"Yes, Second Master!"
"What is your name?"
"Reply to Second Master, my name is Pole."
"Pole? Good... good name!"
"Second Master does not need to be so polite, my parents are illiterate and just thought a humble name would make life easier to sustain..."
"Well, no matter, you strive to learn a few more characters, and just give your descendants good names in the future,"
"Heh, then I shall take Second Master’s auspicious words."
"The young that do not strive will need to rely on auspicious words when they are old!"
Pole:...
The two mingled in the crowd, chatting leisurely as they turned through streets and alleyways, soon arriving at a mansion with a broadly expansive land, outside whose gate a pair of box-shaped lion-drumming stone door stops were placed.
Pole pointed to the mansion and said to Yang Ge, "Second Master, this is Shanshui Garden!"
Yang Ge observed the door stops for a moment, confirming they were indeed the type used by senior civil servants’ mansions, then nodded and said, "On the way here, we passed an old Yuyu Tea House, do you remember it?"
Pole nodded and said, "I remember, sir."
Yang Ge waved his hand, "Wait for me there; if I do not return within a quarter-hour, you must go back immediately and inform Yang Tianzheng to move the hiding place!"
Pole bowed with his fists and said, "There’s no doubt when Second Master takes action personally!"
Yang Ge waved his hand, "Go quickly!"
Pole nodded, turned, and quickly walked away.
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After he left, Yang Ge along the main street sought a dead-end alley to dive into and pulled out an unwashed, dirty garment from the pack on his back to change into.
Then he removed the grey cloth that wrapped around the cold moon treasure knife, covered his cheeks with a sweat towel, put on a bamboo hat, leapt onto the rooftop, and swiftly skimmed into Shanshui Garden by crouching along the tile and ridge of the roof.
Inside, he saw a very typical Suzhou-style garden, complete with a flower garden, rockery, pavilions, and waterside pavilions, all signaling the vast cost of its construction.
The complex layout provided Yang Ge with excellent conditions to conceal himself. He controlled his breathing, swiftly ran around the entire garden to memorize the layout, then suddenly captured a young Samurai dressed in linen and acting as a guard, pulling him behind a secluded rockery.
The young Samurai struggled intensely but felt the arms that held him were immovable like iron hoops, and the burst of Innate Divine Strength was like a lost ox into the ocean, receiving no response, realizing today he was likely in grave peril...
"I ask, you answer!"
Yang Ge covered the young Samurai’s mouth and pressed him behind the rockery, hoarsely whispering lowly, "Answer correctly, and you live; answer wrongly, and you die; make a noise, and you’re dead too. Is the life of a ruthless official worth more, or your own little life? Weigh it yourself!"
The young Samurai nodded frantically, as if pounding garlic.
Yang Ge slightly loosened his mouth, and softly asked, "Is Geng Jingzhong at the mansion?"
The young Samurai’s heart sank, muttering internally that it was as he feared, but after a slight hesitation, he still replied, "Hero, if I answer truthfully, can you really spare my life?"
Hearing his awkward, poorly pronounced accent, Yang Ge raised his hand and gave a big slap, "Stop playing dumb with me, answer properly. Your life means nothing, as long as you help me find that official, I wouldn’t bother dirtying my hands!"
The young Samurai hurriedly replied with gestures and an urgent voice, "Hero, that official is in the mansion daily, he hasn’t stepped out of the mansion for a long time!"
"Slap!"
Yang Ge raised his hand and delivered another big slap.
Don’t ask why.
I just didn’t like the way he walked.
"You better not try any tricks with me, boy. I’ll be taking you with me to find that corrupt official. If we get there and I don’t find his men, you’ll be the first to accompany his burial!"
The young samurai shook his head like a rattle, his face a picture of sincerity: "I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare at all. How could I dare to play tricks on you, sir!"
Yang Ge nodded, "Good, since that corrupt official is here, then where are his men right now..."
The young samurai, sweating profusely, pondered for a long time before hesitantly replying, "I haven’t seen that corrupt official today. But according to his usual routine, he should be in his study reading at this time."
Yang Ge: "The study? In which direction?"
The young samurai reached out and pointed northeast.
Yang Ge nodded, "Come with me, and don’t worry. As long as he’s dead, no one will know you betrayed him...but if you’re leading me there to find help to extricate yourself, then you’re going to be in big trouble. No matter how strong the help you find, I’ll break your neck first!"
Having said that, he prepared to pick up the fellow and dash toward the northeast.
"Ahem..."
The young samurai suddenly coughed, forcing a strained smile, "Hero, I wasn’t clear about this place just now and pointed in the wrong direction. The study should be in that direction."
He pointed southwest.
"Hey!"
Yang Ge raised his hand and delivered a strict reprimand, grinning oddly, "You little rascal, still you’re quite a talent!"
The young samurai, head spinning, tried hard to smile apologetically, "It’s my fault, my fault. Great hero, you are magnanimous, please don’t stoop to my level..."
Yang Ge laughed, "Even an ant scrambles for life, and you’re young, with plenty of good times ahead to enjoy life. So, I don’t blame you for wanting to live, but you only get one chance. If you don’t seize it yourself, you can’t blame me for being ruthless. I’m not boasting, but even if I were to face the chief guardian twins from your manor, I am confident I could fight my way out and interrogate you for the old dog’s location. I just don’t want to hurt the innocent and scare off that old dog... Let’s go!"
With that, he was about to move again.
"Ahem..."
The young samurai coughed again, and under Yang Ge’s incredulous gaze, blushed with feigned innocence and pointed straight ahead, "I suddenly remember, there seems to be a distinguished guest who was visiting the old dog in the manor; he must be meeting him in the Vast Righteousness Tower right now."
Yang Ge: ...
Was I almost pecked blind by a sparrow while I hunted geese all day long?
Truly, heroes don’t care about their origins, and scoundrels don’t care about their age.
Yang Ge, looking seriously up and down at this unimpressive young samurai with exceptionally bright eyes, suddenly asked, "What’s your name?"
The young samurai’s face stiffened, and he swallowed nervously, forcing a smile, "Why are you suddenly interested in my name?"
Yang Ge grinned strangely, "Nothing much. I just think, with your cleverness, if you survive today, you’re bound to accomplish something in the future!"
The young samurai pondered for a moment before seriously answering, "My family name is Liu, and I have a single given name: Da."
Yang Ge remained impassive, "You wouldn’t fool me with a false name that anyone could verify, would you?"
"Ahem..."
The young samurai coughed again and, feigning confusion, shook his head, "Oh dear, hero, your Innate Divine Strength confounded me so much that I even forgot my own family name... my family name is Zhuang, and my given name is Chu."
Yang Ge: ...