"Since you're looking for a reliable stranger to work for you, and you're paying, then Brother Shan, with the dual principles of not avoiding relatives and keeping the water from flowing to outsiders, will solemnly introduce you to my only closed-door disciple – Cheng Minglang!"
Before I could speak, Helian Shan raised his hand and summoned Cheng Minglang to his side.
Pointing at me, Helian Shan said to Cheng Minglang, "Minglang, haven't you always wanted to experience the outside world of the martial arts?"
"Follow him... that's enough!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Minglang's figure paused slightly.
"Follow him?"
Cheng Minglang, having snapped back to reality, hesitated for a moment before immediately speaking up, "Brother Shan, stop fooling me, okay?"
"Isn't he a gambler? What kind of world can you experience by following him? Besides cheating money, it's all about cheating people!"
As he said the last sentence, Cheng Minglang's tone was filled with disdain and mockery.
Clearly, Cheng Minglang looked down on me and the profession of a gambler.
Little did he know, I also looked down on Cheng Minglang.
This chuunibyo youth obsessed with the "Young and Dangerous" movies, though about the same height as me, was a good half-circle thinner.
Like a skinny stick, he looked like he'd fall over if a strong wind blew! What could he possibly accomplish?
After being subtly insulted by Cheng Minglang, I immediately rejected Helian Shan's proposal and fired back a retort.
"Sorry, Brother Shan, can you find me some more solid strangers?"
"Too green... won't do!"
Hearing the implied meaning in my words, Cheng Minglang immediately frowned and stared at me coldly.
I didn't evade his gaze at all, meeting his stare head-on.
Seeing me and Cheng Minglang locked in a confrontation, Helian Shan not only didn't intervene to mediate, but the corners of his mouth curled up into a slight arc, and he mused to himself, "Youth is good!"
"Young and spirited, arrogant and overbearing."
After my and Cheng Minglang's anger gradually subsided, Helian Shan suddenly changed the subject and said solemnly, "The night is dark, the roads are slippery, and the martial world is complex."
"The martial world is complex precisely because people's hearts are unfathomable!"
He paused, then turned to me and said, "Xiangzi, although I don't know what exactly you're up to, since you want to use strangers for your affairs and they must be reliable, then finding your own people... is the most dependable!"
"And you, Minglang!"
Turning his gaze back to Cheng Minglang, Helian Shan said with a grave tone, "The true martial world doesn't have that much swordplay and bloodshed!"
"The martial world isn't about fighting to the death, but about deception and survival of the fittest."
"The world of gamblers... is precisely like this!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Minglang quickly shook his head and said, "But I..."
Before Cheng Minglang could finish, Helian Shan's expression suddenly turned stern, and he said in a deep voice, "You don't have to follow Xiangzi. But this matter must be handled by you for him!"
"And I want you to guarantee... guarantee his safety!"
"Can you do it!?"
Seeing that Helian Shan seemed to be serious, Cheng Minglang stopped arguing and nodded heavily.
But in his eyes, a hint of extreme unwillingness flickered.
It seemed Cheng Minglang was reluctant to do this for me.
Although I wasn't sure why Helian Shan was being so uncharacteristically stubborn this time, I had a vague feeling that this skinny kid, Cheng Minglang, was not as simple as he appeared!
With that thought, I followed Helian Shan's lead and looked at Cheng Minglang, saying, "In that case, let's exchange contact information first."
"I'll contact you after I've finalized the specific plan."
...
Half a day passed in a flash.
Not long after I walked out of the underground billiard room, my phone rang.
Without looking, I could guess it was Helian Shan.
Based on my understanding of Helian Shan, there must have been a reason why he insisted on recommending Cheng Minglang to handle my affairs earlier.
As expected, as soon as I answered the call, Helian Shan revealed the true reason for recommending Cheng Minglang that afternoon.
It was only then that I learned that Cheng Minglang, who was usually quiet and reserved, was actually a genuine martial artist!
According to Helian Shan, Cheng Minglang looked thin because he had been sickly since childhood.
His parents, fearing he wouldn't survive, pulled strings and sent him to the provincial martial arts team to learn kung fu and strengthen his body.
He studied there for nearly eight years.
Later, due to a major family upheaval, Cheng Minglang became an orphan.
Unable to afford the fees anymore, Cheng Minglang was directly expelled from the provincial martial arts team.
After drifting around for a long time, through a fortunate coincidence, Cheng Minglang met Helian Shan and became his closed-door disciple.
Helian Shan said that the reason he took Cheng Minglang as his disciple back then, besides pitying his background, was partly because he valued the young man's skills.
After all, in this world, no one does good to a stranger for no reason.
If they do, there must be a motive!
Helian Shan's motive was simple: he wanted Cheng Minglang to secure his future.
After all, for a wanderer like Helian Shan who had been in the martial world, once he chose to completely withdraw, he couldn't guarantee that his past enemies wouldn't come looking for revenge.
Therefore, after clarifying Cheng Minglang's identity, Helian Shan on the other end of the phone chuckled and said that he had given me his last trump card for survival...
Hearing this, I couldn't help but be moved.
It seemed that even though I hadn't revealed any of my plans to Helian Shan, he had guessed that what I was about to do was dangerous.
Besides Uncle Tuo, Helian Shan was the only one who sincerely supported me without asking for any return...
After hanging up the phone, my mood instantly became heavy.
For me, the plan to catch the cheating spouse was not just about finding the spy hidden by my side.
It also meant that I would completely fall out with Yu Shuang and openly challenge her.
For me, this challenge was undoubtedly difficult and dangerous!
Because, if I couldn't find that spy, it would mean that my path of revenge and my path as a gambler would become thorny and arduous.
With my current strength, I couldn't contend with either Wang Yangming or Yu Shuang.
One was a seasoned veteran in the political arena, carrying imperial orders, while the other was a queen bee who dominated the martial world and was always meticulous in her planning.
No matter which of the two I faced, I had no chance of winning.
Not only that, but I couldn't even guarantee my own safety!
But now... everything was different.
Cheng Minglang, this unexpected reinforcement, had become a variable in my plan!
If I could use him well, this variable might be able to stir up trouble for me, and even help me conquer cities and capture fortresses!