Start with a red name

Having grasped Fan Qi's feelings, Geng Xuan remained remarkably calm.

They were not pleased with this unexpected help.

Even when faced with Fan Qi's honest yet hopeful gaze, he secretly leaned towards rejection.

Stay away and don't get involved.

This is his true inner thought.

Firstly, after today's battle, the overall situation in the Xuanyou and You states has become completely clear.

Within a month at most, the power of the Xuanyou and Erzhou states will be completely at his disposal.

When he arrived there, he was an enhanced version of "Dong Guan".

There would be no problem at all if the "southward plan," which had been suspended for a month or two, were to be reintroduced.

It can be said that as the situation in the two provinces became clear, the previously chaotic situation in the entire Kyushu region also immediately became clear.

Fan Qi, who only arrived at this moment to try and board the ship, was merely adding insult to injury.

Whether it exists or not is irrelevant to the overall situation.

Furthermore, Fan Qi, who brought Zhang Shao along, didn't just represent one person, but a group of people.

Regardless of Fan Qi's own thoughts, given the background and experience of this group of people, a simple "employee" status would not suffice.

They want to invest and become shareholders.

After listening to Fan Qi's account of Liu Wuwang's rise to power, Geng Xuan had a strong feeling about it.

But in fact?
Geng Xuan doesn't need shareholders who bring their own capital.

From a certain perspective, the addition of such a group of "shareholders" is actually an obstacle to his unspeakable ideals.

Compared to the grand gifts that followed, it was the seemingly worthless "meeting gift" that had delayed Dong Guan's journey for more than ten days that made him feel the most grateful.

Seeing that Geng Xuan was pondering and did not give an immediate answer, Fan Qi continued to offer one sweet treat after another.

"With our help, we can save you a lot of trouble and time."

"Over the years, various families have experienced ups and downs, and there have even been cases of extinction. However, they have been rooted in various states for hundreds of years and have accumulated some foundation."

"Several of the most promising ones, some of whom are even military commanders who hold sway over their respective territories."

"Even the worst ones have deep roots in each state. If you include all your old friends and relatives, they will surely be able to provide you with a lot of help."

“For example, Shaohe’s family is from Xuanzhou. He has served under Dong Guan for many years and has a wider network of connections. If he can help, the situation in Xuanzhou and Youzhou can be cleaned up much faster.”

"Hey--"

Upon hearing Fan Qi's explanation, Geng Xuan was not swayed; instead, he sighed inwardly.

Sure enough, it wasn't just about wanting to be a "shareholder".

They don't even look down on "minority shareholders".

This person wants to become an "angel investor"!

Looking at Fan Qi's expectant face, Geng Xuan glanced at Zhang Shaohe beside him, who still seemed completely bewildered, and said:
"If you two want to join the 'Black Wind Army,' it's not impossible."

As for the rest, there's no need.

"what?!"

Fan Qi was dumbfounded, feeling as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

Just now, Geng Xuan's indifferent reaction while he was speaking had already made him feel something was off.

Now, Geng Xuan's clear reply has completely stunned him.

He even began to doubt himself, wondering if he hadn't explained things clearly enough.

Geng Xuan looked at Fan Qi and said with amusement:

"What happened today was just your two... no, just your personal opinion, right?"
Such a big matter, didn't you even ask for other people's opinions?
Aren't you going to ask if they're even willing?

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure I can convince them," Fan Qi quickly assured him.

As he spoke, he brought up the situation in Xuanyou and Erzhou. Now that the Black Wind Army's advantage had been firmly established, they should strike while the iron was hot and let Zhang Shaohe perform well to prove that what he said was true.

Seeing his enthusiasm, Geng Xuan felt a little reluctant to discourage him. But he still had to say what needed to be said.

"No need, someone is already doing this, and we should have the results soon. We can just wait a little longer."

"what?!"

Fan Qi was dumbfounded, thinking to himself, "Someone's going to steal this job too?!"
Once he fully understood, he felt a strange sense of shame and indignation.

They thought that by bringing a pile of real gold and treasures to someone's door, they could sell them for a good price.

The result was a pile of scrap metal and a stinking pile of dog excrement.

Realizing this, Fan Qi felt a deep sense of shame and immediately wanted to cover his face, turn away, and get away from this awful place so that he would never have to deal with this arrogant and conceited guy again.

However, his "romantic" thoughts did not change the fact that his feet were firmly rooted to the spot.

Even when Zhang Shaohe repeatedly gestured to him with his eyes, he ignored it.

He understood perfectly well that if he turned and left now, it wouldn't be so easy for him to enter the camp again next time.

After pausing for a moment, he said with a bright smile:
"Then let's wait a little longer... When I came in, I saw that this camp was quite large. May I wander around a bit?"

Since the intention is to "travel around," the prerequisite is naturally to stay, which goes without saying.

After managing to say that polite sentence, and seeing that Geng Xuan had nothing more to say, Fan Qi bowed respectfully and left the room with Zhang Shaohe.

Fan Qi himself was alright; at least he managed to maintain a calm and composed demeanor on the surface.

On the contrary, Zhang Shaohe's steps were already unsteady even before he went out, which shows how turbulent his emotions were.

Not long after they left, Zhang Shaohe, who had been holding back his temper, immediately turned hostile towards Fan Qi and started spewing insults.

"If you want to embarrass yourself, don't drag me into it!"

When did my surname, Zhang, become so worthless that I need you to "think of me" like this?!

The phrase "considering" is used with extreme emphasis, clearly implying sarcasm.

Fan Qi completely ignored his outburst and pretended not to hear his words.

To turn a blind eye and a deaf ear.

His face was full of worry, and one jumble of thoughts kept swirling in his mind.

It doesn’t make sense!

It doesn’t make sense!

What the hell is this?
……

Just as Fan Qi was falling into self-doubt and feeling that the real world was full of malice towards him.

Geng Xuan's mind was also deeply shaken.

He pushed away Fan Qi and the other man who rushed up to him for a hug, and didn't stay in the room any longer.

Because the first victorious army was about to return to camp.

They returned with a large number of prisoners and a large amount of captured supplies.

This is the most glorious victory since the "Black Wind Army" was founded. As the "big boss" who is increasingly shirking his responsibilities, he still has to step forward to welcome them.

But as soon as I stepped outside, I was dazzled by what I saw.

Two red names, one darker and one lighter, hung above the open space not far in front.

Below the red name, there was not a single person in sight.

"Is there a ghost?" Geng Xuan thought to himself.

However, as he remained outwardly calm but secretly unleashed even more methods, he also witnessed more.

ripple.

He saw the ripples.

Right below those two red names. (End of Chapter)