After agreeing to let He Guan stay, I called Camel to come open the door.
Opening the door and entering the house, I followed Camel to the bungalow in the back. Seeing that Cheng Minglang and the others were still awake and waiting for me in the room, I briefly recounted the events of the past two days and introduced He Guan.
He Guan's past experience working for Xiao Tianci was known only to Camel and his disciple, besides myself. I didn't mention it when introducing his identity tonight.
Anyway, as soon as dawn broke, I would definitely find an excuse to send Cheng Minglang and Zhu Wenjing away. Some things no longer needed them to know.
Because I knew very well that in the jianghu, the more you know, the harder it becomes to extricate yourself.
Therefore, it was better to remain ignorant.
With a new member joining, after some greetings and pleasantries, everyone returned to their respective rooms.
Cheng Minglang and Zhu Wenjing shared a room, while I, Camel, Xiao Long, and the newly joined He Guan shared another.
Back in the room, after a simple tidy-up, I lay down on the narrow bed, only wide enough for one person, and prepared to sleep.
That night, I was sleepless again...
He Guan's words earlier lingered in the depths of my mind like a fishbone stuck in my throat, refusing to disappear.
Before that person couldn't help but reveal himself, I had to be even more cautious and stealthy in the shadows. Otherwise, once exposed...
Xiao Tianci was already very strong. If that person joined forces with him to deal with me, with their combined might, I would essentially have no chance of survival.
In addition, how to settle He Guan had become an issue that I needed to resolve as soon as possible.
If He Guan's true identity was a pawn that either Jiang Xiaowan or Yu Shuang had long ago planted in Longxi, then keeping him by my side would be equivalent to me personally leaking information.
But if I only took He Guan in and then ignored him, leaving him to his own devices, then agreeing to let him stay due to a shortage of manpower would be meaningless.
How to utilize He Guan's strengths to continuously create value for me, and how to avoid the unexpected trouble that his potential hidden identity might bring...
These two matters became the pressing issues that I needed to address.
Tossing and turning, after much thought, I decided to first grant He Guan the identity of "Ti Jiang."
As everyone knows, among the eight generals of the Qianmen, there is one named "Ti Jiang."
Many people who watched "God of Gamblers 3: Back to Shanghai" starring Andy Lau should have heard King introduce the duties of each of the eight generals of the Qianmen.
From a professional perspective, the introduction in the movie was not wrong, but...
That was a simplified version. In reality, it wasn't just the Zheng Jiang who was capable of handling things independently; the other seven generals of the Qianmen were all formidable experts!
Taking Ti Jiang as an example, saying that Ti Jiang is the "pond crane" of the gambling den, responsible for persuading people to join the game, is both right and wrong.
The reason Ti Jiang is ranked immediately after Zheng Jiang is that, among the eight generals of the Qianmen, Ti Jiang is second only to Zheng Jiang!
In other words, in terms of individual comprehensive ability... Ti Jiang is almost on par with Zheng Jiang!
And He Guan fits the characteristics of Ti Jiang very well.
Firstly, his abilities are not much inferior to mine.
Secondly, his skill in setting up schemes is very strong.
Finally, He Guan's decisive action at critical moments was full of courage.
Although Jin Yan gave me a reward of nine million yuan, the subsequent dual path of escape and revenge indicated that this would be an expensive journey.
Therefore, arranging He Guan as Ti Jiang, allowing him to maximize his personal abilities to set up schemes and earn money, was the only win-win solution for me...
The next morning, I shared this decision with everyone.
At the same time, I took this opportunity to tell everyone that we had all been feeling very depressed recently. Now that we had a new member in the team, we should show a new outlook. So, it was a good time to go out and relax, and adjust our mindset.
Zhu Wenjing, who didn't suspect anything, cheered and pulled Cheng Minglang back to the room to pack their luggage when I suggested going on a trip to relax.
Excluding the newly arrived He Guan, Zhu Wenjing had been with the team for the shortest time. Her excited reaction was completely normal.
It was unrealistic to expect Zhu Wenjing to keep Han Jinlun's death in mind at all times, just like me.
After all, some people are dead and gone. The principle of "the lamp is out when the person dies, and the tea grows cold when the person leaves" is just like that.
Besides, shouldn't the living cherish life more and enjoy it?
...
After packing our luggage, before this upcoming journey began, I unexpectedly received a call from Jin Yan.
"Liang Kuan, when are you leaving Ge Zhuang?"
Since she had tested my attitude last night, Jin Yan already knew that I might leave Ge Zhuang or even Tongwei County at any time.
So, as soon as the phone was connected, she directly asked me.
I truthfully told Jin Yan that I was about to leave Ge Zhuang.
After a pause of about a minute and a half, Jin Yan's rather solemn voice came through the phone.
"You... you haven't left yet, have you?"
"Not yet, why?"
Hearing that I hadn't left, Jin Yan immediately interjected, "Can you do me a favor and come out for a meal with me?"
I didn't agree directly, but instead asked, "What's wrong? Is there something you need?"
"Uh, this..." Jin Yan replied hesitantly, "It's nothing!"
"..." Speechless, I could only choose to remain silent.
Seemingly understanding the answer from my silence, Jin Yan suddenly changed her hesitant demeanor and spoke directly, "Actually, there is something!"
"I have a friend who, after hearing about what happened last night, insisted that I act as an intermediary to contact you, saying she wants to meet and get to know you."
"From her words, it seems likely... she has something she wants to ask of you!"
"If you don't have time or don't want to go, it's okay. Just tell me directly!"
To be honest, if Jin Yan had continued to speak to me in her previous hesitant manner, I could have easily declined.
But she had made it clear that the person was her good friend, and she had also asked me to give her face earlier. If I were to refuse without thinking, I would be an idiot.
Just like Liu Huaqiang's classic line in "Conquest": You invited me, giving me face; my coming is giving you ample face!
Whether I agree to the request or not is another matter, but at least I have to give Jin Yan enough face.
Otherwise, not only would it lead to gossip, but more serious consequences could even mean losing a friend!
After careful consideration, I agreed to Jin Yan's request...