Shen Fa: "It was originally your issue; it’s us who got dragged into it."
After giving it some thought, Yang Ge said decisively, "What do you guys want to do? Give me a straight answer!"
Shen Fa shook his head, "It’s what you want to do that we’re waiting to hear. Give us a straight answer!"
Yang Ge: "That’s simple. Just give me a reliable address; I’ll go find them and chop them all to death. Then everyone can have peace."
Shen Fa remained silent.
No matter how things changed, the method was indeed as such.
But hearing such a straightforward statement from Yang Ge’s mouth always left him feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Yang Ge was strong in a way that he found uncomfortable…
This might just be the difference between a strategist and a hothead.
A strategist thinks about strength and weakness, pros and cons, success and failure, worth and stability.
And a hothead thinks about finding and killing.
After a long silence, Shen Fa spoke again with seriousness and depth, "This matter is not as simple as you think."
Yang Ge answered without hesitation, "It’s you who always overcomplicate things!"
Shen Fa looked at him helplessly, "Do you still remember what I told you before you went to Dongying?"
Yang Ge: "Didn’t I still get the job done and come back in one piece?"
Shen Fa: "Then tell me, why do you think this group targeted you?"
Yang Ge was about to ask "Why?", but then inexplicably recalled the armor-clad Grandmaster’s stroke that closely resembled Dongying’s Sword Drawing Skill, and he instead asked, "Is there a connection?"
Shen Fa ’Hmm’ for a moment before responding, "Although I currently lack concrete clues to prove that these people are related to your trip to Dongying, I have reason to suspect that’s precisely why they targeted you."
Yang Ge asked with confusion, "Suspect?"
Shen Fa spread his hands, "Just say whether my suspicion is accurate or not?"
Yang Ge was speechless.
You could doubt his character and integrity, but you certainly couldn’t doubt his intelligence and schemes.
Seeing Yang Ge at a loss for words, Shen Fa pursued his advantage, "Besides this, what else could they want from you? Surely they can’t really be after your three million Silver?"
Yang Ge argued with conviction, "Everyone at the ’Louwailou’ says I’m the best in the world. What do you, a mixed breed of Gui Zhen, know!"
Shen Fa looked at him oddly, "Have you gone dumb with this bunch of idiots? Your title of being the best in the world only came after these people robbed your Silver. Could they have known the future?"
Yang Ge fell silent again.
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Watching his speechless state, Shen Fa couldn’t help but let a slight smile curve his lips, but quickly suppressed it, "In fact, ever since an unmatched Grandmaster popped up out of nowhere last time, I’ve reviewed a great deal of records."
"With the Emperor’s gracious consent, I was allowed to look through the daily records of past emperors, and eventually found some fragments in Emperor Taizu’s records. From these, I learned that during the great chaos near the end of the previous dynasty, the world of Jianghu was briefly subdued by an extremely powerful and mysterious force. At that time, both the black and white paths of Jianghu, including Quanzhen, Shaolin, Ming Sect, White Lotus Sect, and the then-dominant Mount Tai Alliance and Five Poisons Cult, were acting upon this mysterious force’s orders, moving among the various rebellious forces."
"It was only after Emperor Taizu swept away the eighteen warlords and unified the north, leading two hundred thousand troops to the south and crushing Fang La, the Sect Hierarch of the Ming Sect, who led the Red Turban Army, that this mysterious force receded again. After the establishment of our dynasty, Emperor Taizu once tasked the predecessor of my Embroidered Uniform Guard, ’Qinjun Duwei Mansion’, to investigate southward in Jiangzhe numerous times, but they all came back empty-handed."
"I have reason to suspect that the group who robbed your Silver belongs to that mysterious force; otherwise, it’s hard to explain the appearance of an unmatched Grandmaster out of thin air on Jianghu!"
Yang Ge listened so attentively that when he regained his senses, he shouted angrily, "If you had a clue, why beat around the bush with me?"
Shen Fa made a helpless gesture, "I’ve already said I have no reliable clues in hand; these are all deductions I’ve made from the records. What could they prove?"
His face showed helplessness, but Yang Ge seemed to glimpse the fox’s tail, wagging just like Huang’s behind him.
He couldn’t help but clench his fist.
Noticing his movement, Shen Fa hurriedly waved his hands, "Hey, hey, let’s talk this out. A gentleman uses his mouth, not his fists!"
"Big Brother, should I hit him?"
Zhao Cha, holding a cup of tea, darted out from the stairwell, her eyes sparkling excitedly as she waved her little fists, "Let me do it, let me do it. I’m not a gentleman; I can throw punches."
She had been eavesdropping at the bottom of the stairs for quite some time.
She had already been at the staircase when Yang Ge called her a little cat or dog of the Yuelai Inn, warning Shen Fa not to plot against her.
Yang Ge laughed heartily, pointing at Shen Fa, "Go, give him two slaps, let him learn his lesson!"
"Sure thing!"
Zhao Cha, showing off a pearly white little canine tooth, with malicious eyes, flexed her wrists as she moved towards Shen Fa... that’ll teach you for trying to scare me earlier!
Shen Fa grinned sheepishly as he tactically leaned back, "Your Highness, your humble servant is wholeheartedly loyal, as clear as the sun and the moon can witness!"
Zhao Cha raised her fist.
Yang Ge casually released a strand of knife energy that was hard on the outside but soft on the inside, shattering Shen Fa’s protective aura from his Golden Bell Shield.
"Bang, bang."
Zhao Cha’s punches landed on Shen Fa’s head, but it was her little face that crumpled in pain.
She endured the pain and with her hands on her hips, she menacingly warned, "If you dare to make our Second Brother angry again, I’ll beat you to death!"
Shen Fa, without so much as a hair out of place, still bowed with a wronged expression, "Your Highness is right to chastise. Your humble servant will take it to heart."
"Hmph!"
Zhao Cha tilted her head and, turning away, waved to Yang Ge with giggles, "Second Brother, I’m off to get busy. Call me if you need help!"
Yang Ge waved his hand expressionlessly, "Go ahead."
Zhao Cha, with light and springy steps, skipped towards the staircase exit.
Shen Fa watched her silhouette disappear at the staircase, his wronged expression slowly evaporating like smoke, he sighed heavily, "The old saying is true; daughters grow up and won’t stay."
"Less nonsense!"
Yang Ge glared at him with a malicious gaze, "Get to the point, what exactly are you planning to do?"
Shen Fa shook his head, "I don’t want anything, only for these rats not to come out and cause trouble. Wei’s current prosperity and peace were hard to come by; it can’t be ruined by these rats who only wish for chaos!"
Yang Ge knitted his brows, "You want me to show weakness and make peace?"
Shen Fa shook his head again, his reply was firm, "On the contrary, I hope you could be tougher... of course, in cooperation with the imperial court."
Yang Ge was again amused and annoyed by his shamelessness, "Am I really giving you too much face? You just want me to fight your battles with nothing in return?"
Shen Fa quickly said, "Not without something in return. Whatever you want, just name it, and I can negotiate it with the royal family on your behalf!"
His words took Yang Ge aback.
What did he want?
So much!
He wanted to go home, to spend time with his parents, his sister, and brother; he wanted to watch TV, to drink a can of chilled Coke, to eat a pot of authentic Yudu hotpot...
But which of these could Emperor Xiping provide?
In other words, what could Emperor Xiping provide that he couldn’t get with his own two hands?
Yang Ge remained silent for a long time.
And with his silence, Shen Fa’s heart sank.
This silence... was deafening!
After a while, Yang Ge finally picked up his teacup with a lack of enthusiasm and drained it in one gulp, whispering, "Forget it... I’ll take on this matter. You all go investigate, and when you need me, send a message, I’ll pay a visit."
Shen Fa pursed his lips hard, then spoke with difficulty, "Are you truly without desire? Money, power, fine clothes, luxurious dwellings, land, delicious food, beautiful maids, just say the word, and I can ask the royal family for you!"
Yang Ge looked out over Luting County as the evening lights came on and the gentle evening breeze caressed his face, he softly laughed, "Things are quite good as is, if only you could stop causing me trouble, that would be even better... "
This time, it was Shen Fa’s turn to fall into a prolonged silence.
After a good while, he sighed softly, "We must always move forward in life."
"Move forward?"
Yang Ge exhaled softly, "Moving forward isn’t the way home, though..."