Chapter 136: The Vajra's Success

Following Xiao Tianci's instructions, Cheng Gong was now under the command of King Kong. Having accepted the conditions proposed by Xiao Tianci and Elder Zhao, Cheng Gong had come here to follow all of Xiao Tianci's arrangements. For him, as long as there was a battle, everything else was meaningless.

After dinner, Xiao Tianci went to his office to handle matters. In a room on the same floor, King Kong began arranging the night's security work. Cheng Gong and Lu Man stood together, flanked by dozens of other guards.

"Lu Man, today I am in charge of the security for the first half of the night, and you will take over the latter half as usual." With that, King Kong glanced at Cheng Gong. True to his reputation as a top-tier soldier, standing there, he was as unshakeable as a monolith.

Neither of them had ever imagined such a scenario would come to pass. For countless years, they had fought and tried to kill one another. They had lost count of how many times they had nearly slain each other. Both had been gravely wounded by the other's hands, yet miraculously risen time and again to resume the fight.

They knew each other too well. Years of combat had made them understand everything about one another far better than their own comrades or friends. Perhaps, as the saying went, the one who understood you best was not your friend, but your enemy.

Although their paths had diverged in recent years and they had ceased fighting, they felt no sense of strangeness toward each other. It was as if even the changes in each other during the years they had spent apart could not escape the other's understanding.

King Kong looked at Cheng Gong, who stood expressionless like a robotic general: "Cheng Gong, after arriving tonight, follow Lu Man first. Whatever you need to do, Lu Man will tell you."

"Yes." The voice was not loud, but exceptionally crisp and resolute. Perhaps he harbored resentment. Perhaps he still hated him, but he was a soldier, a general nonetheless. He had given his word to obey Xiao Tianci for three months, and Xiao Tianci had placed King Kong in command of him. Therefore, he would follow King Kong's orders, even if King Kong was his enemy. This was the defining trait of Cheng Gong—a general, a true soldier.

It felt like a dream. Could this really be true? Even King Kong found it hard to believe. They had fought for so many years. He vividly remembered one particular battle shortly after he had broken through to the third transformation. King Kong had slashed open Cheng Gong's abdomen, and Cheng Gong's comrades had sacrificed dozens of lives fighting their way through just to save him. There had also been the time when he himself had been beaten by Cheng Gong to the point of being bedridden for three months, barely escaping the complete destruction of his martial arts cultivation.

He remembered back then, after Cheng Gong's cultivation had been largely crippled, the old master had taken him away from the Xiao family estate. Standing in the pavilion and watching the plane carrying Cheng Gong away, the old master had sighed, "If the two of you could ever fight side by side, what a sight that would be! Just the thought of it is thrilling."

King Kong remembered his reply at the time: "Old Master, that is something that will never happen."

"Perhaps..."

An event that would never happen had happened today. No matter how one looked at it, Cheng Gong was currently nothing more than a soldier obeying orders. Not a trace of hatred or any other superfluous emotion could be seen in his eyes—only obedience to orders.

Others might not know, but King Kong knew very well that it was simply because the time had not yet come.

Cheng Gong returned to his room—or to be precise, the room shared by him and King Kong. He had already been here once when the chief steward personally escorted him. Inside, there were two bedrooms, a study, and a living room. Every room had a balcony furnished with tables and chairs, apparently meant for leisure.

Naturally, the luxury within went without saying. However, after just a brief glance, Cheng Gong knew immediately that this was definitely King Kong's room, for there was a complete absence of any personal items throughout the entire suite—though he naturally did not inspect King Kong's bedroom. The study, living room, and balcony remained in the exact state the hotel had originally designed them; not a single personal trinket was to be found.

This was very similar to his own past habits. Neither he nor King Kong needed those simple external aids for physical conditioning anymore. If they wished to train, they simply needed to sit in their rooms and circulate their inner energy.

Ancient Chinese martial arts placed too much emphasis on personal cultivation and paid little heed to practical combat effectiveness. Modern martial techniques were precisely the opposite; they were born for killing, so personal cultivation was merely a fraction of the whole. With every increment in strength, one had to unleash it one hundred percent in actual combat. However, he knew that reaching the level where he and King Kong stood made further advancement excruciatingly difficult. This resolute determination to seek a fight with King Kong was precisely an important reason for him.

Ever since he stopped fighting King Kong, he had made no progress for several years. He had never slackened, working even harder than before, yet he remained utterly stuck. To achieve a breakthrough, he had even risked dangerous training methods, resulting in physical injuries. For this, Elder Zhao had severely reprimanded him and sent him away for a period of recuperation. Although he did not stay there as long as originally ordered, it was the only time in his life—aside from being bedridden—that he had undergone recuperation.

Recalling that period of life where he did nothing but read books and take walks, a sense of dread washed over him. Yet it also cemented a certain conviction within him, especially after encountering King Kong at Elder Zhao's place.

Cheng Gong returned to his room, washed his face, and stepped into the study. A luxury hotel was indeed different; the study was stocked with some of the most common world classics. There were two computers on the desk, and Cheng Gong walked over to turn one on. He had changed significantly from his past self. Elder Zhao had told him more than once, "Remember, you are a general now, not merely a warrior. What you must do goes beyond simply following orders and fighting; you must also learn to use your brain to ponder problems."

Consequently, his lifelong habits had shifted. Every day, he reviewed global military developments, various political intelligence updates, and a vast array of other materials, engaging in continuous study. The only things that remained unchanged were his resolute heart and stern visage. Only when facing Elder Zhao, a father figure to him, or King Kong would the slightest ripple stir within his heart.

In Elder Zhao's words, his temperament had both pros and cons. Such calmness allowed him to unleash his greatest combat prowess on the battlefield, enabling him to analyze and judge the situation calmly at critical moments without being swayed by external distractions. Yet it also had many drawbacks, especially now that he was a general.

After browsing world news and domestic reports for a while, Cheng Gong felt restless. His mind drifted back to King Kong—what was he doing right now? He walked out onto the balcony. Although there were outdoor lights, aside from the brightly lit immediate perimeter, most of the surroundings were shrouded in darkness. Moreover, at this height, nothing could be seen below, let alone King Kong and the others who were stationed inside the building. He simply wanted to stand there, allowing himself to merge with the darkness as the internal energy throughout his body began to spin rapidly.

The chief steward and King Kong were stationed beside the boss. Outside were Lu Man and his team, while the base of the building and the surrounding perimeter were guarded by security personnel. The core defense line, however, was right here with King Kong.

Watching the boss continue to work away, King Kong's heart was likewise unsettled. For all these years, he had believed this day would never come, yet here they were, given the chance to cross swords once more. Given Cheng Gong's character, since he had given his word, there would be absolutely no problem.

Over the past few years, he had always felt as though something was missing in his heart. Sometimes, he even felt he was being gluttonous for punishment—back when the two of them went at each other, their nerves were always stretched to the absolute limit.

Even though he had encountered formidable opponents later on, he always felt that a certain spark was lacking. How many years does a person have in a lifetime to engage in life-or-death combat with someone? How could they ever forget those countless brushes with mortality, those numerous times pushed to the edge of life and death?

At that moment, Lu Man's voice came through the earpiece, informing him that Cheng Gong had arrived and that he had already familiarized him with the layout and protocols. King Kong remained silent, gave a brief signal to the chief steward, and stepped outside.

Asking Lu Man to show him around was merely to familiarize him with the lower levels and the overall layout. What Cheng Gong needed to do was identical to King Kong's role: standing guard directly behind the boss, or guarding the doorway while the boss slept. In short, they maintained a distance that left enemies with zero opportunity to exploit.

Previously, it had been him and Huofeng, and later Tang Bing had stepped in to relieve Huofeng. For them, a few hours of sleep was more than sufficient, so it never interfered with their daytime duties.

Now that Cheng Gong had arrived, King Kong assigned him to stand directly behind the boss. His primary criterion for protecting the boss was simply deploying whoever was most suitable. With Cheng Gong here, aside from himself, no one was more fitting for the role.

King Kong walked out, exchanged a nod with Lu Man, and looked at Cheng Gong, saying, "Do not disturb the boss. If anything comes up, listen to the chief steward."

"Understood."

Cheng Gong walked inward without making the slightest sound, while King Kong walked outward without a single shred of worry.

"Ah..." Xiao Tianci stood up and stretched his limbs. It was already the deep hours of the night. He was even more anxious about Fatty's situation than Fatty himself, so he was trying his best to wrap up his affairs tonight. After tomorrow's negotiations, he would be able to go and assist Fatty.

Stretching and moving his body, Xiao Tianci suddenly realized that the person standing behind him had been replaced by Cheng Gong. A smile touched his lips, though even he didn't know what to make of the situation. After all, the man was a dignified general! Looking at Cheng Gong, he asked, "When did you get here?"

Cheng Gong glanced at his watch and replied with absolute precision, "Fourteen minutes ago."

"Hehe... If word got out that a general like you is acting as a watchman here, I'm afraid I'd become a sinner."

Cheng Gong offered no response. Seeing his demeanor, Xiao Tianci figured that anything he said would be in vain anyway; he would just let the three-month agreement run its course and deal with whatever came at the end. Since the opportunity had been created, how they would treat each other afterward was entirely up to them. Sigh, dealing with such stubborn men was truly troublesome. Changing their ways was simply too difficult.

Fortunately, this wasn't a matter he needed to fret over; his old man had already settled it years ago. Otherwise, if these two were to meet and fight to the death on sight, it wouldn't have been an easy situation for him to handle.

"If you need anything, just tell the chief steward. Well, I still have some documents to finish up and will need to get some rest shortly." With that, Xiao Tianci sat back down and resumed his work.

Cheng Gong stood motionless, his inner energy enveloping the surrounding space. Chief steward Lin Jian shook his head with amusement; when King Kong was around, the two of them could at least exchange a few words using lip-reading. Now that Cheng Gong was here, he felt as though he were completely by himself.

Standing alone outside the door while Xiao Tianci slept inside, Cheng Gong occasionally received security updates from Lu Man regarding the perimeter. In truth, nothing was happening, but he understood the nature of bodyguard work. You could repeat the same boring, tedious tasks ten thousand times, standing like a wooden post day after day, but you could never afford to let your guard down for even a single second, or everything would be ruined.

Recalling Xiao Tianci's words just moments earlier, if people really knew that he was acting as a gate-guarding bodyguard for someone else, there was no telling what those people would think.

Xiao Tianci was a very peculiar person, and Cheng Gong was now growing accustomed to observing and pondering matters. As the sole heir of the Xiao family, he wondered if Xiao Tianci was anything like his father.

Come to think of it, he truly owed a debt of gratitude to Xiao Lin.

The events of those years felt as though they had happened only yesterday. Now, here he was, standing guard for Xiao Lin's son—perhaps karma truly existed in this world.

He wondered how King Kong had fared over the past few years. Had he achieved another breakthrough? If King Kong had broken through to the fourth transformation, he himself would certainly be no match for him. Yet breakthroughs were never easy to come by. Still, judging by his aura, King Kong's internal strength had grown even more profound. If he could have successfully executed the technique he attempted last time, he would have surely defeated him. What a pity; despite risking his life, it had fallen through at the final hurdle.

Judging by Xiao Tianci's stance, he wouldn't let him fight King Kong until the very end. That was fine, too; since he had given his word, he would serve as his bodyguard for three months.

King Kong enjoyed a sound and comfortable sleep. Although both men protected the boss, Huofeng and Tang Bing felt completely different compared to Cheng Gong. Whenever Huofeng or Tang Bing were on duty, there was always a lingering sense of unease in the back of his mind.

Yet with Cheng Gong guarding the boss today, he felt just as secure and at ease as if he were standing guard himself. The realization struck him suddenly: for all these years, Cheng Gong had been the nightmare that kept him awake at night, yet now, he had become the person who allowed him to sleep in peace. How drastically the world could change!

After eating an early breakfast, he walked over to relieve Cheng Gong. The boss had not yet awakened. Seeing Cheng Gong standing at the door without a trace of fatigue, King Kong said, "You can go and get some breakfast now. Unless there are unforeseen circumstances, this will be the routine from now on. During the day, you and Lu Man can stay outside."

"Understood." Cheng Gong turned and walked away. King Kong stepped forward and took his post at the door.

Another crisp morning arrived. After tidying up, Xiao Tianci stepped out looking full of energy. For a workaholic like him, occasionally burning the midnight oil was a piece of cake.

With the chief steward following closely behind, Xiao Tianci emerged and nodded upon seeing King Kong stationed at the door. He thought to himself that having both of these men by his side simultaneously would truly be an exceptional asset.