Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Inside the reception room, Liu Mang sat imposingly on the main sofa.

Fan Pengju sat to the side. He was fat but unusually sturdy. He squinted and looked at the doorway, looking like a Maitreya Buddha with something on his mind.

When Zhang Zhiwei and his group entered, their gazes first fell on Wang Ai, and then simultaneously landed on Lü Ci.

Lu Cisheng was handsome, with an arrogant face, cold and disdainful eyes, and a sharp and intimidating aura around him, like a sword drawn from its sheath, revealing its full sharpness, naturally making him the focus of the entire audience.

Could this person be the source of Wang Pangzi's confidence...? The two wondered to themselves, then looked at the third person.

The third person was the tallest, standing out from the crowd. Logically, he should have been the most eye-catching, but strangely, neither of them noticed him at first glance, as if the person standing there was not a tall person, but a tall shadow.

However, when they noticed the man's face, they were all shocked.

It wasn't that they sensed an invincible aura or oppressive force.

What's striking is that this person's appearance is exactly the same as the Little Celestial Master's.

Zhang Zhiwei is very famous, and he himself is not some mysterious person who is rarely seen.

Therefore, his appearance is not a secret, and most major powers have his photos.

Liu Mang and Fan Pengju naturally recognized Zhang Zhiwei.

The two men exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with shock. It was as if speaking of the devil had brought him here.

Just a moment ago we were saying that Little Celestial Master probably didn't care about things in Chongqing, and that it was Fatty Wang who was using Little Celestial Master's name to swindle people. But the next second, Little Celestial Master showed up.

After learning Zhang Zhiwei's identity, Liu Mang and Fan Pengju's gazes towards him immediately changed.

What I previously thought were ordinary points have now become profound and unfathomable.

Even powerful warlords like Liu Mang and Fan Pengju unconsciously straightened their posture when facing Zhang Zhiwei.

“This…” Fan Pengju wanted to greet Zhang Zhiwei directly, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt that it might be a bit abrupt and offensive, so he looked at Wang Ai and spoke in a much more polite tone:
"Wang Pang... Oh... Bishop Wang, could this gentleman be the Little Celestial Master?"

This fatso used to call me "Bibliophile" all the time, but now that Senior Brother Zhang is here, he's actually starting to call me Bishop Wang. Wang Ai glanced at Fan Pengju, thinking to himself that the other guy was quite sensible; Senior Brother Zhang's influence was really useful. ...

Just now, he thought that after they came in, there would be a heated argument, then they would turn on each other, and finally Senior Brother Zhang would use his virtue to subdue the two warlords in front of him.

But to his utter surprise, the situation reversed the moment Zhang Zhiwei entered, before he even made a move or uttered a word.

Wang Ai puffed out his chest and said proudly, "That's right, this is the Little Celestial Master, and also the leader of my Tiantong Church. Commander Fan, didn't you always call us the Luantong Church and ask to see the leader? Now the leader has arrived."

"Damn it! This bastard actually complained about me..." Fan Pengju cursed inwardly, but his face was all smiles as he quickly stood up.

"Hey, little Celestial Master, don't misunderstand. I... I never said anything like 'something like a 'communist,' I only said that Bishop Wang is a 'bastard bishop.'"

He pointed at Wang Ai and said, "You little rascal, don't talk nonsense. I personally have great respect for the Little Celestial Master."

Wang Ai was certain that the fat man had said that, but at this moment, he didn't continue arguing about it and instead smiled:

"I might have remembered it wrong!"

Fan Pengju said, "You must have misremembered. You're a boss and a bishop all day long, you're so busy, it's normal for you to misremember things."

"Besides, when I call you Bishop Egg, it's not an insult. It's just my catchphrase, my style. By the way, aren't you going to introduce me to the little Celestial Master?"

This scene left Lü Ci, who was standing nearby, dumbfounded. He thought to himself, "This isn't how the script is going! How could it be like this? Could it be that Senior Brother Zhang is really going to win people over with virtue this time?!"
Wang Ai looked at Zhang Zhiwei: "Senior Brother Zhang, let me introduce you. This is Commander Fan of the 21st Army, and also the leader of the Chongqing Brotherhood. He's a generous and loyal man. His hobby is marrying wives; he's married nearly forty in total..."

Speaking of loyalty, Fan Pengju smiled, thinking to himself that Fatty Wang was indeed an honest and kind person!
He was indeed loyal, no doubt about that, but he quickly sensed something was wrong and hurriedly interrupted:
"Alright, alright, Bishop Wang, that's enough. Don't go around spreading such trivial matters. Although I've had dozens of wives, I've never forced them to marry me. They've all been willing."

He explained for a moment, then looked at Zhang Zhiwei, clasped his hands and said, "Little Celestial Master, I have long admired your name. What you have done in Northeast China and Shanghai is truly admirable."

"Charging into the headquarters of the Japanese pirates, wiping them out like cutting melons and vegetables, not only killing a bunch of them, but also taking down several generals, how can anyone be so brave?"

"I am ashamed of myself. My name is Fan Pengju. My brothers call me Commander Ha'er in private. If you don't mind, you can call me Fan Ha'er!"

Fan Ha'er... Commander Ha'er... Zhang Zhiwei looked at Fan Pengju with some surprise. Appearances can be deceiving; he hadn't expected this to be a renowned general who fought against the Japanese pirates. He clasped his hands and said:
"Commander Fan, I've heard so much about you!"

“I have no name whatsoever, it’s all bad. Little Celestial Master calls me Commander Fan, which sounds weird!” He pointed to Liu Mang next to him: “The commander is standing here, why don’t you just call me Fan Ha’er, it sounds more friendly.”

"Good, good, good!" Zhang Zhiwei nodded and smiled, "Brother Ha'er!"

"Hehehe, that's right." Fan Pengju said with his arms crossed. Then, he tugged at Liu Mang next to him: "Brother Mang, Commander Mang, what are you doing standing there?"

Fan Ha'er, I really admire you. You're blinded by greed. Even in this state, what's the point of talking? Liu Mang mentally cursed, then stood up, clasped his hands, and said:
"Young Celestial Master, I've long admired your name. Your actions in resisting the Japanese pirates are something that not only my brother here, but I also greatly admire!"

He pointed to the sofa opposite him: "Come, please sit down!"

Zhang Zhiwei walked over and sat down comfortably, without the slightest bit of restraint.

As for Wang Ai and Lü Ci, Liu Mang didn't greet them, and there weren't enough sofas available either.

Fan Pengju looked at Lü Ci and said, "And this young man is..."

“The Lü family, Lü Ci!” Lü Ci said.

"These four silly kids..." Fan Pengju thought to himself, then pointed to the chairs beside him: "There are two chairs over there, come and sit down!"

Lü Ci: "…………"

Lu Ci didn't move, but nudged Wang Ai with his elbow.

Wang Ai walked over and brought two chairs. The two of them sat on either side of Zhang Zhiwei, just like two protectors.

Liu Mang ordered his men to bring tea, then said, "Little Celestial Master, did you come to Yucheng this time for those tomb raiders from Hunan and Hubei?" "Tomb raiders are what people in Changjun call 'grave robbers'!" Fan Pengju explained.

“That’s exactly why I came!” Zhang Zhiwei nodded.

Liu Mang said, "Little Celestial Master, you know that those scoundrels are no ordinary scoundrels. They're practically warlords. If it were twenty years ago, I wouldn't have been able to beat them. So, we definitely need to be careful."

"If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn't let him into the city. Even if it were Baldy, I wouldn't give him any face in this matter."

"But you're different. I really admire you, just because of what you've done. Today you say what to do, and we'll do it."

“If you want me to let those rakes in, then I’ll let them in.”

"If you need manpower, just let me know, and I'll fully cooperate with you!"

Liu Mang tapped his fingers on the table and said firmly.

This was indeed the truth; Zhang Zhiwei let the Unloading Ridge Warriors in to build an air-raid shelter.

He is actually the biggest beneficiary of the construction of the air-raid shelter, and he will definitely support it; he was just habitually seeking some benefits before.

Now that Zhang Zhiwei himself has come, he naturally won't resort to underhanded tactics. Knowing when to treat someone differently is also a skill.

For someone like Wang Ai, you have to use threats and inducements, just don't push him to the point of desperation.

As for someone like Zhang Zhiwei, you have to be honest with him; resorting to tricks is just a low-class approach.

Most importantly, he genuinely admired Zhang Zhiwei's actions.

Zhang Zhiwei had expected to have to use his words, but to his surprise, it went so smoothly. He immediately smiled and said, "General Liu is truly a generous man. I, Zhang Zhiwei, thank you in advance!"

“It must be bright and spacious!” Liu Mang laughed.

“If it’s all just talk and no action, then I, Brother Liu, am honest and straightforward. As a member of the Brotherhood, I would never back down or cheat!” Fan Pengju said.

Liu Mang waved his hand and said, "Whether someone is honest or not is something you know in your heart. Those who keep saying it all the time are not honest at all!"

Seeing them talking, Wang Ai and Lü Ci exchanged a glance, and Lü Ci transmitted his voice:
"Fatty, are these two always talking so cheerfully?"

“You’re dreaming. A ruthless character who commands hundreds of thousands of troops, known to outsiders as Liu the Loser, what kind of person would he be easy to deal with?” Wang Ai replied, “If it weren’t for Senior Brother Zhang today, he would have been so arrogant that we wouldn’t have gotten out of here without being skinned alive.”

Lu Ci felt a chill run down his spine. Upon closer reflection, he realized it was true. The four families were from the world of supernatural beings. Although they had some connections with the warlords, none of them were deeply intertwined. They rarely interacted, so they didn't feel the impact of their relationship.

But he had witnessed the scene of the Gao family head of the four families in front of Zhang Dashuai, the King of the Northeast.

Although they weren't exactly lowly, they didn't have much of a voice either.

Although Commander Liu in front of him might not be as strong as Commander Zhang, as the King of Sichuan and Chongqing, he was undoubtedly on the same level as Commander Zhang, the King of Northeast China. However, he was extremely polite to his senior brother Zhang.

At this moment, Liu Mang was personally pouring tea for Zhang Zhiwei. As he poured, he said, "Little Celestial Master, you may not like what I'm about to say, but I still have to say it: I want to invest in your steel mill."

It's here, it's here, it's finally here... Wang Ai felt a chill, stopped communicating with Lü Ci telepathically, and pricked up her ears to listen.

Liu Mang continued, "Although you may have heard some rumors in the martial arts world and think I'm a bad person, I still want to say that my investment in your steel plant is definitely not for making money. I can guarantee that. Although I'm not a good person, what I say is what I mean."

"I was doing this to equip my men. I don't know if Fatty Wang told you, but while you were running the steel plant, I also ran a steel mill. I even went to great lengths to get a three-ton electric arc furnace from abroad, which could produce three tons of steel every day. But because of your steel mill, it's barely surviving now."

Zhang Zhiwei was speechless. The steel plant, which had been built with great effort and produced three tons of steel per day, would only produce a thousand tons of steel even if it operated year-round without considering electricity, materials, and damage. That was less than what the Tiantong Steel Plant could produce in a single day.

Faced with such a stark contrast, Zhang Zhiwei finally understood why this person was so fixated on the Tiantong Steel Plant.

Liu Mang continued, "My purpose in setting up this steel plant was not actually to make money, but to smelt steel and manufacture weapons."

"To this end, I integrated all the arsenals in the entire Sichuan-Chongqing region, including several arsenals in Chengdu. I moved all the heavy industry to Chongqing, right there in Ciqikou, intending to manufacture guns and cannons and make a big splash."

"But even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. A rifle weighs four kilograms now, a light machine gun is even heavier, and if it's a mortar or a mountain gun, it's even heavier. My lousy steel mill, even if it's operating at full capacity, can't produce many in a year."

"Little Celestial Master, I'm really envious of your steel mill. Although I've bought a lot of steel from you over the years, I still want to invest in it. I'd feel more at ease if I did!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ai, Lü Ci, and Fan Pengju all looked at Zhang Zhiwei, wondering how he would respond. To be honest, Liu Mang had already gone this far; if he refused, it would be a complete disregard for face and could lead to a complete breakdown in relations.

Zhang Zhiwei smiled and said, "I understand what Commander Liu means. Actually, I have considered giving you the shares."

"But if I give this to you, it will be like setting a precedent and crossing the line. What will the commanders in other regions think?"

"You want it, but they can't?"

"If they all come to me asking for it, should I give it to them or not?"

"If we don't give it to them, we'll offend them all. If we do, the steel mill will be divided up."

Liu Mang was stunned. He really hadn't thought of this.

Then, Zhang Zhiwei deliberately gave Liu Mang a way out: "General Liu, if you promise not to act recklessly in the steel mill, I believe you, but what about the other generals?"

Zhang Zhiwei grinned: "I can't trust them."

Liu Mang was somewhat displeased. He had already put his mind to it, yet he was still rejected. However, he could not deny that Zhang Zhiwei was telling the truth. Based on his understanding of those warlords, once they were allowed to enter the market, the currently thriving Tiantong Steel Plant would inevitably end up in a complete mess.

Liu Mang nodded: "To be honest, I don't trust them either. I can understand the Little Celestial Master's decision, but I still feel a little uneasy."

Zhang Zhiwei laughed and said, "There's no need to feel bad. Even if you don't invest, we can still cooperate. Didn't Commander Liu build several arsenals but suffer from a lack of steel?"

"How about this, we can sign a long-term contract. Whenever you need steel to forge weapons and upgrade the equipment of your army, I won't charge you a single penny. What do you think?" (End of Chapter)