Chapter 3

"Chief! Chief!!"

The four people who were talking suddenly stood up and rushed to the bedside. Seeing Wang Lun's eyes slightly open, their joy was evident. Even the two visitors, who had been pretending to be calm and consoling others just moments ago, were now extremely excited. It seemed that in this world, no one would willingly accept the awkward identity of a former leader's confidant.

Wang Lun waved his hand, propped himself up on his elbows, and slowly sat up. Seeing this, Old Zheng quickly brought a quilt to support Wang Lun's back. Wang Lun nodded at him and asked, "How long have I been asleep? Why is my head so muddled?"

Old Zheng hurriedly replied, "I dare not hide it from the Chief. On that day, the Chief was viewing the snow on the mountain when he was struck by lightning and lost consciousness. You have been sleeping for more than three days. The bandit camp sent people down the mountain to invite doctors, but they were at a loss. Fortunately, the Chief has awakened today, which is a great blessing for the bandit camp!"

"Ugh, my head is spinning. I have no recollection of the bandit camp's affairs, and even you few, I only feel a vague sense of familiarity but can't remember your names or positions! Could I have lost my memory? What should I do!" As soon as he said this, Wang Lun vigorously patted his head, feigning great shock.

He wanted to hear about the bandit camp's affairs to consider his next steps, but he also feared alienating the two former confidants. Therefore, he added an explanation, publicly revealing his memory loss to avoid future issues.

Sure enough, when the two visitors heard about Wang Lun's vague memory, they were greatly alarmed. Only Yan Qi and Jia San secretly felt relieved. Fortunately, Old Zheng was somewhat comforted that Wang Lun still remembered him and the others. He quickly said, "The Chief has just awakened, so don't overthink things! Rest for a few days, and you will recover. Don't worry, take care of your health! We four are the Chief's trusted confidants. I am Zheng Qian, who was taken in by the Chief and now manages the bandit camp's finances. This is Zhou Zhi, who oversees the kitchen and construction. These two, who have been taking care of the Chief day and night, are the Chief's personal attendants, Yan Qi and Jia San. They have been very dedicated in serving the Chief these past few days!"

Yan Qi and Jia San were overjoyed to hear Zheng Qian praise them. They smiled broadly and looked at Wang Lun. Wang Lun glanced at them and said calmly, "Since that's the case, I'm fine now. You two have worked hard these past few days. It's not early, so go rest. I need to talk to Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi!"

Yan Qi and Jia San had been on guard for several days and were already exhausted. Hearing that they could rest, they nodded eagerly. As they walked to the door, they suddenly heard Wang Lun's voice, "You two, prepare yourselves. Tomorrow, you will be promoted to minor leaders!"

Hearing this, they felt a pang of guilt and showed no joy on their faces. They were secretly worried that their wavering loyalty had been noticed by the Chief. They quickly turned back, knelt down, and pleaded, "Chief, don't send us away! We are willing to stay by your side and take care of you!"

Wang Lun smiled and said slowly, "Do you want to stay by my side forever? There's no need to argue. I can't delay your future! After you two go down, take Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi as role models and work hard!" Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi, hearing this, humbly responded, "We dare not, we dare not."

Yan Qi and Jia San, seeing Wang Lun's kind demeanor and not suspecting their private thoughts, and considering the benefits of the promotion, were now happy. They hurriedly bowed in gratitude. Wang Lun waved them off and turned to talk to Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi, ignoring them. Yan Qi and Jia San, not minding, bowed to Wang Lun from a distance and left happily.

After they closed the door, Wang Lun stopped talking and just looked at Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi, making them feel uneasy. The atmosphere became somewhat oppressive, and Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi exchanged glances, both lowering their heads, waiting for Wang Lun to speak.

Wang Lun was considering how to deal with these former confidants. He had seen Yan Qi and Jia San's performance himself. Keeping them close would only cause trouble, so he decided to promote them to minor leaders, a nominal promotion but a real demotion. As for Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi, he didn't know their capabilities yet, but they seemed to have some potential in terms of character and interpersonal skills. It would be a waste to demote them along with Yan Qi and Jia San. He could observe them further before making a decision.

Thinking this, Wang Lun said to Zhou Zhi, "I was distracted just now. I haven't eaten for a few days, and my stomach is a bit empty. Go get some porridge to tide me over!"

Hearing this, the two confidants felt the pressure ease. Zhou Zhi quickly got up and went to the kitchen.

"After I was unconscious for these few days, did anything significant happen in the bandit camp?" Wang Lun asked Zheng Qian, who was being respectful.

Seeing that his master's expression was normal and he was asking about affairs, Zheng Qian felt relieved and quickly replied, "While the Chief was unconscious, the two leaders Du and Song were very worried and came to check on the Chief every day. Apart from that, nothing significant happened!"

"What about Zhu?" Wang Lun asked again.

"Zhu?" Zheng Qian was momentarily stunned, thinking that the bandit camp, including the Chief, only had three leaders. When did a new leader Zhu appear?

Wang Lun, seeing Zheng Qian's confusion, was also puzzled. He thought Zhu Gui might not have come up the mountain yet. Just as he was pondering, Zheng Qian said, "Is the Chief referring to Zhu Gui, the leader in charge of the inn and intelligence below the mountain?"

So that's it! Wang Lun's confusion was instantly resolved. He nodded, signaling Zheng Qian to continue.

Zheng Qian, hearing Wang Lun's slip of the tongue, didn't think much of it. After all, the Chief had just been struck by lightning, so it was understandable that he might mix up some details. He continued, "Zhu Gui is not on the mountain, but he came to visit the Chief every day while you were sick. On the day of the incident, the doctor who was invited to treat the Chief was personally brought by him from Shouzhang County."

Wang Lun nodded, thinking to himself, no wonder Chai Jin only mentioned three leaders when introducing Liangshan to Lin Chong. When Zhu Gui led Lin Chong up the mountain, and they were talking in the hall, Zhu Gui sat behind Lin Chong, not out of politeness, but because he hadn't yet become the fourth leader of the bandit camp.

Thinking about this, Wang Lun felt that his predecessor was quite capable. As a weak and destitute scholar, he managed to have Du Qian and Song Wan, two experienced bandits, loyally support him and keep Zhu Gui, who had the potential to be a leader, in check. Zhu Gui was content being the head of the inn, and the bandit camp's finances and logistics were managed by trusted minor leaders. This showed that the predecessor was far from the weak and ineffective person he had imagined.

While lying in bed, Wang Lun had been thinking about how to handle the current situation. It seemed that Zhu Gui was the perfect first step. However, he was concerned that Zhu Gui might have been suppressed too much by his predecessor, and it would take more effort to fully win him over.

"Send someone down the mountain tomorrow to invite Zhu Gui to come up early in the morning for a meeting!" Wang Lun said thoughtfully. Seeing Zheng Qian's puzzled look, he decided not to hide his intentions and explained, "Zhu Gui has worked hard for a long time. It's time for him to take a seat on the mountain!"

Zheng Qian was surprised, envious, and happy.

He was surprised that the Chief had changed his mind. The bandit camp had been talking about Zhu Gui taking the fourth seat for a while, but it had been all talk and no action. As a confidant of the Chief, he didn't claim to know Wang Lun's thoughts best, but he thought he had a good idea about Zhu Gui. He never expected the Chief to suddenly invite Zhu Gui to take the fourth seat after recovering from his illness. What was the Chief's reasoning?

He was envious that Zhu Gui, who was on the same level as him, had successfully risen to a higher position. However, he and Zhou Zhi had been on the mountain for a short time, had no martial skills, and lacked the respect Zhu Gui had, so he was only envious, not jealous.

The most important and joyful thing for him was that the Chief had chosen him to inform the new fourth leader. This clearly meant that his position in Wang Lun's heart had not changed due to the Chief's memory loss.

Thinking this, Zheng Qian happily agreed.

At that moment, Zhou Zhi entered with a food box, protected by a large coat. Seeing Zheng Qian's happy expression as he took the food box, Zhou Zhi was a bit puzzled but didn't ask. He said to Wang Lun, "Chief, you haven't eaten for a long time, so it's not suitable to have a big meal. Please have some vegetable porridge first to adjust your stomach." Zheng Qian opened the food box, took out a bowl of steaming porridge, and handed it to Wang Lun, placing two dishes of pickles on the bedside table.

Wang Lun nodded, thinking that Zhou Zhi was quite considerate. He took the hot porridge from Zheng Qian and started eating slowly. Zheng Qian and Zhou Zhi sat by the bed, carefully attending to him. Wang Lun pointed to the pickles and politely asked if they wanted to join him. They quickly said they had already eaten and asked the Chief to enjoy his meal. Wang Lun smiled and, while eating, said to Zhou Zhi, "I just discussed something with Zheng Qian. I want to invite Zhu Gui to take a seat on the mountain. What do you think?"

Zhou Zhi finally understood why Zheng Qian had been happy earlier! Seeing that the Chief was consulting him on such a significant matter, he felt honored and quickly praised the Chief's wisdom, saying that appointing a leader was the Chief's decision, and he dared not give any opinion.

"Never mind, what do you think everyone will think of this?" Wang Lun chuckled and asked again.

Zhou Zhi, seeing the Chief's focused expression, realized he was not just being polite. After a moment's thought, he said, "Zhu Gui, ah, this leader is very righteous and has a lot of respect among the bandits. If the Chief invites him to take a seat on the mountain, everyone will think the Chief is good at recognizing talent, and they will be more motivated to work hard in the future!"

Wang Lun smiled and nodded, putting down the empty bowl of porridge. His gaze lingered on the already yellowed wall, where the candlelight cast three thin, long shadows, appearing particularly frail.

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