Wuxia: Drinking with Spring Breeze

The colors subsided, and Yang Ge strode across the hundred-yard lake as if on flat ground.

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"Second Master!"

The two hundred elite members of the Qingmu Hall from the Ming Sect gathered at the shore, hurriedly greeting him with clasped fists in respect.

Yang Ge bowed in all directions, returning the greeting, "I have troubled my brothers to endure winds and sleep in the dew for three months. I am most uneasy and endlessly grateful!"

"Second Master, you flatter us!"

"It’s an honor for us to protect you, Second Master!"

"Why are you being so polite with us, huh…"

The elite members of the Qingmu Hall joyously chattered in response.

Yang Ge couldn’t help but smile, "Fine, let’s not stand on ceremony. Brothers, get the cooking utensils ready, I will cook for you myself today…"

From the edge of the crowd, father and son of the Yang Family had struggled mightily to make their way to the front.

The duo watched their subordinates brimming with lively enthusiasm, questioning their own worth in life for a moment.

Yang Yinghao: "Go on, get busy with your own tasks!"

Yang Tiansheng: "You all heard him, he said it himself, so don’t blame us, brothers. Wei Xin, what are you standing there for? Go find nearby where you can get a dead cow... "

Wei Xin, crammed within the crowd and unable to push forward, desperately yelled back, "Yes, Hall Master!"

Yang Ge smiled and mouthed toward the direction of Wei Xin’s voice, "Don’t believe your Hall Master. What cow would be so desperate as to die every day… Get some chickens and ducks instead, pay a bit extra, and when it’s done, come to me for the money."

Yang Tiansheng also curled his lips and strode towards Yang Ge, "Who’s feeling cold, young master needs your few measly offerings?"

Yang Ge paid him no heed and turned to bow to Yang Yinghao, "Uncle, I am causing you trouble again."

As he bowed, Yang Yinghao instinctively tried to dodge, but then realizing that it was a junior showing respect to an elder, irrelevant of strengths and weaknesses, he quickly stepped forward with a smiling face and helped him up with both hands, "Rise quickly, don’t mention trouble. We are family after all..."

Yang Tiansheng watched his father, whose face wrinkled into smiles like a slashed burlap sack, rolling his eyes nearly skyward.

"Come, let’s get some lotus leaves from the lake…"

Yang Ge stepped forward, draping his arm around his shoulder and walking towards the lake with a grin, "Brother, I’ll make you something delicious!"

Yang Tiansheng, with a disdainful sneer, "Beggar’s Chicken? Young master has tasted it!"

Yang Ge: "Think you’ve seen it all, do you? I guarantee you’ve never had anything like this."

Yang Tiansheng: "Pssh, how delicious could it be?"

Yang Ge: "Even tastier than the fiery pork kidney I made for you last time."

Yang Tiansheng: "Let’s go!"

The brothers leaped into the lake, gliding toward the center as if treading on solid ground.

Yang Yinghao watched the two brothers navigate the waters, aware they likely had things to discuss away from his ears, and he couldn’t help but feel pessimistic about the outcome of their venture...

As expected, no more than thirty feet away, Yang Tiansheng betrayed his father completely, "This time it was the Sect Hierarch who sent father, it’s likely he’s here to invite you to the Bright Summit."

Yang Ge softly hummed an acknowledgment, "I guessed as much… This may place Uncle Li in a difficult position."

Yang Tiansheng wasn’t surprised, "Young master guessed it. You disdain even the royal court; how could you possibly hold our Ming Sect in regard?"

Yang Ge shook his head, "It’s not about regard or disregard..."

Yang Tiansheng: "Then what is it about?"

Yang Ge pondered for a moment and responded truthfully, "If I’m not mistaken, that old eunuch from the Imperial Stables should already be dead..."

Yang Tiansheng looked at him in shock, "What? How come you never mentioned this before?"

Yang Ge sighed softly, "That old eunuch didn’t have long left anyway, and after being struck by my blade, his bodily functions nearly ceased on the spot. Unless the royal court possesses some miraculous life-extending technique, he wouldn’t have made it back to the capital... I didn’t want to publicize this matter, but seeing the attitude of your Ming Sect, it seems the ones who need to know already know."

Yang Tiansheng scratched his forehead, puzzled, "Why do you wish to keep this secret? Don’t you want to kill that old eunuch? Remember, if it hadn’t been for your timely intervention that day, both young master and Li would have been finished!"

Yang Ge shook his head, "That’s not what I mean… How do I put it? This eunuch was one of Wei’s ultimate weapons. You understand that, right?"

Yang Tiansheng nodded.

Yang Ge carefully chose his words, speaking slowly, "The eunuch wanted to kill us, so my killing him is justified, but the problem is, his death disrupts the balance of martial power between the court and the martial world. I don’t know exactly how many Grandmasters the Zhao Family has, but I figure not too many more than the martial community. Otherwise, your Ming Sect and the White Lotus Sect wouldn’t be having as easy a time as now. Now with a Grandmaster from the court gone, the gap in the number of Grandmasters between the court and the martial world has narrowed further, adding another like myself... Do you grasp my meaning?"

Yang Tiansheng strained to grasp his words, his brow furrowed slowly, "Are you suggesting... our Ming Sect is planning a rebellion?"

Yang Ge exhaled a weary breath, "Not necessarily, but it’s also possible they just want to rope me in to strengthen their position, to hold sway in negotiations with the court. But I cannot take that risk. I may not see eye to eye with the royal court, but I do not wish to spark a war. Once a war starts, it’s the common people who suffer... To be fair, although Emperor Xiping may be indecisive and cautious, he is capable and committed. Under his rule, life for the common folk might not be great, but it won’t worsen!"