Chapter 108: Divide and Devour

Chapter 108: Divide and Devour

Li Jun’s reaction, so unlike that of ordinary men, left even the cunning old fox Qian Hai unable to fathom his thoughts for a moment.

After a brief silence, Qian Hai decided to cut straight to the chase. "If the two of us can cooperate, we are bound to achieve something remarkable."

Li Jun regarded the solemn-faced old man with a half-smile, his mind brimming with mockery.

Even this Chief Steward Qian, who had served the Gu family for three generations and appeared loyally devoted, actually harbored thoughts of biting the hand that fed him.

The ship that was the Shudao Logistics Group truly deserved to sink.

With Qian Hai’s discernment, it was naturally not difficult to guess Li Jun’s thoughts. Yet he did not fly into a rage; instead, he smiled faintly.

"Clans last a thousand autumns, but house slaves age easily. I am merely a steward surnamed Qian, not a master surnamed Gu. Besides, this clan is not immutable for ten thousand generations."

Qian Hai’s face showed a sigh. "At my age, my genes have already begun to slumber; sooner or later I will be replaced by someone more capable. Before that happens, I must always squirrel away a nest egg for myself. Minister Li, don't you think what I say is reasonable?"

Li Jun would naturally not refute it. He nodded. "It accords with reason and is only proper."

"Good!" Qian Hai’s expression brightened. "Since Minister Li agrees, this old man will speak plainly."

"In Chengdu Prefecture, the Gu family’s businesses touch every aspect of life—clothing, food, housing, transport—almost all are involved. Even in the entire underground black market of Sichuan and Shu, we are one of the largest suppliers."

"The Shudao Logistics Group is the central core of the Gu family’s business map, responsible for central dispatch. That is why you see almost no specific industries under Shudao Logistics on the surface."

"Of the profits generated therein, sixty percent must be handed over to the Daoist Sect, thirty percent belongs to the Gu family."

"These ninety percent of profits absolutely cannot be touched, unless one seeks death. But the remaining ten percent is enough for us to carve out a world within a snail shell."

Qian Hai’s eyes blazed, as if a blinding flame of desire were rising within them. "Minister Li must never underestimate this ten percent. If you wish to leave Chengdu Prefecture, this ten percent is enough for you to live the rest of your days without worry for food or clothing."

Qian Hai painted a rosy picture, but Li Jun’s heart remained still as a lake.

There are no free lunches falling from the sky; even if one were so lucky as to have it land on one's head, the leaking filling would only soil one's face.

Having seen too many of these people’s sinister tactics, he had long since developed his own countermeasure.

That was: restraining desire.

As long as he could restrain his desires, he would not be easily calculated by others.

Li Jun deliberately wore a greedy expression on his face. "Many thanks for Steward Qian’s guidance. However..."

"However what?"

Li Jun sighed. "I am merely a minor Security Minister. Aside from security matters, I can't get a finger into Shudao Logistics' other businesses at all."

"Ah, that was before. Times have changed. Right now the group is at a critical juncture with no leader among the dragons. It is precisely a once-in-a-millennium opportunity for us."

"I am on the inside, you are on the outside. As long as we join forces, wouldn't seeking some welfare for ourselves be simplicity itself? Zhongxiao and that woman under your command, Qizhu, are both experts in this regard."

Qian Hai suddenly revealed a meaningful smile. "Minister Li, you took that faded flower and withered willow into your embrace—wasn't that also with this very thought in mind?"

"Hahaha, truly nothing escapes Steward Qian."

Li Jun laughed loudly. "Since Steward Qian is so frank, if I decline further, it would be ungrateful. Whatever you need me to do, Steward Qian, just give the order."

"Calling me Steward Qian again would be distant. If Minister Li doesn't mind, from now on we are brothers who forget the years. In the future, Zhongxiao is your nephew; what should be said and what shouldn't, he will naturally follow your lead."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony, Elder Brother Qian!"

Qian Hai gripped Li Jun’s arm, his expression moved. "Younger Brother Li!"

Beneath the winding, intricate corridors, two men, each harboring ulterior motives, looked at each other and smiled.

The Gu Manor was deep, but it ultimately had an end.

Just as this pair of "brothers" were speaking, an elegant dwelling exuding a Confucian atmosphere appeared amidst gardens, mountains, and waters.

The smile on Qian Hai’s face faded slightly. "Younger Brother, this time Young Master Gu Xi has summoned you; it must be to order retaliation against the Wu family. Although we are both unswervingly loyal to the Gu family, I must still remind you of one thing."

"If a thing cannot be done, do not force it. Keep the green hills, and you’ll never lack firewood!"

Li Jun’s expression turned serious. "Many thanks for the reminder, Elder Brother Qian."

Qian Hai nodded. His left thumb lightly stroked the jade-green ring on his finger. That soundproof barrier instantly vanished without a trace.

His spine and shoulders slumped simultaneously. A cold indifference that kept people a thousand miles away suddenly appeared between his brows.

One could not tell at all that moments ago he had been calling Li Jun brother and plotting a career together.

"Young Master, the man has arrived."

Qian Hai stood before the dwelling’s door, gesturing to Li Jun with a raised hand. "Go in, Minister Li."

Li Jun stepped over the threshold. The light before his eyes dimmed slightly. In mid-air, nineteen black lines ran horizontally and vertically, crossing in the void to outline a Go board.

A young man of refined temperament stood upon the board, one hand behind his back, the other pointing into the void.

Where he pointed, a white stone fell.

Although Li Jun did not understand the art of Go, he could still see that the white stones on the board were at a disadvantage, having reached a critical juncture where they were being "slain like a dragon."

Sure enough, the next moment a black stone fell. The white stones instantly collapsed, routed utterly.

Though he had lost the game, the young scholar’s handsome, elegant face showed not a trace of dejection. Instead, he wore a faint smile, addressing the empty air before him:

"I have lost. Elder Feng, your skill at Go is something this disciple can never hope to match."

"Gu Xi, to have such skill at your age is already very good. You must know that among the high clans and powerful families of the North, there are few who can play eighty moves with this old man before losing."

A voice tinged with arrogance echoed through the dwelling.

"Scholars nowadays are all too impetuous. A pair of eyes only knows how to stare at official positions and power. They speak grandly of becoming 'New Confucians,' not knowing that within these nineteen vertical and horizontal lines lies all the philosophy of life."

Gu Xi cupped his fists and bowed, his expression humble. "Elder Feng’s teaching is correct. When you come to Chengdu Prefecture, this student will certainly seek your guidance in person."

"Hahaha, quick to learn and fond of study. Gu Xi, I think highly of you!"

After the board projected in mid-air dissipated, Gu Xi finally let out a long breath. He reached back and pulled a chip from the brain-machine interface at the base of his skull, casually tossing it to Qian Hai waiting nearby.

"This old man's Go truly has depth. If I hadn't found someone in advance to create a 'Yellow Millet Dream' database of historical kifu, I probably wouldn't have lasted ten moves."

Qian Hai heard this and smiled obsequiously. "His skill towers a hundred feet, yet Young Master you managed to lose with perfect timing, flawlessly. Doesn't the mastery required for that surpass even a hundred feet?"

Gu Xi laughed dumbly. He raised a hand slightly. Qian Hai immediately bowed low in obedience, presenting the back of his neck to Gu Xi’s hand.

That was the location of his brain-machine interface, his true vital point.

Like a cat wagging its tail, like a dog baring its belly.

Gu Xi patted Qian Hai’s neck. "Your bootlicking skill is even higher than Elder Feng’s Go prowess!"