.

They were naturally less mature in these matters.

"In my opinion, Cheng Shixiong must have learned this from the head of the escort agency. From Wei He's current situation, it seems he is already devoted to Cheng Shixiong, and success is not far off..." Jiang Yan smiled.

"If that's the case, the two bodyguards my father has now might have been won over in the same way years ago." Jiang Su seemed to have an epiphany.

"My family is the same. Although we can't compare to yours, my mother has a maid who was also brought in this way. She does whatever she's told, very obedient." Xiao Ran laughed.

"If I hadn't accidentally gone too far and made her jump into a well, it probably wouldn't have happened..." He still felt a lingering fear when he thought about it.

"But that incident was good. After that, I was beaten by my father, and I realized that indulgence in alcohol and women is truly a poison to practice. If you don't control the frequency, you'll regret it later.

"So from then on, I joined Master Zheng's school, came to this all-male courtyard, stayed away from alcohol and women, and focused on martial arts. Now it has proven my thoughts back then..."

After eating a bite of food, Xiao Ran smiled again, "Don't think I'm just attending banquets every day. Hey, I practice whenever I can, even while eating and drinking. Do you think I don't know that indulgence can slow progress? I even bought special supplements."

"It seems Xiao Shixiong's achievements are not just due to talent. Talent alone, without perseverance, would never reach this level." Jiang Su sighed.

"Maybe I didn't have such experiences growing up, which is why my talent is lacking?"

She couldn't help but laugh.

"Talent is innate, and I can't change that. But if I can win a few devoted people to protect me, wouldn't that be just as comfortable?

"Why don't you ask Shaojiu for some advice, Su? Even Jiang Shixiong praises Shaojiu's skills in this area, so he must be good at it." Xiao Ran smiled.

Jiang Su, though strong-willed and believing in her own strength, realized that having a few devoted people could greatly enhance her sense of security, and she was quite intrigued.

Moreover, she had initially been asking Cheng Shaojiu, but the conversation had been diverted by the others. She turned to look at him.

However, they had been so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed Cheng Shaojiu's state.

When she turned to look, she saw that Cheng Shaojiu was quietly eating and drinking, not saying a word, as if he hadn't heard their discussion.

"Cheng Shixiong? You haven't answered my question yet," Jiang Su said.

"Oh, I was just focused on eating. I was hungry, sorry, sorry, I was a bit impolite," Cheng Shaojiu finally looked up and apologized.

"Cheng Shixiong, do you have any good methods..." Jiang Su continued, repeating what they had discussed.

"Good methods...?" Cheng Shaojiu lowered his head again, pausing.

He neatly placed his chopsticks on the spoon.

Then he looked up again.

"I've always had an idea."

"What idea?" Jiang Su asked.

"I hope that one day I can make friends all over the world, and wherever I go, I can turn enemies into friends. I can resolve all troubles without a fight."

Cheng Shaojiu smiled.

"So, I don't have any special intentions towards anyone. I just treat people sincerely.

"Wei He, I treat him as a friend, so he treats me as a friend. That's all there is to it."

His words made Jiang Yan and the others' expressions slowly change.

Because his words didn't sound right.

Everyone knew that Cheng Shaojiu had a wide circle of friends and could chat with people from all walks of life.

By saying this, he meant: I, Cheng Shaojiu, treat Wei He as a friend, just like I treat you all as friends.

Wasn't he comparing them to Wei He and his ilk, putting them in the same category?

"Cheng seems a bit drunk," Jiang Yan said with a smile, folding his fan.

"Let's drop this topic. How about we go see the new items at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion? To be honest, now that silver is no longer used and everything is in gold leaves, it's quite inconvenient."

Jiang Yan stood up first and called the waiter to settle the bill.

After that incident, the three of them had some thoughts about Cheng Shaojiu.

The four of them split into two groups, two in front and two behind.

Xiao Ran and Jiang Yan walked behind, and the crowd made the distance between them and the two in front a bit wider.

Xiao Ran looked at Cheng Shaojiu's back.

"I didn't know Shaojiu was so... so pure."

"You mean naive?" Jiang Yan smiled. "There's no such thing as equal friendship in this world. You treat people sincerely, and they treat you maliciously. There are many examples of this."

"Have you encountered such examples, Jiang Shixiong?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Ha, Shaojiu still lives in the city and has a better understanding of human nature. The few people he associates with, like Zhou Yishi and Wei He, seem to be devoted to him now, but do you believe that if I offered a high price, none of them would resist?" Jiang Yan said calmly.

"Jiang Shixiong has a good point," Xiao Ran nodded. "I believe it."

"So, Shaojiu is wasting his time. Winning people's loyalty isn't done this way.

"At first, I thought he had some skills, but after hearing him say this...

"Treating everyone equally and sincerely, sincerity, when used too much, becomes worthless, just like silver now.

"He treats the poor and the rich the same. If this spreads, the poor will be grateful and fearful, while the rich will be dissatisfied.

"Over time, even if he gains the gratitude of the poor, what use is it? The rich will all stay away.

"How can he advance with just a few poor people? How many people can he meet in his lifetime?

"Is the world dominated by the poor or the rich? It's like buying a pearl and returning the box.

"Watch, Shaojiu will continue to do this, seemingly gentle, but he will regret it in the future." Jiang Yan unfolded his fan, quickened his pace, and said no more.

Xiao Ran was enlightened and admired Jiang Yan even more, feeling that he was on a different level from Jiang Su and Cheng Shaojiu. He hurried to catch up.

Cheng Shaojiu, however, was unaware that Jiang Yan and the others had already placed him in the category of someone not worth deep friendship.

......

......

......

Time passed, and a week went by.

The weather became hotter, even though it was autumn, it didn't cool down at all.

Wei He, after receiving his wages, immediately took his older sister to look for a place to open a bun shop.

A bun shop doesn't need much space, but it needs to be in a place with a lot of foot traffic.

At first, Wei Ying didn't know that the house was for her to open a bun shop. According to her younger brother Wei He, it was for his junior to help open a small store.

She was envious but also gave various suggestions enthusiastically.

In the end, after following her suggestions, Wei He chose a good location, negotiated the price, and bought it.

When she saw the deed, she realized it was for her to open the shop, and she was deeply moved.

Wei He was now considered an old-timer in the courtyard and had separated from Cheng Shaojiu, each leading a new recruit to train.

This was also the duty of an old-timer.

His status had changed, and after talking to Master Zheng, Wei Ying was allowed to leave the courtyard to prepare her bun shop.

At Master Zheng's place, someone saw Wei Ying's success and followed by sending a new girl to work for free, just for room and board.

This way, they could ensure safety and get familiar with Master Zheng, increasing their impression. It was a win-win situation.

The benefits gained from this were far more than the compensation.

Master Zheng, however, had become accustomed to Wei Ying's care, and suddenly changing to someone else made him miss her.

Whenever the new recruit made a mistake, he couldn't help but think of Wei Ying's attentiveness and would mutter about it.

Over time, Wei Ying heard this and couldn't help but come back to take care of him every few days, fulfilling the old man's wishes.

However, this made many people in the courtyard look at Wei He differently.

Especially Jiang Su.

They all believed that this was all part of Wei He's plan.

Using his older sister to leave a good impression on the old man and gain more favor.

Thus, under the rumors spread by Jiang Su and others, many people's views on Wei He changed, believing he was deeply calculating and not to be taken lightly.