Wei Duan Gong returned to the villa alone, and the driver/bodyguard stood at the gate of the courtyard, sending off Wang Hu with a gloomy gaze, like a dark panther lurking in the shadows. His ruthlessness was not just for show, nor was it because Wei Duan Gong was playing tricks on him. According to the Nanjing circle's saying, Guo Qie was a sharp blade that had been tempered and sharpened, exuding a cold aura. When Wei Duan Gong walked into the courtyard, he patted the young man's shoulder and said: "In the future, when you see these people, give them a smile, don't keep a stern face like Yan Wang. Er Gou and the others didn't owe you money. I've told you many times, smiling while hiding a knife is more suitable for survival than having a fierce gaze. That's why I said you're not suited to be the boss, destined to be a lifelong drudge."

  Guo Qie replied calmly, "Using my brain isn't my strong suit. Wei Ye, when you're really ready to retire and wash your hands of the circle, I'll follow you out and continue driving for you."

  Wei Duan Gong walked into the villa, shaking his head and saying: "You can't back down, if you do I'll be in a lot of trouble. All these years I've made enemies on all sides, there are countless people who don't like me. If I were to step down now, I'd lose my power and might even be killed by someone before the day is over. With you around, at least those turtles won't dare make any rash moves for a while, so I can eat, sleep, play with women, and live in peace. I don't have big ambitions, as long as I can live to sixty, have a son, raise him until he's ten years old, fulfill my responsibilities as a father, then die without regrets."

  Guo Qieyu furrowed his brow, but ultimately didn't speak. What was going on in this master's mind, he couldn't figure out. Every time Guo Qieyu walked into the study and saw the room full of books, he got a headache. What "Dragon Sutra", what "Human Nature's Nobility and Baseness", what Nietzsche, what Descartes, what Yang Jun-song, what Chen Lao-dun... Guo Qieyu, who hadn't read many books, instinctively rejected them all. Wei Duan Gong had given him a copy of the "Tao Te Ching" to read, but after over a decade, he still hadn't cultivated an ordinary heart or achieved a calm and composed nature. He was still the same lone wolf from the mountains who would bite people as soon as he left his lair. That's why Wei Duan Gong had never let him enter the business world - he was afraid that Guo Qieyu would get into a fight with his opponents at the negotiating table and leave them crippled. Guo Qieyu was a rough man, but paired with the gentle and refined Wei Duan Gong, they made an interesting combination in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. The "Old Buddha" from Zhejiang, Dan Tai Fu Ping, and the lame dog Yao Wei Ba; Shanghai's Zhu Ye Qing and Guang Tou Meng Chong - all of these pairs were quite famous.

  Guo Ge followed Wei Duan Gong to the second floor's spacious and empty grand study, turned off the lights, opened the projector, and said in a low voice: "The terrain of Xiao Xing'an Ridge Zhangjiashan in Heilongjiang Province has been photographed, and the graves of Chen Erdou's grandfather and Zhang Sanqian's parents have been taken from various angles according to your requirements."

  Wei Duan Gong sat in a large, intricately carved wooden chair, his eyes fixed on the slides being projected before him. He lingered for seven or eight minutes on the aerial view of Zhangjiazhuang Village, marveling at it with a series of "tsks". He also spent two to three minutes studying the grave site of Zhang Sanqian's father, shaking his head afterwards. When the slide of Zhang Sanqian's mother's tomb was projected, Wei Duan Gong felt a sudden jolt in his heart. The more he looked at it, the more mysterious and shocking it seemed. He muttered to himself: "No wonder, there is such a great evil spirit protecting him."

  Kuo Kuo did not understand the subtlety, and could only shut his mouth, because his master Wei Duan Gong was a great clever person, who would rather have a mute standing by his side as an ornament, than a bunch of noisy people flattering him.

  The last slide was the tomb of Chen Ergou's grandfather, a small mound that didn't stand out, fortunately without any weeds, otherwise no one would have recognized it as a burial site. Unlike the previous locations which had photos taken from four directions and even from afar, this tomb may be too shabby, so the photographer only provided one picture to Wei Duan Gong. Wei Duan Gong stroked his chin and said: "I don't see any grandeur, am I just being paranoid? If it's really that great man who made Lu Lao of Qiantang owe him half a pot of tiger-run tea, there's no reason for him to be buried in such a broken place. Even if he was a half-immortal who didn't care about worldly things and was detached from the world, he shouldn't have been careless with this matter."

  Guo cut off his voice and asked: "Wei Ye, what's wrong?"

  Wei Duan Gong did not respond, turned off the projector, but didn't turn on the lights, and remained silent in the dark environment. After a few minutes, he lit a cigarette but didn't smoke it, placing it in the ashtray to burn out. Only after the cigarette had burned out did he let Guo Jue Ru turn on the lights, saying: "What do you think of San Qian's kid?"

  I don't like it.

  Kuo Guo quickly added a sentence, "However, it's a good sapling, cultivate it well, and who knows, maybe it'll become the second Li Kuaifu or Zhang Xiaohua."

  "That's all I need to hear from you."

  Wei Duan Gong stood up with a smile, as if he had drunk the finest daughter red wine, slightly intoxicated, and said: "I reckon that this life is really not destined to have children born from women's bellies, so I plan to adopt Zhang Sanqian as my son. After observing for a while, I also need to wait until the Shanghai case settles down and all aspects become stable. Then I will talk to Chen Ergou about this matter, he seems to have no reason to object."

  Kuang Ge's expression was calm and serene, gazing out the window with eyes as clear and cold as ever, like the sharp blade he wore on his sleeve that he wouldn't even take off when bathing or sleeping.

  ————————————

  Chen Ergou made a spear according to the local method, which was a close-range hunting weapon that every hunter in Zhangjiashan Village had. The length of the spear varied from over one meter to two meters. Chen Ergou left two spears in Zhangjiashan Village, one about two meters long and another extremely long, but it was not very useful, just a product of his grief and indignation after Bai Xiong's death. He had been searching for that Northeast Tiger with Chen Fugui for so many years, and they had encountered it twice, but the tiger managed to escape under the attack of Chen Ergou who was in a state of frenzy and Chen Fugui who held a huge bow with buffalo horns. It was clear that the king of Changbai Mountain being able to kill the white bear was not an accidental event.

  "Third Uncle, why don't you also make me a gun?" Zhang Sanqian said with envy.

  "You'd better focus on practicing your Bajiquan, don't get distracted. This thing is just a side door trick, if you want to stand out, you still have to take the regular path." Chen Ergou didn't respond.

  Zhang San and his son, one big and one small, shaved their heads and wore slippers, looking like a father-son duo.

  Chen Ergou is now making a spear purely for fun, doing it casually, just like Zhang Sanqian who can't stay idle. The iron spearhead, 45 cm long, has a diamond-shaped flat head, and the pointed head and both sides are finely polished into sharp blades. I dare not say that it can cut hair, but after being stabbed into the bone, it can be easily pulled out, absolutely refreshing. When this spear is in the hands of an old hunter, it can bring out the ultimate speed, accuracy, and ferocity. Generally speaking, when bows and arrows are no longer useful, one has to rely on this spear for self-defense. After all, there is only one person like Zhang Jiazhai's Fugui who dares to get close to the beast and engage in close combat. What Chen Ergou needs to do now is to insert the 2.5-meter hardwood handle into the conical gun sleeve at the base of the spearhead. Zhang Sanqian can't help much, he can only join in the fun by gathering some steel wires under his feet and asking: "Third Uncle, the two spears from our hometown have patterns on them, how beautiful! Why not carve some patterns on this spear? After all, you are skilled with your hands, come up with something like the Four Symbols or the Eight Trigrams."

  "I don't have time for that."

  Chen Ergou smiled and said, "In the dormitory building corridor, he slanted a spear, examined it for a moment, and said, 'This spear is used to practice hands, anyway, there are many trees here, don't worry about piercing a few.'"

  "Uncle San, when can you take me back to Zhangjiashan?" Zhang Sanqian asked in a low voice, hanging his head.

  "What's the point of going back?" Chen Er Gou asked.

  "I want to see you and Uncle Fu Gui holding a spear in the snowy field, stabbing wild boars, blocking the black blind man, best of all, stab that Northeastern tiger to death." Zhang Sanqian raised his head, with a face full of yearning and tender sadness, after all, Zhangjiashan was poor and bitter, but for this child, it was still home.

  Chen Ergou patted Zhang Sanqian's head with force and said in a low voice, "When you went out, Third Uncle was looked down upon. When you come back, it can't be the same, right?"

  Zhang Sanqian was silent for a moment and finally nodded.

  Chen Ergou crouched on the ground, his mouth holding a small piece of steel wire, fiddling with this very unique short spear, saying: "People fight for a breath of air, Buddhas fight for a stick of incense, three thousand, wait until your head is a bit higher, your shoulders are a bit wider, you'll understand the meaning of this phrase when you want a woman."

  Zhang Sanqian pursed his lips and remained silent.

  "Monster, don't you dare reveal your true form!"

  At the end of the corridor, a woman appeared who should not have been standing there according to common sense. She was wearing a duck-billed hat and holding a camera, smiling brightly as she gazed at Chen Ergou's back, which would never be considered majestic in his lifetime. She called out loudly. (To know what happens next, please log in. More chapters are available. Support the author and support the official version!)