“Big Boss, you hid such a precious object from us. So blithe, you’re so blithe!” As they went to the side, An Yangxu was full of pent-up anger. “If I had known this existed, I wouldn’t have to worry so much every day. Look at this, look at this. Half my hair has turned white!” He took off his hat as he spoke—a lot of his hair had turned white, indeed.

“That’s right. Big Boss, you keep secrets well indeed. If Old An had not approached you to ask for Hong Dali, we’d be kept in the dark!” The other three Generals expressed their dissatisfaction as well. Ma Zhiming said, “The 150th anniversary of the military parade is coming soon. In order to make the people proud of Heavenly State, I haven’t been sleeping well these days!” Hao Ren then said, “Yes, show those foreigners that Heavenly State is not easily bullied! When I think of Merika showing off to their other countries, I feel uneasy all over!” Tang Yuanqing nodded vigorously. “That’s right, Big Boss, we must have lost a few years of our lives from the worrying. But you actually hid such a thing from us!”

Seeing how these old guys were pouring out their grievances, the mysterious man felt a little embarrassed.

Although these old guys were temperamental and didn’t always see each other eye to eye, they had good characters. They kept Heavenly State in their minds all the time and were not selfish. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to set his heart at rest with regards to military matters. But Hong Dali…

“I had no choice.” The mysterious man said helplessly. “Everyone saw, too. Hong Dali has so many things he probably isn’t sure how many things there are. I can’t take them openly, I can only trade them. If he’s not happy and stops squandering, or hides everything, it will be a loss to our country. Do you know, he has a seal that says ‘Squander for the Rise of the Heavenly State!’ and it was inscribed by me!”

An Yangxu’s and the Generals’ jaws dropped. “What?!”

For the number one person in Heavenly State to inscribe something for someone, it was a huge honor. It was obvious that Hong Dali’s treatment could not be compared to anyone else!

Squander for the Rise of the Heavenly State! The number one person in Heavenly State would inscribe something like that! What did that imply? It implied that as long as Hong Dali did not work himself to death, the number one person in Heavenly State would support him with no conditions!

“That, Big Boss, you’re not joking?” They looked at each other and said in unison, “That’s giving him everything ah!”

The mysterious man lifted his head and looked upon a group of people laughing. He gently said, “Hong Dali is worth it.”

“I can’t imagine. But until now, I think you did the right thing, Big Boss.” An Yangxu sighed. “Although Hong Dali doesn’t seem well-learned nor does he have any bad intentions, but he has quite a lot of secrets up his sleeve.”

“Hehe.” The mysterious man shook his head gently and smiled. “This rascal may not look like much on the surface, but at our age, we can judge others’ characters very well. If something was amiss, we’d be able to spot it.”

Speaking up to this point, he took out a packet of Tianjing cigarette and offered one to everyone. After everyone had lighted their cigarettes, he continued, “I’ve never done anything against my principles my whole life. If we take one wrong step, the impact would not be small. We live in fear every day, fearing that if we let our guard down, the people might hate me. I’m afraid people will hate me for life. If anything goes wrong, my name will go down the history for ten thousands of years.

“Only Hong Dali matter.” The mysterious man sighed gently. “I’ve never gambled on anything my whole life. Even when I was little, I’ve never made any sort of bet with my friends. Only on Hong Dali, I am willing to try and take a bet!

“My grandfather always said that it’s not that the heavens can’t see. There are times when they nap, too. This time, I really hope the heavens will be taking a nap. Don’t blame me for taking a bet for the first time in my whole life. I don’t wish to earn a lot, I only hope that I don’t lose. Of course, it’ll be great if I could earn a little.”

His voice was solemn. Everyone around sighed deeply.

It seemed that the number one person in Heavenly State was serious. It was no joke. He had put a lot on the table for Hong Dali.

If he won, the benefits would be countless. At the moment, the Mechanical Holy Garment and the car with exceptional defense system had proved his point.

If he lost… according to Hong Dali’s generosity, the losses could be quite substantial. But at least it would be acceptable.

“Actually, for this matter, I think the chance of winning is very high.” The mysterious man said softly. He took a deep puff on his cigarette and sighed again. “According to our concept, whether a person succeeds or not, or if the time is right, geographical and social conditions are favorable, could depend on his shrewdness, stratagem, or even his vision. Heavenly State is such a big place, the people who can really ride on the clouds and summon the rain are very few.

“But this small group of people, they might not have to suffer nor do much. They might even be like a carp leaping through the dragon’s gate 1. It may sound ridiculous, but records have proven.

“This is the legendary Numerology according to the older generation. You can’t deny its existence. Just like Hong Dali, he looks he’s just lucky, but many things can only be achieved through luck. No one can deny that. But is that the truth? Actually, I’ve always thought that Hong Dali is smart, very smart. He just likes to squander and spend money, that’s all.

“Think about it, since we’ve put our attention on Hong Dali, I’ve investigated everything about him. In your opinion, do you think he has ever done anything against principles? Young and rich, not bad looking, his parents dote on him so much, everyone around him is willing to sweat their guts for him. But look at Hong Dali, has he ever given in to sexual pleasures? Never. With his financial ability, looks, and status, with a snap of his fingers, countless girls are willing to go to bed with him. But has Hong Dali ever done anything like that? No.

“So many male wealthy descendants drive luxurious cars, race, hold parties to get to know bad friends. Has Hong Dali done any of that? No.

“Has he ever got involved in drugs? No. Gambling den, he has been to one once, but never again. Bullied someone or looked down on them? Never. On the contrary, if he encounters any ridicule, he doesn’t care at all. But if someone around him is bullied, he gets angry.”

Hearing that, everyone nodded once. When he finished speaking, it was as though everyone roused.

The mysterious man was right. There was no exaggeration at all.

Although Hong Dali came from a rich family, other than squandering, he didn’t have any major issues. Especially when it came to principles. He didn’t fool around nor befriend any ruffians. He doesn’t get involved with women scandalously, he didn’t gamble, and he didn’t touch drugs.

He had never had any scandals. Not even with the few women around him.

Thinking about it carefully, with his status, women who were willing to go to bed with him was enough to go around the earth three rounds. But he had never been involved in anything messy with them. There weren’t even any rumors.

He didn’t look down on anyone and never did anything bad. On the contrary, he was very kind. So kind that it was beyond anyone’s expectations. He loved nature and took very good care of the land he owned. There was not even one piece of plastic anywhere. He loved animals; there was not a single stray cat or dogs in Tianjing City. He helped small animals. He even gave pocket money to beggars when he saw them—eight hundred to one thousand yuan was really like pocket money to him…

Hence, he didn’t get to where he was by chance. He didn’t make bad friends and was willing to cover for the shortcomings of the people around him. Which was why people were willing to follow him so loyally. He didn’t get involved with women scandalously, he didn’t gamble, and he didn’t touch drugs, so even if he spent a lot of time outside, it didn’t worry anyone.

The most important thing was, this little prodigal had no ambition. Not even one bit! His only goal or interest was to squander. He loved playing, and all he wanted was to be happy.

As for status and class, those were just fleeting clouds.

Without those reasons, why would this number one person in Heavenly State be willing to take such a huge gamble?

“Everyone always thought Hong Dali was just a lucky little prodigal. But I don’t think so.” The mysterious man smiled and took a puff of his cigarette. “He squanders a little too much, spends a little too much. The things he fiddles with might let outsiders think his luck is overboard! But I don’t think that way. Wang Daoming, everyone remembers him, right?”

Hearing that, the others were stunned. An Yangxu curiously asked, “I know this person. He’s one of the remaining martial arts masters. I heard he’s under Hong Dali now. What about him?”

“Hehe, Wang Daoming, I remember you offered him a lot to teach in the military. But he never came, right?” The mysterious man shook his head and smiled. “What terms did you offer him then? The rank of a lieutenant general, with an annual salary of two million. But did he accept it?”

“No.” Hearing the mysterious man, An Yangxu got curious. “Our terms were not bad. When he agreed to work under Hong Dali, the terms were definitely not as good as ours. But why did he agree?”

Footnotes:

Implying one getting what they wanted easily.