Yang Ge listened to his account, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter, until he suddenly smiled and said, "Quite interesting. They claim to be from the White Lotus Sect but act in Jiujiang using the skills of the Ming Sect..."
He turned to look at Shen Fa: "What do you think?"
Shen Fa fell silent for a moment, then waved to send away all the unnecessary people on the deck.
After only he and Yang Ge remained on the deck, he spoke calmly, "Don’t get heated, let’s talk this over slowly..."
Yang Ge smiled lightly and interrupted him: "Had you already guessed that Yang Potian is behind this?"
Shen Fa nodded slightly, then shook his head, "But I don’t think Yang Potian is that foolish."
Yang Ge was not surprised and lightly asked, "So, is this aimed at me?"
Shen Fa replied helplessly, "This must definitely be a trap within a trap. You must absolutely not jump into it..."
Yang Ge laughed, "They have already started killing people. Do you think I still have a choice?"
Seeing his impervious demeanor gave Shen Fa a headache, and he could only plead earnestly, "This is not like the time with the Five Poisons Cult. Back then, they were not scheming to lure you in but merely wanted to test your strength and weaknesses. This time, however, they are ready to kill to draw you in. Would they dare do this without something to rely on? Right now, they are hidden, and you are exposed. Knowing the mountain harbors a tiger, yet still heading towards the tiger’s den, is surely not what a wise man would do!"
"Have you forgotten?"
Yang Ge lightly smiled, "You are the wise one; I’m merely a warrior."
Shen persisted relentlessly, "As the saying goes: ’Two fists can’t match four hands.’ Although you are the best in the world, there are still some old monsters in this world who could match you. And just how many such monsters there are, no one knows."
"In my opinion, it would be best if you first steered clear of this, and plotted carefully... Even if you aren’t considering yourself, think about Lu Ting."
Yang Ge glanced at him: "Don’t paint me as some tyrant, some unbearable demon. I, Yang Ge, act upright and sit straight. I do not seek trouble with anyone. It’s they who come after me, not I them!"
Shen Fa: "I know you only wish to simply manage the Yuelai Inn as its Store Manager, but you have also been in Wei before. You should understand that in the eyes of corrupt officials, all honest officials are hypocrites pretending to be virtuous. You, Yang Ge, have not provoked them, but your mere existence is an insurmountable mountain for them..."
Seeing Yang Ge about to lose his temper again, he quickly added, "Not to bring up far matters, let’s talk about what’s right in front of us. If it weren’t for you backing him, would Yang Tiansheng be sitting as a king of the Ming Sect? Could he have pushed for recruiting the Ming Sect? If I remember correctly, you’ve also been planning to go down south to mediate between the Ming Sect, the White Lotus Sect, and the Five Poisons Cult, haven’t you?"
"Each and every one of these, which of these are what those ambitious villains want to see?"
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"Of course, they want to eliminate you first then..."
Yang raised his hand and interrupted him, his face expressionless: "I know why they targeted me. I’m only telling you this to let you know that I haven’t done anything wrong. Don’t try to manipulate me with your twisted logic again!"
"I don’t care who is standing behind Yang Potian. Since they dared to make the first move, I must respond in kind!"
"Otherwise, the next might be someone from the Yang Family, or it could be you, Shen Fa, or it’s more likely to be Lu Ting!"
"Also..."
"I still owe Old Wei a favor. If I don’t repay it now, I might never be able to..."
After listening to him, Shen Fa fell silent with a conflicted expression for a long while, but eventually, he spoke in a low voice, "It might not necessarily have come to a do-or-die situation. Perhaps they simply want to force you to step back, to barely manage to survive... With your martial skills, nobody would want to engage with you directly."
"Step back? Where to?"
Yang Ge looked out into the misty Lu Ting: "Should I ignore Yang Tiansheng or disregard their harm to the people of Jiangnan? If they attack Lu Ting tomorrow, should I just turn a blind eye?"
"Shen, oh Shen, this is our greatest difference. You always think of compromise, never willing to face the issue squarely. But issues don’t disappear just because you avoid them. They always remain issues unless resolved; only when resolved do they cease to be issues."
"Of course, I can understand you as well, after all, the Wei Dynasty rests on your shoulders, your concerns must be greater than mine, a mere idler..."
"Enough with the idle chatter, in any case, this matter... I’ve decided to handle it!"
"If things go smoothly, all is well."
"If they don’t, I would trouble you to look after the Liu family, I don’t ask for them to be rich and prosperous, just that they remain safe and sound."
"Rest assured, I won’t let you labor in vain, even at my worst, I can still take someone down with me..."
Listening to his casual words, Shen Fa felt as if someone had stuffed a stone in his heart. He struggled to squeeze out a smile, forcing a laugh, "You haven’t even fought yet and you’re already speaking of defeat, boosting others’ morale and dampening your own prestige, this isn’t like you, Yang Ge..."
"Isn’t this what you said? Since they dare set a trap and lure me there, they must be relying on something."
Yang Ge smiled faintly, "How would I know how many masters they have invited to wait for me."
This might just be the case of there always being someone better out there, a higher mountain beyond the current one.
A novice adventurer in the pugilistic world always dreams about how they would act once their martial skills improve after facing numerous superior opponents.
But once their martial arts truly advance, they find that things are not as before, and not every martial artist they meet can be easily sized up. Any person could nearly match them blow for blow, both sides suffering...
But if they never face trouble, all is well; once trouble arises... it may be a matter of life or death!
Because others already know how skilled you are and still dare to target you, it must mean they are fully confident and well-prepared.
Just like Wei Heng, that old eunuch with his robust Sky Gang Youth Skill, ranking among the top in True Essence, almost considered first-tier right below the Four Elders, Seven Heroes, and Twelve Chieftains.
However, the moment he met that mysterious master in Jiujiang, he knew that he was likely doomed today. Without even struggling, he immediately told Cao Ying and the others to quickly leave while he confronted the enemy to buy them time.
Because he knew, anyone who dared to come alone by boat to intercept him, surely had the assurance of defeating him.
Yang Ge’s situation was slightly better than Wei Heng’s. His martial skills had reached the pinnacle of the world’s fighters; no matter how strong the trap setters might be, they likely would not surpass him in rank.
But even within the same realm, there are levels of proficiency.
Moreover, the opponent might very well be more than one person...
Shen Fa’s mind was in turmoil, weighing his options for a long time before finally clenching his molars hard and saying, "Can we not go? You are the only friend I have left..."
Yang Ge turned back to glance at the dark coffin at the center of the spirit hall, "But old Wei, he was my friend too."
"Alright, enough talk. I’ll give you seven more days to make arrangements. After seven days, I will set off for Bright Summit."
"Yes, find some time to go to the inn and bring Zhao Miao and Zhao Hong back to the palace. Once I leave, Lu Ting will no longer be safe..."
He patted Shen Fa’s shoulder, and instantly, a wave of heat surged through Shen Fa, vaporizing into steam.
By the time the mist in front of his eyes had cleared, Yang Ge was already far away, holding an umbrella.
Watching Yang Ge’s departing figure, he suddenly yelled, "Yang Ge, back then Ding Man was also lured to your inn by me, I’m waiting for you to come back and beat me up!"
"Shen, you bastard..."