Chapter 63: Wang Xi's Heart

Sitting in the car and gripping the steering wheel, Wang Xi could not help trembling. Back when he was still a petty punk, Wang Xi had always fought desperately to make others know that he was ruthless enough, hoping to be looked upon with a bit more respect.

Now, having joined Ziguang Trading and become the deputy general manager, he received a monthly salary of twelve hundred, a company car, and rumors had it that a female secretary would soon be assigned to him.

Seeing his life getting better and better, he no longer had to live by licking blood off a blade! To say nothing of indulging in nightly revelries and living in a drunken dream from now on, he would at least become a prominent figure in Tianhai City, able to mingle in high circles and package himself as a successful man!

Yet, he had been dragged here by Xiao Ziguang to drive and help kidnap Qiu Changtian!

Written out in words, Wang Xi recognized every single one of them. But combined together, they possessed a surreal absurdity. Xiao Ziguang actually wanted to run to Xiling County to kidnap Qiu Changtian—that was a major drug lord of Xiling County, an existence akin to a local emperor.

People avoided such a man like the plague; how could anyone willingly approach him and try to kidnap him? Wasn't this pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth, rushing headlong to court death?

Xiao Ziguang, however, held a different view. Patting Wang Xi on the shoulder, he delivered his final pep talk: "Brother Wang Xi, would you rather be a hero for three minutes, or a coward for the rest of your life? What is a crisis? It is an opportunity amidst danger!"

"Don't be nervous, don't be afraid. As long as we pull off this job, you will be a great hero in everyone's eyes!"

A smile that looked worse than crying appeared on Wang Xi's face: "Boss, if possible, I'd like to be a hero for half an hour. I'm very tough, my resilience is exceptional, and I feel quite firm."

Wang Xi truly was a contradictory complex. To say he was nervous—yet he still had the mood to crack jokes. To say he wasn't nervous—yet his entire body was shaking, and even his hands gripping the steering wheel trembled continuously.

Xiao Ziguang had no choice but to change his rhetoric: "Alright, now that you already know our plan, it means you've boarded a pirate ship. Our fortunes are tied together; we rise or fall as one. I am somewhat of a figure in Tianhai. As long as things are accomplished today, this will be your pledge of allegiance."

"From now on, wherever I have meat to eat, you will definitely have soup to drink! If you want to eat meat too, you'll just have to work twice as hard!"

Wang Xi did not speak, simply staring blankly at the scenery outside.

The weather today was wonderful. In the distant woods, a group of children laughed and ran around, while the setting sun pierced through the withered, yellowed leaves of the phoenix trees, casting mottled spots of light. Golden leaves fell upon the ground, resembling a golden carpet spread over the black earth.

Such beautiful scenery, just like an oil painting. Although devoid of the joy of harvest, it was golden and filled with the abundance of autumn.

And those clusters of running children looked so much like the youth Wang Xi had once lost.

He still remembered when he was only eight years old and Wang Dong was twenty. One night, Wang Xi was terribly hungry, and there was nothing left to eat at home, so Wang Dong took him to steal sweet potatoes from someone else's field.

As a result, they were discovered. That was the first time Wang Xi stole, and the first time Wang Dong was caught. Two sturdy farm laborers pinned Wang Dong and Wang Xi down and beat them mercilessly.

Wang Xi couldn't take it and knelt on the ground, begging continuously. Looking at the skinny, bony children, the two men felt a pang of compassion.

A bruised and battered Wang Dong brought Wang Xi back home and roasted seven or eight sweet potatoes for him. Wang Xi could swear those were the sweetest sweet potatoes he had ever eaten in his life.

Wang Dong also knelt on the ground and swore that he would make something of himself and ensure his younger brother never had to worry about food or clothing.

Later, Wang Dong became Old Ghost and fulfilled his original vow, giving Wang Xi a life free from worries about food and clothing.

Later still, Wang Dong died, and Wang Xi began facing the same choice Wang Dong had faced back then: whether to risk his life on the line to fight for the wealth of his second half of life, or to quit right now and live out the rest of his days in a daze of poverty and destitution!

A small portion of Old Ghost's money had been spent on food and drink, while the majority was embezzled by Xiong Feng, becoming the startup capital for Ziguang Trading.

If Wang Xi, the little punk, chose to quit now, he would end up with nothing...

No, Wang Xi at least still had a large group of enemies—enemies who wished they could eat his flesh, drink his blood, and flay his skin!

In this world, two types of people suffer the most after washing their hands of the underworld and going straight. One type consists of fallen women trying to turn over a new leaf; no matter how much they wish to reform, they cannot escape their former clients and are ultimately dragged back into the water.

The other type consists of underworld figures who wash their hands. Some abide by the rules, valuing the principle that washing one's hands settles all past grievances. Others, however, do not follow the rules—why should anyone forgive you just because you washed your hands?

What were all those years of enduring humiliation worth? What was the hatred that kept you awake at night for years worth? Just when you could finally take your revenge, you suddenly washed your hands and quit the martial world?

Then what did all those years of biting your tongue and swallowing insults amount to? What were all those sleepless nights of bitter hatred for?

Therefore, once a person enters the rivers and lakes, they are no longer master of their own destiny. As long as one walks this path and gets entangled in grievances, it is hard to achieve a peaceful end. One can only press on step by step. If Ziguang Trading flourished, even if others harbored hatred in their hearts, they wouldn't dare act rashly out of respect for Ziguang Trading.

Wang Xi's gaze gradually turned firm. He still remembered that night of eating sweet potatoes, where the orange-red firelight kept dancing in the cold wind, making his older brother's face look obscure and ferocious. Clearly during the day, his eyes had been clearly black and white, but now they had turned blood-red.

Then Wang Xi heard his brother shouting incessantly: "The good-hearted are bullied by others! If a man isn't ruthless, he cannot stand tall! If you want to be a man above men, you have to devour men..."

Originally, there were many things in these words that Wang Xi could not comprehend, but today, for some reason, they suddenly all became crystal clear!

Truly, the great Dao is simple, and a true transmission takes only a single sentence!

If you want to be a man above men, you must devour men! After all, those who do not devour men simply end up as beasts of burden enslaved by the men above men! Wang Xi felt he had to change. Now that his older brother was gone, and he himself didn't want to become a beast of burden, perhaps following Xiao Ziguang and learning to devour men really was a good thing!

Having figured these things out, Wang Xi's hand finally stopped shaking! He silently looked at Xiao Ziguang and asked very abruptly, "How confident are you about this matter?"

"In anything, once you do it, you have a fifty percent chance of success. If you don't do it, you'll never have any chance at all!" Xiao Ziguang's eyes shone brightly. "You just need to do your part. As soon as you see Qiu Changtian's motorcade, ram your car right into it."

"If you can hit Qiu Changtian's car, that's best. If you can't, hit the vehicle in front of his and force the motorcade to a stop..."

The plan was simple, bordering on crude. Wang Xi asked with concern, "Then will I die?"

"Of course not! The tool in your hand isn't a toy! With prepared minds against unprepared ones, we are extremely strong!"

Wang Xi was finally persuaded, his eyes slowly widening. "Fine, we'll do as you say. But there's one thing I must make clear first. From now on, I won't just drink soup; I want to eat meat. And if possible, I want to eat men!"

"Eat away! Eat away! Look at how capable you are! Wanting to eat men..." Xiao Ziguang didn't know how to evaluate Wang Xi; this fellow always seemed to have a screw loose in his head.