HLM – Chapter 34 Only Distance Tests a Horse’s Strength, and Chili Sauce Wins Over Talent

Bowan was the kind of person who instantly made himself at home. Without waiting for Wang Bo’s invitation, he washed his hands and joined them for the meal. He mimicked Wang Bo by spreading the spicy meat sauce onto a flatbread. The sticky, bright red sauce made him visibly uncomfortable as he smeared it on, muttering, “Sh*t, this stuff looks like period blood. Am I going to get pregnant if I eat it?”

Wang Bo, who had been enjoying his food, immediately lost his appetite. The Commander, who had been blissfully eating, lifted his head as part of their usual routine and said, “Ah, your mom exploded!”

“Don’t use curse words,” Wang Bo corrected him. “Next time, just say ‘exploded.’ That’s enough.”

Bowan took a cautious bite of the flatbread, his face full of doubt. After chewing a couple of times, he suddenly gasped, and his green eyes practically lit up. “F*ck! My taste buds are exploding! God, this is amazing!”

Wang Bo inwardly rolled his eyes. What’s the big deal? Hasn’t this guy traveled all over America? What’s he been eating, garbage? Freaking out over some chili sauce?

Still, he had to admit, the dishes he cooked in the castle kitchen tasted especially good—better than he thought he was capable of making. Way better, actually. That had to be thanks to the power of the Heart of the Castle.

After devouring the egg-stuffed flatbread like a starving wolf, Bowan’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Wang Bo. Wang Bo was startled. With his green eyes glowing and all that body hair, Bowan really did look like a werewolf.

Looking Wang Bo straight in the eye, Bowan gritted his teeth and said, “Wang, I’ve made up my mind. I’m staying here. I accept your job offer!”

Wang Bo was stunned. “You’re not joking? Seriously?”

Bowan nodded solemnly. “Of course. A Texas cowboy always keeps his word!”

Wang Bo looked at the determined expression on Bowan’s face, then at the bowl of sticky chili sauce. He couldn’t help but sigh dramatically, “In ancient times, a strong wind reveals the strength of tough grass; in times of chaos, loyal ministers emerge. Today, I, Old Wang, can say: Only time reveals a horse’s strength, and chili sauce retains great talent! Damn, I’m awesome!”

“But I’ve got an even better idea. You interested?” Bowan’s green eyes glinted like they’d been painted with fluorescent green paint.

Of course, Wang Bo was interested. Even if he wasn’t, he had to pretend to be. You couldn’t go around discouraging your first employee, after all.

Bowan cleared his throat. “Here’s the idea: I’ll stay and help you, but let’s forget about building up that town. Let’s sell the meat sauce! You cook it, I’ll sell it. Maybe we can start a brand and become millionaires!”

So that’s the real reason he wants to stay. He’d seen a business opportunity in the chili sauce—just like Colonel Sanders had seen one in fried chicken.

Is it really that good? Wang Bo wasn’t so sure. What he really doubted was: Could a food brand be built on just this meat sauce?

“No problem at all. Come on, you’re tempted, right?”

“Tempted, my ass!” Wang Bo slapped the table and stood up. “I, Wang Bo, didn’t travel across the world to sell chili sauce! I’m going to build a world-class town! I’m going to fulfill my life’s purpose!”

Bowan leaned toward the window, gestured dramatically toward the desolate wilderness outside, and exclaimed, “A world-class town? Here? Sh*t, may Father God help me live long enough to see that day.”

“Faaaack squid!”

“Ah—ah! Your mom exploded!”

Wang Bo arranged for Bowan to stay in the guest room across the hall from him on the second floor. The castle was enormous; the main building alone had four stories, not including the attic. Each floor was at least five to six meters high—it was truly a towering structure.

The second floor was entirely made up of guest rooms, some of which were even two-bedroom suites. The main bedroom, which had belonged to the former baron, was in the very center of the second floor. It was a proper four-bedroom suite with a walk-in closet, a private study, and a lounge.

Bowan asked why Wang Bo didn’t just sleep in the master bedroom. Wang Bo shrugged and said he was fine with a guest room since he was alone.

Coveting the luxury and layout of the master suite, the cowboy thick-skinnedly asked if he could sleep there instead. Wang Bo chuckled. “Heh, don’t say I didn’t warn you—the previous owner of the castle died in that room just twenty days ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ghost is still wandering around.”

“Sh*t, Wang, for the love of God, could you not talk about this kind of crap at night?” The cowboy visibly shriveled at the mention of ghosts.

Whenever ghosts or supernatural stuff came up, Bowan’s courage deflated like a punctured balloon—probably no bigger than a walnut.

Still, Bowan was quite satisfied with the guest room. He opened the door and took a look at how clean it was, praising, “Wang, you’re really one diligent guy. This place is f*cking spotless! I bet you have OCD!”

Wang Bo was about to thank him when Bowan added, “Only pity is, there’s no furniture inside. Looks like I’ll be sleeping in a tent again.”

Nothing could be done about that. Aside from the master bedroom and the rooms occupied by Wang Bo and Charlie, the rest of the castle had no beds, chairs, or even stools. According to Charlie, the baron had sold them all—clearly, the old man had fallen on hard times.

But that was an easy fix. The next day, Wang Bo took Bowan to the town to buy furniture. Now that they had the motorcycle, it was much easier to go in and out.

Wang Bo carried the Commander on his shoulder and wasn’t worried about it running off. The little guy had grown attached to the castle.

Sitting on the back seat of the bike, Wang Bo had barely said “OK” when the motorcycle roared to life and launched itself down the mountain—literally flew off. The slope was too steep!

“Damn it, slow down!” Old Wang yelled.

“What—did—you—say? I—can’t—hear—you!”

“Vroom vroom vroom!”

Bowan was riding the off-road motorcycle like it was an F1 car. Once they hit the dirt road across the grasslands, Wang Bo looked back and saw a massive dust trail swirling behind them—it was a spectacular sight.

Last time, it had taken Sheriff Robert an hour to get there in an off-road vehicle. This time, with Bowan’s wild ride, they reached the town in just thirty minutes.

When they reached the intersection where the road met the territory, they saw a massive construction team working. Bowan had no choice but to slow down.

Taking advantage of the pause, Wang Bo quickly jumped off. His legs were so weak they felt like noodles—he nearly fell. The Commander was even worse, his bird eyes frozen wide open in shock, seemingly unsure what year it was.

Bowan looked smug. “That was awesome! I haven’t had a thrill like that in ages. Seriously, Wang, I slept so well at the castle last night—I feel like I’m back to my peak. It’s incredible!”

The Heart of the Castle had an amazing effect. Wang Bo had also been sleeping exceptionally well there, waking up each morning feeling refreshed and full of energy.

Seeing Wang Bo, the foreman of the construction crew, Thomas Wesley, waved hello. Wearing a red safety helmet, he was inspecting something. He handed over two helmets and said, “Construction site, gents. Safety first.”

The cowboy refused with pride and tapped his own helmet. “I’ve got this—top-tier gear from the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam!”

Since they’d bumped into Thomas, Wang Bo chatted with him about the roadwork.

Progress on Highway 8 was going well. The soil and terrain here were perfect for road construction. In just a few days, over ten kilometers of the foundation had been laid—an impressive pace!

Thomas told him that if things continued at this rate, the road would be ready by next year. The New Zealand government was taking this segment seriously, and Layton Company had assigned their best equipment and workers to the project.

Wang Bo was very pleased with that. This road would be the lifeline of the future town—once it was open, it would unlock the town’s full potential.

Plus, along with Highway 8, a major project had begun: the power station. The New Zealand Electric Authority had sent their own construction team to build a station at the road’s starting point for the future town.

After parting ways, the motorcycle roared back to life and took off again. The workers stared after it in shock. “Good Lord, these young folks have no fear—are they trying to send that bike to heaven?”