```
As he said this, he emphasized his tone, "Better to be slow than to startle the snake!"
The crowd responded in unison.
...
An hour later.
Yang Ge and Fang Ke found themselves at the back of the line entering the city.
Neither of them had concealed their swords, and they encountered no trouble queuing to enter the city.
Yet before they entered, they saw a squad of imposing soldiers, herding a group of poor people clad in tattered clothes, from inside the city to the outskirts.
Spurred on, Fang Ke, without waiting for Yang Ge’s instruction, struck up conversation in proficient Wu dialect with the locals lined up for entry.
Yang Ge listened to his rapid chatter, unable to understand what they were discussing, so he could only watch those poor souls being driven out by the soldiers.
Among those impoverished people, many were entire families with wives, children, and elderly, with most looking so skinny as to barely seem human, and many having straw tucked into their hair...
They carried tattered bedding rolls or pushed single-wheeled carts piled with old furniture, crying all the way as they walked.
The "wu wu wu" of their weeping, like the howling of winter night winds, struck a chord of panic in the listener’s heart.
After a while, Fang Ke finished his conversations.
Impatient, Yang Ge grabbed his collar and pulled him close, "What’s going on?"
Fang Ke hung his head low and murmured, "They didn’t say much, just that, for the past five or six days, the officials have been driving out beggars and destitute people who sell their children..."
Yang Ge was stunned and in disbelief, "Because of me?"
Fang Ke dared not meet his eyes, "If no other imperial envoy has arrived at Jiangdu recently... it must be because of you."
Yang Ge burst into bitter laughter, forcibly restraining his anger as he cursed quietly, "I’m not a fucking imperial envoy; why would they guard against me? Can I kill them all with one swing of my sword?"
Fang Ke stole a glance at him and replied cautiously, "Just so you know, we in the Embroidered Uniform Guard rarely travel between provinces with such fanfare. When we do, it’s always for a major case..."
Yang Ge vigorously scratched his temple, cursing irritably, "Don’t fucking throw all the dirty water my way; they’re the ones with shit on their ass, acting all guilty! What’s that got to do with me!"
Fang Ke quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, it’s their own shit, their guilty conscience. It has nothing to do with you, not even a copper coin’s worth. Please don’t take everything upon yourself!"
He said this with extreme sincerity.
And with his heart racing.
Sometimes, he even regretted... feeling bloated with knowledge—why did he have to know so much?
Yang Ge vigorously scratched his head, flaking off dandruff like snowflakes from his unwashed scalp.
In the end, he could only swear angrily under his breath, "Motherfucker."
At this moment, he too felt an epiphany similar to Lei Heng’s: this Wei was rotten to the core...
Fang Ke didn’t dare continue along this line, instead urging him to walk toward the city gate, "Let’s enter the city first, find a place to eat, talk while we eat."
Once in the city, the two quickly found a place to eat and settled down.
Unfortunately.
The food of Yangzhou was hard to swallow.
This pent-up anger was even harder to swallow.
After forcing himself to take a few bites, Yang Ge couldn’t help but slap his chopsticks down on the table with a smack that sent bowls and chopsticks flying, "Fuck this, what a shithole!"
His outburst prompted the surrounding diners to glare at him, and a few richly dressed young men with an unfriendly look also stood up, rolling up their sleeves.
Seeing this, Fang Ke grabbed his long sword, stood up, and flashed a gesture of drawing his blade.
The glaring eyes receded at once.
The ones rolling up their sleeves casually assumed a posture of boxing, "Five champions, huh..."
Yang Ge looked at them and suddenly realized: with such a meek temperament, they indeed deserved their suffering.
As the saying goes, where there’s pitiable, there must also be loathsome...
```
There was certainly some truth to it.
He suddenly wasn’t angry anymore, expressionless, he pulled out a new pair of chopsticks and continued to pick up the edible food, slowly chewing.
"Let’s proceed with the original plan,"
he said quietly while eating, "If anything changes, we’ll reconsider."
Fang Ke breathed a sigh of relief, hefted his rice bowl, and shoveled the food into his mouth in large bites.
Seeing Fang Ke not being picky at all, Yang Ge suddenly remembered something, "How was the big boss’s business handled last time he was here?"
Fang Ke’s chopsticks paused as he looked at Yang Ge, not knowing what to say with his mouth full of food.
Yang Ge said, puzzled, "I’m asking you!"
Fang Ke grimaced and replied vaguely, "We took care of one group, fought another, and supported another."
Yang Ge gave a thumbs up, impressed, "Brilliant!"
Stretching his neck, Fang Ke swallowed the food and said in a low voice, "But that time was different... the big boss came with the ledgers, no matter what we did, the family had his back, but this time... we don’t have the ledgers!"
Yang Ge replied, "Just do our duty, what do we need ledgers for? Besides, shouldn’t we be the ones handing ledgers up to the higher-ups?"
"It’s different, it’s different!"
Fang Ke shook his head like a rattle-drum, "For small matters, of course, we handle them ourselves and submit the ledgers afterwards. For something this big, without a command from above, we absolutely cannot act recklessly... If we handle it well, we get no credit, but if we mess up, we’ll be held accountable!"
Yang Ge picked up a piece of leafy green and put it in his mouth, stressing his words, "We just do our duty and submit the ledgers, as for the outcome, that’s for the family to decide!"
Yet Fang Ke still shook his head, "Please listen to me just this once. It’s not as simple as you see it. Many of the big business magnates have their ancestral homes here, and the business here is the main source of income for many of them. If we try to stand out, they will definitely join forces to suppress us!"
Hearing these familiar words, Yang Ge couldn’t help but chuckle and soothingly said, "I know you’re anxious, but don’t rush. Listen to my two questions first."
Fang Ke replied, "I’m all ears, please go ahead!"
Yang Ge set down his chopsticks and asked unhurriedly, "First question, compared to the last transaction, which is more critical?"
Fang Ke was stunned for a moment, then nodded honestly, "The last one was definitely more important!"
Yang Ge asked, "Then why didn’t they squash me during the last transaction? Didn’t they want to?"
Fang Ke had to admit, "Last time, you indeed outsmarted them... but as the saying goes, if you walk the night long enough, you’re bound to encounter ghosts. You can’t always risk your life and fortune every time!"
"That brings us to the second question,"
Yang Ge slowly folded his arms and asked seriously, "Do you know what realm I am in now?"
Fang Ke nodded blankly, "Of course, you’re a Zhenren now!"
"Zhenren?"
Yang Ge heard this term for the first time and found it interesting and fitting, "Then do you know what realm I was in before?"
Fang Ke continued nodding, "Yes, the Qi Sea Realm!"
Yang Ge laughed, "Yes, when I was in the Qi Sea Realm, they gave me that stifling feeling. Now that I’m a Zhenren, if I still let them give me that stifling feeling, wouldn’t I have become a Zhenren in vain?"
He wasn’t trying to be a master craftsman, nor did he have any special feelings for the Zhao Family.
He still just wanted to do what he could, within his capabilities, to keep his conscience clear.
It was at this moment that he finally understood why the move he conceived while observing the Flood Peak passing by had always lacked something.
As it turned out, he wasn’t truly fearless, nor did he have the indomitable, once launched, resolute and unyielding spirit of the Flood Peak!
Since there was fear,
then shatter that fear!
Since there was dread,
then conquer that dread!
’That move, let’s call it No Turning Back!’
Yang Ge mused to himself, ’After all, there’s no way back now...’
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.