Chapter 908

"Third Uncle, where does this come from? I wouldn't dare!" Kong Jianshi protested.

"Charitable Aid Hall absolutely has no such thoughts; thinking about it, it's impossible. The Regional Commander dominates Nan Jun and Qiang Land, he is the undisputed hegemon of Lingnan; even if Charitable Aid Hall had great abilities, it wouldn't dare to use them against the Regional Commander!"

Third Uncle Lu let out a cold snort, "Who says that's certain? What if you have a stronger backer behind you?"

"Third Uncle, stop teasing me, this is all impossible. I'm really confused now, please, sir, help me, help me figure out where the problem lies." Kong Jianshi said urgently; he was really at a loss.

Just now he felt his understanding was fine, and he spoke quite confidently.

But seeing Chen Wuji and Third Uncle Lu's reactions, he realized he had gotten it wrong again.

It's not at all what he thought.

Third Uncle Lu stared at Kong Jianshi with a scrutinizing gaze and asked in a low voice, "First, honestly tell me, how exactly did that old Mr. Zhang speak to you? I want to hear his exact words."

"Let me think!" Kong Jianshi took a deep breath and said solemnly, "The Old Shopkeeper said Charitable Aid Hall is undergoing a power transition; from now on Charitable Aid Hall will do whatever the Regional Commander says, letting me fully assist the Regional Commander, using what can be used and discarding what cannot."

"Just that?" Third Uncle Lu asked.

"Pretty much that; later he also gave me some other instructions, but it's basically the same meaning."

Third Uncle Lu snorted, "That old fox. How you did it, I now have some guesses; have you told the Regional Commander about these things? How did he tell you?"

"The Regional Commander actually never specified exactly how to do it; he just ordered me to do a few things, which I haven't done well!" Kong Jianshi looked dejected, "Just recently, the Regional Commander suddenly mentioned to me, asking me to integrate Charitable Aid Hall's intelligence forces."

Third Uncle Lu stared at Kong Jianshi, silent for a moment, then said, "Old boy, at your age you've really lived in vain; how can you be inferior in everything to me, who doesn't wander the rivers and lakes, hasn't seriously practiced martial arts for decades, and just farms all day? Don't you understand this?"

Kong Jianshi was utterly bewildered; hearing this, he merely nodded and humbly asked, "Third Uncle, I'm truly foolish; please, sir, point me to the right path—I'm really worried now. Although I don't know what happened, I can sense the Regional Commander's displeasure."

"If Charitable Aid Hall pulls this stunt, it would be strange if the Regional Commander liked it." Third Uncle Lu said disdainfully.

"……"

Third Uncle Lu walked forward with his hands behind his back, asking as he went, "Let me ask you, what is the Regional Commander's position now?"

"Marquis Zhenyuan, Regional Inspector Commander of Nan Jun!"

"Do you know what that means?"

"……A high-ranking official holding great power?" Kong Jianshi said uncertainly.

Third Uncle Lu nodded, "And what is Charitable Aid Hall?"

"A jianghu force with a four-hundred-year heritage, its reach extending across the Nine Provinces."

"You answered that quite readily and clearly." Third Uncle Lu smiled, "I ask you, in your view, what should be the relationship between Charitable Aid Hall and the Regional Commander now?"

"Vassal!"

"And it's separate from the other forces under the Regional Commander's command, right?"

"That's for sure!"

Third Uncle Lu stopped abruptly, "Do you think this is reasonable?"

"This…… what's the problem? The Regional Commander still holds sway over Charitable Aid Hall." Kong Jianshi asked bewilderedly.

Third Uncle Lu's mouth twitched violently, "You really force me to swear; Charitable Aid Hall is indeed formidable, choosing a marquis who dominates Lingnan and commands hundreds of thousands of troops as the new Hall Master—there's surely no jianghu force stronger than you in the world."

Kong Jianshi laughed heartily.

Third Uncle Lu's face darkened instantly, "You're still quite proud, huh?"

"Third Uncle, what you just said really lifts my spirits." Kong Jianshi said humbly.

"……" Third Uncle Lu completely broke down, "Go to hell, damn it, I really have nothing left to say!"

Kong Jianshi grabbed Third Uncle Lu, "Third Uncle, don't, don't, don't, don't get angry."

"Hear what you're saying—do you think I can stay calm?" Third Uncle Lu roared.

"Charitable Aid Hall made the Chen Clan Head, a marquis with real power holding heavy troops, into the Hall Master—doesn't that sound awkward to you? What are your positions, and what is the Regional Commander's position? How dare you do this? Only the Regional Commander would tolerate it; if it were me, I wouldn't spare any old feelings and would have given you a bloodbath."

"That old Mr. Zhang, who has saved the Regional Commander's life how many times, dares to play such petty tricks?"

"This……" A flash of light called enlightenment suddenly appeared before Kong Jianshi's eyes.

He seemed to understand a bit.

Their positions are unequal; they want different things.

"Third Uncle, what should I do now?" Kong Jianshi asked sincerely.

"I can't fully grasp the reasons here, and I don't want to figure them out completely. Please, sir, point me to the right path now—what I should do. After I finish this, I'll wash my hands of it and simply be a retainer under the Regional Commander, or go raise horses, I won't care about these matters anymore. I'm mentally exhausted; this really isn't for me."

Third Uncle Lu nodded in agreement, "You now have some self-awareness."

"Like this, let me give you my own example: our Lu Jia Village has stayed out of jianghu affairs these past years, with hardly any news of us in the jianghu; we regard ourselves completely as farmers, just ordinary commoners."

"But regardless of how we see ourselves, such a village is an uncontrollable force in the Regional Commander's eyes, one that would affect his rule over Nan Jun; therefore the Regional Commander married Wanwan and summoned us to meet."

"If we didn't agree to these things, what would happen? You should be able to guess. So we must agree. Not only must we agree to these two matters, we also need a clearer attitude—namely, what I said today."

Kong Jianshi nodded thoughtfully, racking his brains to fit Lu Jia Village's situation onto Charitable Aid Hall.

"But, Charitable Aid Hall is different from our Lu Jia Village!" Third Uncle Lu's tone suddenly shifted.

"For us, the Regional Commander only wants an attitude; for you, he wants absolute control. The Regional Commander could not tolerate a voluntarily attached vassal force, yet aside from you and that old Mr. Zhang, he knows nothing about anyone else."

"You just said you wanted to let go, but actually, by rights this is no longer your decision to make. You've been occupying this position all along, without handing over power, without letting the Regional Commander reorganize Charitable Aid Hall and take full control."

"This is what you should do now; do you understand my meaning? You are aligning yourselves, not merely showing goodwill."