"Ha!"
Yang Ge laughed, "No hurry. I actually want to hear what these fools have to say about me."
Fang Ke hurriedly said, "Sire, these fools completely don’t recognize who’s territory this is..."
Yang Ge impatiently interrupted him, "Speak!"
Fang Ke closed his mouth, hesitated for two seconds, and then honestly responded, "The leader said to not cause you trouble..."
Yang Ge emphasized, "The exact words?"
Fang Ke suddenly stood straight, pointed toward the fool kneeling on the snowy ground, and loudly replied: "Sire, I asked the villain, ’You are so brave, does your Hall Master, your Sect Hierarch know?’"
"He replied, ’To let the Sire know, in our cult, all three hundred thousand followers are as brave as me. Please reconsider your actions thrice, Sire, and do not bring disaster upon your Erlang!’"
Yang Ge, stroking the stubble on his cheek, chuckled, "Interesting!"
Fang Ke stood rigidly before him, not daring to utter a sound.
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Yang Ge reached out and patted his shoulder, chuckling, "Come on, you need not play the victim. If you had long seen that these fools had no brains, why didn’t you inform me beforehand? Don’t tell me you didn’t know they were brainless? That would insult Fang Ke’s intelligence, and mine too!"
Fang Ke helplessly said, "I did know these men were fools, but I did not expect them to be this foolish... Perhaps it’s because they had been too successful in the southern martial arts world, which emboldened them!"
Yang Ge, "No need to save my face. It must be because I did not claim my money last time nor did I trouble them, which gave them courage... Ah, a tree unpruned grows crooked, a person uncorrected grows wild!"
The minute that brainless fool had confessed his affiliation with the Five Poisons Cult and Heavenly Dragon Hall, he had understood what was going on.
It was normal for the lower ranks of the Five Poisons Cult not to know his strength; after all, he was not a peacock that strutted around flaunting his feathers.
But the Five Poisons Cult had lost a Grandmaster to him. Didn’t their higher-ups know what his current strength was?
Perhaps losing face internally, they preferred not to lose it publicly, agreeing tacitly for their minions to distort the matter of the repayment, making them believe that Yang Erlang did not pursue their Five Poisons Cult because he feared them...
Wanting to save face so badly, they suffer so much!
Fang Ke glanced at him and softly advised, "Sire, as the old saying goes: ’Heaven rages with storm, and man rages with disaster.’ With their reckless expansion method, chasing chickens and hunting dogs, someone will deal with them. You need not stoop to their level. By all accounts, they haven’t even settled the mess in the southern martial arts world; it makes no sense for them to provoke you... These fools are clearly using a feather as an imperial order, having no idea of their superiors’ attitude towards you."
Yang Ge just smiled, shrugged ambiguously, and said, "Enough talk. Hurry up and gather the brothers. Give more for the relief fund, if it’s not enough, come ask me. I have so much money, I don’t even know how to spend it... Also, tomorrow morning, you will personally lead a team to the capital and send Zhao Miao home."
Fang Ke nodded without hesitation, saying, "It’s my duty."
Yang Ge looked around and then commanded, "Brothers, chop off these fools’ heads and hang them on the city wall!"
After speaking, he leaped into the air, whirling up a streak of sword light towards Yuelai Inn.
Seeing this, Xiao Baoqi and others quickly jumped up to keep pace with Yang Ge.
Inside the inn, Zhao Cha’s hands still held unfinished squid jerky when Yang Ge lifted the wind-breaking curtain and returned. She excitedly approached him: "Erlang, Erlang, it’s over already? Who won, who lost?"
Yang Ge knocked her on the forehead irritably, "Girlie, always thinking about fighting and killing. I went to reason with them, don’t you know anything about ’winning people over with virtue’?"
Zhao Cha, holding her forehead, pouted and nearly cried, "It hurts..."
Seeing this, Yang Ge felt a pang of guilt and rubbed her head over her palm, "There, there, it’s not hurting anymore. Next time Erlang won’t knock on your head... We’re going home tomorrow; what do you want to eat today? Tell me, and I’ll make it all for you!"
Zhao Cha’s eyes lit up through her tears, "I want spicy boiled fish, sweet and sour carp, sweet and sour cabbage, and also seaweed stewed pork knuckles, and clear stewed lamb chops..."
Yang Ge rolled up his sleeves and headed towards the kitchen, "Alright, alright, just wait, Erlang will make them for you..."
Zhao Cha followed him into the kitchen, and soon came out delighted with a piece of malt sugar. Just then, Xiao Baoqi and three hooligans also returned.
Xiao Baoqi, "Where’s Erlang?"
Zhao Cha pointed towards the back courtyard: "Cooking!"
The four were stunned, then spontaneously expressed their admiration.
"Is this the realm of the mighty?"
"Rolling up the sleeves to wreak havoc one moment, washing hands to cook soup the next!"
"Beyond reach, truly beyond reach!"
"No wonder Erlang can ascend to the highest peaks and look down upon all other hills!"
Zhao Cha stared in befuddlement: "Huh? Didn’t Erlang say he was going to reason with someone?"
The four of them simultaneously extended their heads: "Huh?"
"Is that what Erlang told you?"
Zhao Cha nodded, his cowlick bobbing along: "Yes, Erlang said he was going to ’win people over with virtue’!"
Upon hearing this, all four simultaneously recalled the brutal image of Yang Ge smashing the head of the Five Poisons Cult leader into his chest, shivering together.
"Right, right, right, Erlang was going to ’win people over with virtue’!"
"Right, right, right, the other party was so ashamed they turned into a shrinking turtle!"
"Right, right, right, the other party felt too disgraced to face anyone, deciding never to see strangers again..."
"Right, right, right, Erlang’s way of winning people over with virtue is unbeatable in this world!"
Zhao Cha licked a malt candy, cheerfully saying, "See, I told you Erlang is very reasonable, didn’t I? You just had to argue with me!"
The four of them fell silent, looking at Zhao Cha as if he were a fool.
Zhao Cha, unaware, continued to look forward to the feast that evening.
...
The next day before dawn, Fang Ke arrived at Yuelai Inn with a large troop to pick someone up.
Yang Ge, carrying big and small bags, helped Zhao Cha onto the carriage, rattling off instructions: "This bag contains dried fruits and provisions; take it for the road."
"This bag contains dried seafood I’ve prepared with spices; take it home for your mother... Just add some water and stew it till it’s ready to eat, but keep an eye on the fire, don’t let it burn."
"This bag is all silver notes. If there’s any need for money at home, don’t be stingy, spend as needed; Erlang has more..."
"Hide all these things well, don’t let your stingy father sniff them out."
"If anyone dares to bully you at home, just drop Erlang’s name. If someone still dares to bully you after hearing Erlang’s name, don’t bother with them. Just take a notebook and note it down; next year when Erlang comes to the capital, he will break the legs of all those people!"
Zhao Cha clutched his sleeve, lips puckered and eyes tearful, softly said, "Erlang, why don’t you come to the capital for the New Year too? I have a big house outside the palace, and you can stay there..."
Yang Ge paused, gently wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve: "Thanks, but Erlang’s home is right here. I have to look after my own home."
"Alright then..."
Zhao Cha still clutched his sleeve: "Then you must come to the capital earlier next year to fetch me!"
Yang Ge really wanted to scowl and say "come back by yourself if you want to", but seeing her pitiful little face, he didn’t have the heart to say it, instead comforting her gently, "Alright, alright, next year I’ll come to the capital to fetch you."
As he spoke, he helped Zhao Cha into the carriage, softly pulling his sleeve back, then waved hurriedly to Fang Ke ahead: "Drive slowly, take care!"
Fang Ke, understanding, waved his hand and called: "Depart!"
The troop slowly moved forward. Before Yang Ge could even catch his breath, he saw Zhao Cha poking her head out of the carriage window, waving at him with a grin like a tabby cat’s: "Erlang, you promised, come early to the capital next year to fetch me..."
Yang Ge felt a heaviness in his chest, raising his hand to wave back with effort.
As the carriage moved further away, Zhao Cha’s sudden wailing broke through the thin morning fog of the winter day...
Yang Ge stood alone at the entrance of the inn for a long while, until the carriage completely merged into the fog, before he finally exhaled a long, turbid breath.
He was alone again.
That’s okay...
He could finally do things only he could do!