Zhuang Chu maintained his composure, still with a smile on his face, and said, "You flatter me, Second Master. A cat has its paths, a rat its own. I simply have no choice but to scrape out a living. You are the paragon of martial virtue, the Polaris of Mount Tai in our world. Those two thousand li of canal, nameless and unclaimed, have been monopolized by the Li Family for nearly twenty years. Surely, it is time to step aside now, isn’t it?"
"You need not flatter me with grand words."
Yang Ge, grinning, said, "I treat people and matters alike. Whether I am reasonable or not depends entirely on my mood. You recklessly reach out for what belongs to my friends in Lianhuan Fort, muddling my mood quite unpleasantly. Right now, I very much feel like squashing you all like bugs."
The smile on Zhuang Chu’s face stiffened, and sweat suddenly beaded on his forehead.
The four men following him also began to tremble, bowing their heads and swallowing repeatedly.
Yang Ge spoke leisurely, "However, Young Master Li is spirited and wishes to take back his honor himself, so I shall not interfere further."
At these words, all five exhaled heavily in relief, breathing deeply...
"But, there are three things you must remember," he said.
Yang Ge’s smile slowly faded, and he held up three fingers, expressionless, and declared, "First, as Elder Li relinquishes his hold on this world, I hope his final journey is a peaceful one. Should anyone disturb his peace, I’ll ensure they have none either!"
"Second, if you must fight, then fight fairly. Anyone who dares bring in dubious fighters as substitutes, beware, for I don’t mind breaking rules to clean up... Don’t doubt it. I’m talking about the Righteous Alliance. Feel free to relay my exact words to Cheng Dingjiang. If he disagrees, I welcome him to come and argue the point with me!"
"Third, if Li Jincheng cannot hold on to his ancestral home in Lianhuan Fort, he may leave, but should anyone dare harm his life, I will seek vengeance upon them!"
After he finished speaking, Yang Tiansheng suddenly became interested and, approaching with a menacing look, stared at the five men, "Oh? Has the Righteous Alliance stretched its hands to Jianghuai now?"
"This..."
The five, sweating profusely, dared not utter a word.
Yang Ge, expressionless, demanded, "Did you all understand what I said?"
Zhuang Chu gritted his teeth but forced himself to respond, "Second Master, you always speak of fairness, but the handling of today’s matter seems hardly fair... Aren’t these three, perhaps, the backup Young Master Li asked for?"
Before Yang Ge could respond, Yang Tiansheng chuckled.
"Backup?"
Yang Tiansheng pointed at Yang Ge, laughing heartily, "If he were backup, you’d already be feeding fish in Taihu Lake!"
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Yang Ge thought for a moment, then turned to look at Li Jincheng in front of the mourning hall, "Why don’t you ask me to act as a backup one more time?"
Li Jincheng also laughed, looking at the five men, "Shall I ask my brother to be a backup once again?"
At this point, Zhuang Chu wished he could slap himself twice, struggling to speak...
The four middle-aged men holding their bladders behind him were quick to speak up, "Nonsense, dare you speak irreverently? Is the conduct of the Second Master something you can comment on?"
"Second Master, please don’t stoop to the level of this young fool. We know our mistake, we will leave immediately, never causing further trouble for you!"
"Second Master, rest assured, our competition with Young Master Li is fair. We only contest for control of the canal and will not harm anyone!"
"Wang is well-fed and unharmed in our care, not a single hair has been touched..."
Hearing the rebukes from the four, Zhuang Chu immediately reverted to a fawning smile, bowing continuously to Yang Ge, "Second Master, I spoke out of turn in haste, please overlook my foolish words due to your magnanimous nature."
Yang Ge eyed Zhuang Chu for a moment, then pointed at him and said to Yang Tiansheng at his side, "Yang, believe it or not, if this fellow doesn’t die, he’ll surely rise to greatness someday!"
Yang Tiansheng, frowning, stared at Zhuang Chu and slowly nodded, "That’s evident, indeed a character."
Yang Ge smiled briefly, hardly glancing at the four middle-aged men, and waved his hand dismissively.
Seeing this, the four middle-aged men hurriedly bowed and took their leave from Yang Ge.
Meanwhile, Zhuang Chu, his gaze directed at Li Jincheng, smiled and bowed, "Young Master Li, might you allow me to enter and offer incense to Elder Li?"
Yang Ge, Yang Tiansheng, and Xiang Wudi all looked towards Li Jincheng.
Li Jincheng turned sideways, his face expressionless, and gestured invitingly towards the inside of the mourning hall, "All guests are welcome, please!"
"Pardon the intrusion!"
Zhuang Chu bowed all around, then climbed up the steps.
Seeing this, Li Jincheng glanced at Wu Eryong opposite him.
Wu Eryong, understanding the cue, shouted at the top of his lungs, "A guest has arrived, Zhuang Chu, the leader of Jinfanwu, has come to offer incense!"
Zhuang Chu solemnly adjusted his clothes at the entrance of the mourning hall and bowed as he entered...
"Family returns the courtesy!"
At the foot of the steps, the three brothers lined up in a row, all turning their heads to look inside the mourning hall.
Yang Tiansheng muttered, "This fellow... indeed a character."
Yang Ge: "Capable of bending and stretching, skilled in managing his affairs... Give him some time, and those four wretches won’t match him."
Yang Tiansheng: "What about Li?"
Yang Ge thought for a moment and responded, "Hard to say!"
Yang Tiansheng: "What do you mean by hard to say?"
Yang Ge gave him a look, "Speaking seriously, Jin Cheng is no match for this guy. With half a brain, he’d still have the upper hand over Jin Cheng."
Yang Tiansheng: "And unofficially?"
Yang Ge glanced at him, "Once they’re dead, what use is a good brain?"
Aptly, just as Zhuang Chu walked down the steps, clutching his waist and smiling broadly as he passed by the three brothers, he overheard their conversation.
Yang Tiansheng’s gaze followed his head slowly, thoughtfully nodding, "Indeed, no use at all..."
Zhuang Chu barely managed to maintain his composure, and after bowing to the three brothers, he turned and fled as quickly as a rabbit.