The summer heat was gradually intensifying.
Yet Yang Ge became more peaceful with each passing day.
The bustling life and homely spirit of Yuelai Inn were like a pot of steaming hot red tea in the winter, possessing just the right amount of warmth and sweetness, slowly dissipating the gloom and Evil Qi that had settled in his heart, allowing the summer sunshine to shine anew into his soul...
He was finally able to get a good night’s sleep.
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There was no longer any need to force a strained, amiable smile.
Even the neighbors around Yuelai Inn and on Chaimen Street felt that the cheerful and peaceful Yang Ge of the past had returned.
The ordinary people’s lives were constantly filled with the mundane concerns of firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and tea, leaving no one with enough time to ponder whether Yang Ge was truly the former Zhang Mazi, the hero known as Zhang.
As for those from the Jianghu who knew of Yang Ge’s identity, they flocked to Yuelai Inn in waves.
However, most of them felt out of place facing the smiling, welcoming Yang Ge, the inn’s attendant.
They had hoped to see the illustrious, sun-like "Manifest True Monarch," Yang Ge.
They would have even preferred the overbearing, unparalleled Yang Erlang over this smiling, unremarkable attendant before them.
That awkward feeling was like a group of new recruits, yearning to serve their country and bring honor to their ancestors, who saw a legendary general known for expanding territories and earning remarkable war achievements, only to return to civilian life, not to luxury and privilege but to carry a hoe and till the fields alongside common farmers, a complete disillusionment.
Moreover, these days, Yang Ge, far from engaging in physical altercations, would hardly ever speak harshly, living a life as dull as still water, bland and tasteless.
The majority of the Jianghu visitors simply couldn’t cope with this stark contrast, couldn’t face such harsh reality, and after staying at the inn for a couple of days, they would settle their bills and leave without looking back.
Among them were several celebrated heroines from the Hundred Flowers Roll...
Only a very few idlers of the Jianghu, oozing with the air of dried salted fish, settled down in Luting County for good, visiting the inn day after day to drink and chat with Yang Ge, becoming fast friends over food and wine.
But what’s really interesting is...
While all these Jianghu visitors were sorely disappointed in Yang Ge, both the common folk and the imperial court simultaneously lifted him to the heavens.
In Jiangzhe, one Erlang Temple after another was being unveiled, and each statue within these temples bore a striking resemblance to Yang Ge.
Some went overboard, directly engraving Yang Ge’s exploits onto the temple walls, with figures such as Yang Tiansheng and Li Jincheng obtaining a divine general status under pseudonyms...
Each Erlang Temple was bustling with worship, with endless streams of commoners arriving daily to offer incense and prayers, and in many smaller locales, even the local officials led by example in paying their respects at the Erlang Temples.
In today’s Jiangzhe, uttering a bad word about Yang Erlang could indeed get you beaten to death in the street!
As for the imperial court, they hadn’t dared to overtly target Yang Ge any longer, but the subtle machinations continued unabated.
First, they used various pretexts to reduce Luting County’s taxes and forced labor to almost non-existence.
Next, they drastically cut back on the county’s redundant workforce, paring down a full county government to only a few old clerks managing household registrations and archives, doing away with the constable brigade entirely.
Then they welcomed merchants from different regions to Luting County, ushering in distinctive local cuisines, theaters, and even brothels.
Finally, they spent a significant sum to widen the official and horse roads around Luting County and eased the restrictions on travel and transit fees for neighboring regions traveling to Luting...
In short, the imperial court was united in its efforts to turn Luting County into a haven of peace, all in the hopes that this idyllic place would keep that gentleman happily settled within Luting County and far, far away from the capital!
Even the previously restless Ming Sect, White Lotus Sect, and other major forces and organizations that stirred trouble in the dark, ceased their activities after receiving a firm "Scram" and an inviting "Come" from Yang Ge...
This might just be the essence of... failing to recognize the true face of Mount Lu, simply because one is in the midst of it!
...
On the sixth day of the sixth month, the Quanzhen Sword Immortal Li Qing arrived at Yuelai Inn.
Solitary with his sword, accompanied by a small donkey and a small bundle, his hair unkempt, his Daoist robe in tatters, and a polished, shiny red gourd hanging from his waist... he looked just like a wandering Daoist con artist!
When he entered, Yang Ge even doubted whether he could afford to pay for his meal.
But then, a former Huashan Sect disciple, Xiao Baoqi, who was drinking in the main hall, saw the newcomer and blurted out, "Holy shit, it’s Li Qing!"
Yang Ge dropped the sunflower seeds in his hand and looked over the unkempt young Daoist with surprise, seemingly wasting his refined appearance: "Eh, is this the renowned Quanzhen Sword Immortal Li Qing?"
Li Qing, though raggedy, maintained exemplary manners, dismounted from his donkey, stood straight, leaned slightly forward, clasped his right hand over his left before his chest, and greeted formally: "Infinite blessings, Immortal of the Heavens, I am the minor Daoist Li Qing, and I am honored to meet Brother Yang!"
"No, don’t..."
Yang Ge quickly gestured with his hand and said with a look at the other’s stubbled face: "I’ve grown up hearing of your fame; I should be the one calling you ’brother’ if anything."
Li Qing shook his head: "In the Dao, seniority does not determine teaching. One who reaches understanding is the master. Brother Yang has ascended to a celestial state, so it is only right for me to call you ’brother.’"
Yang Ge feigned disgust: "I’m not even married yet, and being called ’brother’ by a big-bearded man like you, how will I ever be able to find a wife?"
Li Qing shook his head again: "One who seeks the Dao should cultivate the great virtues of heaven and earth, not be preoccupied with petty love affairs!"