After hanging up the phone, I sat by the window in the hotel room, silently smoking a cigarette. At the same time, I began to repeatedly recall and ponder the path I needed to take next.
Since Yu Shuang intended to use me as a pawn, I naturally wouldn't let her have her way.
Regarding the matter of revenge against Wang Yangming, I planned to wait and see, dragging it out until Yu Shuang could no longer bear it and made her move before me!
Secondly, there was the matter of forming my own team and faction.
It is said that in the Thousand Arts, a single tree does not make a forest.
This was something I had deeply understood from both my previous revenge against Wang Yangming and my direct confrontation with Yu Shuang.
Therefore, I wanted to seize this opportunity to quickly assemble my own team of con artists, so that I could establish a firm foothold in the Blue Path as soon as possible.
The candidate for Wind General had been decided, so next… it was time for Fire General.
Without exaggeration, the Fire General was second only to the Main General in terms of identity and status among the Eight Generals of the Thousand Arts!
The reason why Zhang Zifeng's four-man con team dared to act so brazenly and arrogantly was because his team had Brother Wu, a fierce general, holding down the fort!
A true Fire General was no less capable than the double-flower red棍 (a term for powerful enforcers in organized crime) in the underworld.
This was because the Fire General earned their position through sheer grit, one punch and one stab at a time!
However, as the saying goes, a thousand pieces of gold are easily obtained, but a worthy general is hard to find!
Finding a Fire General who fit the style of my team… was difficult!
Therefore, before searching for a Fire General, I decided to bring Qin Lei into the fold and help him adapt to his new identity.
Once Qin Lei could officially perform the duties of Wind General, I would see if I could leverage him to further strengthen my team.
After all, professional matters should be handled by professionals!
After roughly planning my schedule for the upcoming period, I took out my phone and sent Qin Lei a message…
The next morning.
As soon as I walked out of the hotel entrance, I saw Qin Lei on the side of the entrance, eating a steamed bun.
Qin Lei, in his early twenties, was about two to three centimeters shorter than me. Although his appearance was rather ordinary, his bright and piercing eyes gave people a refreshing feeling.
They say eyes are the windows to the soul, and that saying is absolutely true!
Qin Lei's gaze was clean and clear, without too much complexity, only a hint of determination.
Seeing me come out, Qin Lei immediately stopped eating his bun and greeted me somewhat reservedly, "Brother Xiang, good morning!"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but smile.
As expected of someone who had spent time in the outside world, his awareness and demeanor were truly high.
As I walked up to greet him, I took Qin Lei to a nearby breakfast shop and ordered two large bowls of plain noodles.
I wasn't sure if it was shyness or his naturally taciturn nature, but after sitting down at the breakfast shop, Qin Lei kept his head down without saying a word.
Seeing this, I could only make small talk with him intermittently…
During our casual conversation, I learned about Qin Lei's background.
Apart from having a mother who was seriously ill, Qin Lei's childhood experiences and encounters were largely similar to mine.
However, he was luckier than me in that both his parents were still alive, but they were both plagued by illness.
Bad luck always strikes the unfortunate, and troubles always find the downtrodden!
………………
After a period of rambling small talk, Qin Lei seemed to relax and began to initiate conversations with me.
"Brother Xiang, I still don't know what you do for a living!"
Qin Lei asked vaguely while slurping his noodles heartily.
I didn't beat around the bush regarding my identity; instead, I told Qin Lei the truth.
Furthermore, I laid out the entire story of the Eight Generals of the Thousand Arts.
Upon hearing my words, Qin Lei, who had been eating his noodles, suddenly froze in confusion and then choked.
After an unknown amount of time…
"The Eight Generals of the Thousand Arts!? Are you making a movie?"
Qin Lei, having come to his senses, still looked bewildered.
Seeing this, I could only spread my hands and smile helplessly, then patiently explain everything about the Eight Generals of the Thousand Arts without reservation.
When he heard about the responsibilities of the Wind General, he became indignant and said, "It sounds good to call it Wind General, but in the end… isn't this just running errands!?"
Hearing this, I first shook my head and smiled helplessly, then immediately put away my smile and looked at him, saying with a solemn tone, "The Wind General is not a runner! He is the eyes and ears of the Main General!"
"The Wind General's intelligence is crucial and can directly affect every gamble!"
"In other words, every gamble I participate in the future will be based on the intelligence you gather."
"Whether it leads to good fortune or disaster, blessing or curse."
"As long as you confirm it's safe, I'll go for it! This is essentially entrusting my entire back to you!"
"Only the person most trusted by the Main General is qualified to be the Wind General!"
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
After listening to me, Qin Lei's previous indignation vanished, and his expression became extremely serious.
After about one or two minutes, Qin Lei suddenly said with utmost solemnity, "I understand, Brother Xiang!"
"From now on, especially when off the gambling table, I, Qin Lei, will be your eyes and ears! I will be your eyes and ears, seeing in all directions and hearing all around!"
"That's right!"
Hearing this, I nodded slightly, patted Qin Lei's shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "You are my second pair of eyes and ears!"
"Remember this! As long as you don't make a mistake, I definitely won't!"
This time, Qin Lei didn't reply verbally but nodded heavily in agreement.
Seeing Qin Lei's firm commitment, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The prototype of the team… was formed!
To be honest, although I intended to groom Qin Lei into the Wind General, whether this matter would ultimately succeed depended on him.
After all, I wasn't foolish enough to resort to autocratic methods after paving the way with money.
Doing so would undoubtedly damage my image in Qin Lei's eyes.
Furthermore, tasks like scouting and lookout were indeed like running errands, and no amount of eloquent praise could change that.
Fortunately, Qin Lei figured it out himself…
After breakfast, I took Qin Lei to a nearby bank and withdrew five thousand yuan in cash for him.
To be a qualified team leader, winning people over is essential.
The moment he took the money, I saw Qin Lei's eyes instantly redden.
In today's society, it is rare to receive money before doing the work. Especially from a stranger you've only known for a short time.
After a while, when his emotions had completely settled, Qin Lei looked at me with burning eyes and said, word for word, in an extremely solemn tone, "From today onwards, my life, Qin Lei's life, belongs to you, Brother Xiang!"