Chapter 177: Wang Xie, an Honest Man

Chapter 177: Wang Xie is an Honest Man

Old Wei, Wei Juan.

Chief Banner Officer of the Baoning Prefecture Brocade Guard, a former Follower of the Martial Path Sequence.

The instant he heard this name, that rough and bold face leaped vividly into Li Jun's mind.

No other reason, simply because Wei Juan was one of the very few who had shown kindness to Li Jun and offered him aid.

Etched in his heart, he dared not forget.

If not for that Seventh-Rank Breathing Dragonfly Wei Juan had gifted him, burning down the Gu clan would not have been so easy.

"You're the one Brother Wei spoke of, the fanatical Brocade Guard Restorationist?"

"No way, does Old Wei smear my reputation like this everywhere? A fanatical Restorationist—sounds like anything but a good man. No wonder my peach blossom luck's been so rotten lately; turns out there's a bad apple among the masses!"

Wang Xie's expression turned awkward, muttering under his breath.

"Brother, don't listen to Old Wei's nonsense. I'm just a pure, honest man. You know my name, Wang Xie—'The swallows from the halls of Wang and Xie of old, fly into the homes of pretty girls,' see the deep meaning in that?"

Son of a bitch, not just a lecher, but an illiterate one at that.

Li Jun looked the Brocade Guard up and down, a sudden, inexplicable surge of relief rising in his heart.

Thank goodness he hadn't been weak enough back then to come seeking refuge with this Wang Xie; this guy didn't look reliable no matter how you sliced it.

But since they were both Wei Juan's friends, this fight naturally couldn't happen.

Li Jun reined in his hostility, grabbed a stool and tossed it to Wang Xie, then sat down on the steps himself.

Wang Xie wasn't polite either, plopping down. Before Li Jun could speak, he cut in first:

"Actually, when you were rescued from Chengdu Prefecture by the Heavenly Will Society, Old Wei called me and told me to look after you. But you, sir, are truly a magnet for trouble, and the kind you attract is never simple."

Wang Xie stuck out his pinky, sneering, "I'm just a petty Chief Banner Officer, I can't cover for you at all. That's why I never dared show my face. Brother, don't take offense."

"No offense taken, I understand."

Li Jun nodded. He naturally knew Wang Xie spoke the truth. He also understood that the mess he was in now was far beyond what a mere Chief Banner Officer could shoulder.

Seeking fortune and avoiding disaster—that is human nature.

That Wang Xie could now lay out his concerns so frankly was already miles better than the hypocrisy of those who put on airs.

Li Jun asked, "Then, Chief Banner Officer Wang, what business brings you here today?"

"You're Old Wei's friend, so you're mine. Just call me Old Wang."

Wang Xie acted like an old acquaintance, waving his hand with a bitter smile. "I didn't want to disturb you, Brother, but the ruckus you caused yesterday was too big. The boss upstairs gave the word: I had to find you."

Li Jun's brow arched. "Boss?"

"My boss is naturally the Hundred-Household Officer of the Chongqing Prefecture Brocade Guard."

Wang Xie cupped his fist toward the horizon. "The title 'My Lord' has been used for thousands of years, it's too old-fashioned. People must keep up with the times, so we all call him 'Boss' now. But if you want to call him 'My Lord,' that works too."

Hundred-Household Officer of the Chongqing Prefecture Brocade Guard—at minimum a Sequence Seven peak, possibly even Sequence Six.

What would a person like that want with him?

Wang Xie glanced at the silent, pondering Li Jun, probing, "The Boss said to have me recall you back into the Brocade Guard."

Li Jun's heart sank. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and sneered, "Is this inviting a wolf into the house? Or playing 'borrowing a knife to kill a man' again?"

"Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand. Our Chongqing Brocade Guard isn't in cahoots with that trash in Chengdu Prefecture controlled by the Qingcheng Group. We don't like those dirty tricks."

"I, Old Wang, am an honest man, otherwise I wouldn't have friends everywhere." Wang Xie thumped his chest with a dull thud. "I stake my reputation on it—the Boss just wants to take you under his wing."

"Reputation?"

Li Jun snorted coldly. "The one with the 'single man' radical, or the one with the 'vertical heart' radical?"

Wang Xie glared, grinding his teeth. "Both work!"

The two locked eyes, and unexpectedly burst into laughter together.

The laughter died down after a moment. Wang Xie suddenly gave Li Jun a thumbs up.

"Brother, I admire you. Honestly, if it were me getting played by Yu Kou like that, I wouldn't have the guts to trust a Brocade Guard person so easily again."

Li Jun said blandly, "I don't trust you. I trust Wei Juan."

"Trust whoever, it's all the same—we're friends anyway. We'll be colleagues from now on, watching each other's backs!"

Wang Xie beamed, about to cup his fist in salute, when he heard Li Jun say, "Did I say I was going back to the Brocade Guard?"

Wang Xie's expression and gesture froze simultaneously. "Then what the hell were you doing humoring me just now?!"

Li Jun asked back expressionlessly, "Weren't you the one joking with me first?"

"Hey, you little Captain..."

"I've killed a Banner Officer."

Wang Xie's butt, just lifting off the stool, sat back down. He wailed miserably, "Brother, I genuinely treated you as a friend, playing me like this isn't cool."

"I don't want any more entanglements with the Brocade Guard."

Li Jun tilted his head back, leaning against the doorframe. "Take care, I won't see you out."

"Don't go, Brother! You don't know the Boss's temperament. That stubborn temper of his loves digging his heels in. If I can't bring you back, I can't complete my mission."

"If you can't make it, I'll cover for you."

Wang Xie looked at Li Jun, radiating sheer dominance, and was momentarily struck dumb.

After a long while, he shed his frivolous air and spoke seriously:

"Brother, let me speak from the bottom of my heart. Chongqing Prefecture is a place that eats people. You took down Arhat Temple not just because you're strong, but mainly because many people were waiting for you to do it, so they could reap the benefits."

"Otherwise, with your Martial Path Sequence status, before you even stepped into Arhat Temple, the Daoist Gate people would have been right on your heels!"

The coldness on Li Jun's face eased a few degrees. "I know this."

"The 'Solitary Man' Sequence will subtly make you instinctively reject those not of the same Sequence. But that's just your Sequence's predecessors warning you not to trust anyone, not telling you to be paranoid and see ghosts in every shadow, Brother."

"You can't tar all Brocade Guards with the same brush just because that bunch of bastards in Chengdu Prefecture did bad things, right?"

Wang Xie persuaded earnestly, "The Brocade Guard's status isn't as glorious as it was ten years ago, but even a rotten ship has three thousand pounds of nails. This signboard can still block a lot of trouble."

"You're not weak now, but a lone tiger can't hold off a pack of wolves. Those grandsons won't fight you one-on-one!"

Wang Xie nearly talked his mouth dry, but Li Jun remained coldly indifferent.

For a moment, this Banner Officer couldn't help but flare up. "How can you be so stubborn? Can't you tell good advice from bad?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, Brother, you really have a mind of your own."

Wang Xie sat on the stool, at a loss. After sighing long and short for a long time, he fished a token from his bosom with great reluctance and tossed it to Li Jun.