118 The State of Affairs (2/2)
Fang Wenshi was greatly surprised and studied the boy in front of him with his eyes. He had seen many people over the years, both famous and anonymous, but none of them had ever been interested in him. ”You... think I'm talented?”
”Uh, yes... as we've been through a lot together...”
”Ha!” Fang Wenshi grabbed the bag and laughed out loud. ”Dad, mom, my studies were useful after all! This is the first reward for my efforts!”
He laughed and cried, jumping up and down. Until Fang Wenshi felt exhausted, Gu Shenwei finally said, ”Mr. Fang, I came here for two reasons. One is to give you the gift, the other is to consult with you regarding some questions.”
Fang Wenshi put the bag away and tidied his clothes. ”Go ahead, I'll tell you all I know without any reservation.”
”You once said 'Three decades ago, Golden Roc rose up.' What does this mean?”
Fang Wenshi never thought that the boy would be interested in this. Again, he looked at the boy up and down. ”Are you a killer apprentice from Golden Roc Fort?”
Gu Shenwei nodded.
”No wonder. When you were born, Golden Roc Fort had already ruled over the Western Region and claimed to have been ruling for centuries up till the reign of the seventh Supreme King. In fact, 30 years ago, Golden Roc Fort was only one of the killer gangs. The first and second Supreme Kings were given subsequent recognition, and the third, fourth, and fifth Supreme King were just nicknames used in Jianghu. But the sixth Supreme King rose up in troubled times. He got his killers involved in disputes between countries and he also wiped out the other gangs. In the five or six years after that, Golden Roc Fort became a new force and one of the most important forces when the conflicts in the Western Region had settled down.”
”So it rose up in only five or six years?”
”Opportunity makes the hero. Had it not been for the opportunity in those troubled times of the Western Region, Golden Roc Fort might still be a small gang. By the way, Golden Roc Fort was called Golden Roc Hall in the past. That Hall had a history of hundreds of years and was taken over by the Shangguan family 30 years ago.”
Gu Shenwei had not ever heard of this from Zhang Ji, who was very knowledgeable about the history of the Fort. Even as he was reminiscing about the past while grumbling about the present, Zhang Ji was still loyal to current Golden Roc Fort and was even more loyal than most of the people. He did not want to talk about the humble past of Golden Roc Fort, because in his eyes the Fort had been the king since its birth.
Obviously, such past history would definitely not be recorded in the books that Gu Shenwei had read.
Gu Shenwei listened carefully to Fang Wenshi while both of them were sitting on the ground. Fang Wenshi poured out everything he had recited in the last few days in return for the ”present”.
Fang Wenshi analyzed the forces in the Western Region. And when it finally came to Iron Mountain Gang, he said, ”The others think Bighead Kingpin a cruel and thuggish guy, but I believe that he had great foresight. Looking back over the past few years, there has been no other bandit gang of over a thousand members except for Iron Mountain. The others were completely wiped out whereas Bighead Kingpin became stronger and stronger. Small countries do not dare to provoke him at all. He is very smart, isn't he?”
Not so long ago, Fang Wenshi just said that Iron Mountain was full of boorish fellows, but now he changed his mind. Gu Shenwei nodded, but he did not seem to be convinced.
Fang Wenshi spotted Gu Shenwei's disbelief. ”Hey, you should believe my words about Bighead Kingpin.” He blurted out. ”Let's talk about what's happening now. The people of Golden Roc Fort were robbed by the roving bandits. Although the gifts were for him, he could not have started the war to take revenge for them. But under the excuse of taking revenge, he positioned his camp at the mountain pass. Iron Mountain has promised the other countries in the Western Region not to encamp anywhere for more than six months, but now, for the purpose of vengeance, he can occupy that place as long as he wants. It is likely that Golden Roc Fort will support him.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Shenwei was suddenly realized he was coldly sweating. He thought he was clever and could take advantage of Bighead Kingpin with Miss' support. But now, he came to understand that, as they were able to survive and extend their power in a complex land like the Western Region, none of those leaders should be underestimated.
Only mutual interests could leverage an alliance. The affection between father and daughter could not delude a man like Bighead Kingpin.
Gu Shenwei and Fang Wenshi departed in the afternoon. Before Fang Wenshi left for his hometown, he told the ”hero” his address. ”Several years later, when you gather more than 5,000 followers, come to find me and I can be your counselor.”
Gu Shenwei gave Fang Wenshi his horse. He did not know if he would have a chance to seek help from the counselor in his lifetime.
Fang Wenshi walked forward and after a few steps, he suddenly turned around and asked, ”What's your name, hero?”
”Yang Huan .”
Fang Wenshi nodded and repeated the name several times as he was riding away. But later on, he totally forgot the name within three days.
Gu Shenwei walked back to the camp, thinking about all the forces that were related to Golden Roc Fort along the way. He thought maybe someday he could utilize these forces.
As soon as he arrived at the camp, a sub-chief came and asked him to see Bighead Kingpin.