Chapter 11

Wu Fan has always regarded a phrase from the "Records of the Grand Historian" as a maxim, for Mr. Sima's writing was truly profound! So profound that it could encapsulate the past, present, future, East, and West, as long as it involved people, with just one sentence! That sentence is, "All under heaven are bustling for profit, all under heaven are bustling for gain." It has many interpretations, but the simplest is "people are inherently profit-seeking."

Wherever there is profit, there will be people. Wherever there is sufficient profit, there will be many people.

So...

Deputy Commander Zhao Xi's intention to promote Wu Fan to a hundred-man commander under the Luoyang Thousand-Man Commandery touched the interests of others, and Wu Fan was thus given a cold look.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort undoubtedly turned the previously warm and lively banquet into a silent and eerie atmosphere.

The person who snorted was Wu Yuanhao. He was eight feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a wide forehead and a broad mouth, his face covered in a beard, truly living up to his name as a mighty and heroic figure. He was one of the two commanders of the Luoyang Thousand-Man Commandery of the Eagle-Brave Guard. According to the distorted structure of the Eagle-Brave Guard, his position was second only to the chief and deputy commanders of the Thousand-Man Commandery, overseeing four hundred-man commanderies.

Commander Wu Zhao of the Luoyang Thousand-Man Commandery came from a prestigious family. He joined the Eagle-Brave Guard, a dark institution, merely to hone his martial skills and temper his mind, so he rarely managed the affairs of the Thousand-Man Commandery. He would only step in when there were skilled martial artists causing chaos. Because Commander Wu Zhao was indifferent to managing the Thousand-Man Commandery and had already announced that he did not intend to hold the position for long, a tripartite division emerged within the Thousand-Man Commandery. The deputy commander and the two commanders competed and undermined each other, creating a chaotic situation. After all, they all coveted the position of commander and had the qualifications to vie for it...

Wu Yuanhao was generally a decent person. He was fair in rewards and punishments and understood reason. His current behavior was quite thought-provoking. Of course, it wasn't entirely his fault. Who could blame him when Deputy Commander Zhao Xi and Wu Fan were openly trying to snatch the meat from his mouth?

The Thousand-Man Commandery oversaw ten hundred-man commanderies, totaling over 2,300 people. The ten hundred-man commanderies were divided into three cavalry commanderies and seven infantry commanderies. The other commander, who did not attend today, was a veteran of the Eagle-Brave Guard, having managed the three cavalry commanderies for over a decade, with deep roots that were hard to shake. The seven infantry commanderies were divided between Commander Wu Yuanhao, who managed four, and Deputy Commander Zhao Xi, who managed three. Both were relatively new and had unstable foundations, making their competition intense.

Wu Fan's hundred-man commandery was one of the four under Wu Yuanhao's management! Yet, Wu Fan chose to show loyalty not to his superior but to Deputy Commander Zhao Xi, his superior's rival. No matter how good Wu Yuanhao was, he couldn't tolerate such behavior! Giving Wu Fan a cold look was already a light punishment; not directly eliminating him was a sign of great restraint!

A deputy commander and two commanders all understood that to seize the position of commander, the strength of their subordinates was essential. Currently, Wu Yuanhao and the other commander were on equal footing, while Deputy Commander Zhao Xi was at a disadvantage. With Wu Fan, a meritorious but disloyal subordinate, under Wu Yuanhao, Zhao Xi saw an opportunity to strengthen himself and weaken his opponent. This was a heaven-sent chance. Thus, today's scene unfolded, a test to gauge the situation. If Wu Yuanhao reacted negatively, Zhao Xi would use it to tarnish his reputation. If Wu Yuanhao backed down, it would be even better, allowing Zhao Xi to take over a hundred-man commandery.

In short, Deputy Commander Zhao Xi had the upper hand and controlled the situation.

Wu Yuanhao's cold snort made Deputy Commander Zhao Xi's eyes narrow instantly and chilled Wu Fan's previously good mood. Being too overconfident could be fatal.

Standing there, Wu Fan was at a loss, neither sitting nor standing, feeling extremely awkward.

"Commander Wu! This is not how you treat a meritorious subordinate!" Zhao Xi, with a twinkle in his eyes, said with a smile, "Your clansman is truly remarkable! He previously killed Chen Yuxi, who colluded with the demons of the Maitreya Sect, removing a major threat to our Luoyang Thousand-Man Commandery. Now, he has discovered the camp of the Maitreya Sect demons and guided our brothers to capture all the rebels! Truly... meritorious! Isn't that so?"

Wu Yuanhao's lips twitched, and his thick beard trembled. However, he remained silent, staring at Zhao Xi and then at Wu Fan.

The game of power was not something a minor figure like Wu Fan could participate in. He felt deeply powerless, the taste of awaiting judgment was truly unpleasant. Only now, after sorting through everything, did he understand some key issues, cursing inwardly. He cursed not only Wu Yuanhao but also Zhao Xi.

After cursing enough, Wu Fan warned himself that the Eagle-Brave Guard was not a good place, and the people in it were not good people. If he was a bad person, were they any better? Compared to them, he was still a minor villain, while they had been cultivating for years, almost becoming immortals. He must think thrice before acting and not be so self-righteous.

The standoff lasted for a long time, until the entire noisy tavern fell silent, and a turning point finally appeared.

Deputy Commander Zhao Xi gave Wu Fan a smile and Wu Yuanhao a challenging look, then stood up, clasped his hands, and said loudly, "Brothers, enjoy your meal and drink! All the expenses are on me! I have had a few too many cups and cannot hold my liquor, so I must take my leave! I am truly sorry! Truly sorry! I will definitely host another banquet to treat everyone!"

"Crack..."

After Deputy Commander Zhao Xi pretended to stagger away, Wu Fan noticed Wu Yuanhao, who was very close to him, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Closing his eyes to regulate his emotions, Wu Yuanhao stood up, his face dark, and looked at Wu Fan with a cold sneer, "Good! Very good!"

[Good? Really good? He almost bit me!]

Wu Fan felt the same way inside but showed a different face.

Hearing Wu Yuanhao's words, Wu Fan hurriedly bowed and clasped his hands, appearing very obedient.

In front of the entire Thousand-Man Commandery, over 2,000 Eagle-Brave Guards, and being the most important meritorious subordinate in this great victory, Wu Yuanhao, despite his raging anger, could not vent it and stormed off.

After Wu Yuanhao left, Wu Fan took a deep breath. In the scorching July heat, his back was drenched in cold sweat, almost soaking through his Eagle-Brave uniform.

He couldn't eat anymore. Wu Fan apologized to the other hundred-man commanders and left the tavern, shamelessly asking to take a roasted suckling pig with him. He then leaned on the smooth wooden counter, frowning in deep thought. He wasn't naive enough to think that Wu Yuanhao's leniency this time meant he would always be lenient. Moreover, he felt that the new support he had found was also unreliable.

After much thought, Wu Fan couldn't come up with a useful solution. He decided to go home and take out all the rewards from the system space to improve his martial arts. After all, only valuable people deserve to live.

"Sir! Your roasted suckling pig is ready!"

The waiter handed him the roasted suckling pig, which had been deboned and wrapped in oil paper and hemp rope.

Like Wu Fan, the waiter was probably also quite frightened today. There was no way to avoid it; who didn't know the ruthless nature of the Eagle-Brave Guard? One misstep, and they could accuse you of being a rebel, execute you on the spot, and confiscate your entire family's property... serving them tea and food required extreme caution!

"Good!"

Wu Fan took the roasted suckling pig, which was wrapped in five layers of oil paper, and walked a few steps before realizing he was missing something. He turned back to the counter and took a jar of aged wine, saying generously, "All expenses are on Commander Zhao!"

He turned and left in a grand manner.

Only the waiter, left behind with a bitter smile, and some unspoken words remained.

...

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