Li Chonglou knew Chen Pingfan would come, and he had a belly full of doubts that needed answering.
He opened the door, and sure enough, Chen Pingfan was standing outside.
"Let's go inside first."
The two returned to the room. After Li Chonglou locked the door, Chen Pingfan spoke first.
"Brother Li, have you sensed something is wrong?"
Turning around, Li Chonglou saw Chen Pingfan standing by the window with a grave expression.
"Yes, this mission, the handbook is probably just a diversion."
"That's what I wanted to say, Brother Li. You don't know how much effort I put into qualifying for this exam, and how many seniors I consulted."
This consultation, naturally, was not without cost. In this world, few people would offer information for free, except for one's own family. Even Wolf Uncle only shared some basic camp information with him because of their mutual interests.
Li Chonglou didn't interrupt Chen Pingfan.
"From what I heard from those seniors who have been through this before, the exam mainly tests personal ability, but it only looks at combat power, so the handbook is the most crucial thing. At least, that's what they told me!"
Li Chonglou frowned, "But this handbook is clearly not right now."
Chen Pingfan nodded.
"That's the point. From the mission content to this handbook, I think the General Bureau might have other intentions this time, and we might have all become their pawns."
Pawns?
Li Chonglou hadn't considered that before.
"What are your plans now? Will you follow their arrangements?"
Chen Pingfan continued to shake his head.
"That's not advisable either. What the seniors said should still be trusted, but the method might need to change. We only have three days. Let alone a day, we might not even have an hour to spare!"
"Also, come here and look."
Chen Pingfan beckoned Li Chonglou over. The two stood by the window, and Chen Pingfan pointed to the two rows of soldiers, speaking sternly, "Do you see the weapons they are holding? I've investigated, and there are no such weapons sold on the market. I suspect they are specifically designed to deal with us."
This guy's thinking is quite clear.
Li Chonglou asked calmly, "Are you saying these people are here to guard us?"
"Yes! Also, when we arrived, you heard what that old woman said, right? And the way those villagers looked at us, do you think that's a normal look for a local institution?"
Li Chonglou pondered.
Chen Pingfan continued, "If I'm not mistaken, it won't be long before they summon us for a meeting."
"Who do you mean by 'they'?"
"Wu Di, Liu Tixing, Liu Tianzhi!"
Li Chonglou stared into Chen Pingfan's eyes.
"Are you telling me all this to get me to join your small team?"
"No."
Chen Pingfan's摇头 made Li Chonglou's expression falter, and he suddenly didn't understand the man's intentions.
Actually, in Li Chonglou's mind, Chen Pingfan was a pretty good teammate.
He was meticulous and tactful. If such a person had a decent character and not too many dark aspects, they would be quite reliable as a teammate. At the very least, they wouldn't drag you down in many situations and might even help you.
However, hearts are like faces, and one must judge their true intentions for oneself.
"You don't want to persuade me to join your small team, are you trying to team up with me privately?"
Li Chonglou frowned, while the latter showed an appreciative look.
"As expected of a member of the renowned Dragon Team, Brother Li, I believe even without entering the Execution Department, you would have a place in the General Bureau, wouldn't you?"
Li Chonglou looked at him with a half-smile.
"Are you trying to pry into my affairs?"
Chen Pingfan shook his head, "I'm just a little curious."
Then he regained a serious expression, "Brother Li, I know your starting point is higher than any of ours. Perhaps from the beginning, you looked down on rogue cultivators like me who have no background or connections, but I still want to say that this doesn't mean I can't help."
Li Chonglou suddenly raised his hand, stopping Chen Pingfan.
The latter looked puzzled. Li Chonglou said calmly, "Brother Chen, I also came from the bottom. I can relate to many things that you know and do. So, you don't need to put yourself in a lower position."
A flash of color, or perhaps surprise, appeared in Chen Pingfan's eyes.
Li Chonglou continued, "Let's talk business. You want to team up with me, and that's fine, but I have one condition."
This man, although already in his thirties, was considered talented by Li Chonglou, though perhaps not in terms of combat power.
But in reality, combat power doesn't always represent everything. Wisdom, temperament, and decisiveness are equally important factors.
Therefore, Li Chonglou genuinely acknowledged Chen Pingfan.
His words made Chen Pingfan's eyes light up. Without any hesitation, he said, "No problem! Let alone one condition, even two or three, as long as I can do it, I have no objections at all!"
"I want you to follow my command throughout."
Chen Pingfan's expression froze instantly.
"What?"
Li Chonglou teased, "Didn't you say any condition is acceptable? I'm just asking you to follow my command. This shouldn't be difficult, should it?"
The man fell silent.
Li Chonglou didn't rush him, just looked at him calmly.
After a long while, Chen Pingfan finally said with a wry smile, "Brother Li, isn't this making me your subordinate? If I had that intention, why would I still be a free agent instead of joining an organization long ago?"
For someone of his age and strength, although still lacking compared to those above, he was more than enough compared to those below. Even if he didn't join one of the three major forces, he could have chosen any of the Eight Great Families in the capital! His life would still be much more comfortable than most people!
Li Chonglou shook his head, "It's not as serious as you say. We are just cooperating here. This is my bottom line. Whether you agree or not is up to you now."
Li Chonglou directly threw the problem back to him. This time, it was his turn to make the choice.
Chen Pingfan suddenly looked troubled.
Seeing a brave and resourceful person become conflicted, it was clear that this choice had also touched his bottom line.
Being someone's subordinate was not a simple matter. What is a subordinate? They are the ones who solve problems for their boss, and the first to charge into danger. He had only come to find a reliable person to cooperate with for stability. Being a subordinate was completely beyond his expectations.
The two fell silent again for a while.
Just as Li Chonglou thought he was going to give up, Chen Pingfan suddenly gritted his teeth and decisively said, "Okay, I agree!"
Li Chonglou's eyes lit up immediately.
Chen Pingfan added, "But I also have a condition."