"General."
In the courtyard of the Liu family, Yang Ge and Liu Mang were playing chess while the old shopkeeper, leaning on his cane, watched eagerly from the side. Zhao Miao, holding little Huang, stood outside the kitchen door, chatting with Mrs. Liu who was cooking inside. Little Huang wagged his tail as he ran around the courtyard.
Liu Mang stared at the chessboard, deep in thought for a long while, hesitantly moving his piece to block Yang Ge’s "cannon over the mountain": "Moving the guard!"
Yang Ge glanced at it and without hesitation pushed another cannon beside Liu Mang’s king: "Double cannon check."
Liu Mang: "Flying elephant."
Yang Ge confidently pushed his chariot to the empty space beside the king, making it a cannon base: "Check again..."
Liu Mang was intently staring at the chessboard, scratching his head vigorously.
The old shopkeeper tapped his cane and chided with a laugh, "Still looking? Game over...move aside, let me have a couple of rounds with the young fella!"
Liu Mang reluctantly stood up to give his seat to his father, muttering, "If it weren’t for you by my side, I would have definitely won a game against the young fella."
"Nonsense!"
The old shopkeeper scolded with a laugh: "I’ve been sitting here all this while, have I made even a peep?"
Liu Mang argued confidently: "Just having you sit next to me, even if you don’t make a sound, it’s still a lot of pressure on me..."
Yang Ge chuckled and quickly set up the chess pieces, not interjecting in the father and son’s routine banter.
"Fuyu, what have you been busy with all day?"
While playing chess with the old man, Yang Ge asked casually: "I see you running to the martial arts school every day, but I haven’t noticed much improvement in your martial arts... You’ve been training in ’True Essence’ for almost three years now, right? Have you reached the threshold yet?"
Liu Mang glanced at him, vexed, and said: "Do you think everyone is like you? With my talent, reaching this level is already a blessing from our ancestors! Besides..."
He looked toward the kitchen, a happy and proud smile rising on his face: "To be able to maintain my current level without deteriorating, I am already very grateful."
The old shopkeeper quietly listened to the brothers’ casual conversation, without interrupting.
Yang Ge didn’t disagree; he made a few moves in the game and then continued, "Have you got any promising disciples at your martial arts school this year?"
"Yes..."
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Liu Mang suddenly perked up: "This year I took on a disciple from Kaifeng who came specially to learn. Even though he’s young, he has naturally strong bones and muscles suited for our style, and he’s been improving rapidly. I reckon in another year or so, he could start cultivating ’True Essence.’ I’ve even been thinking about whether to introduce him to your upper school, since it’s better if the resources don’t go to outsiders."
"And do you remember Du Wei, who graduated from our Iron Fist School last year and joined the Righteous Alliance? The one from a poor family—I used to take him to inns to scrounge meals. A month ago he came back to Lu Ting specially to visit me; I can no longer see through his martial arts..."
Talking about the martial arts school always made him beam with enthusiasm, his words spraying with excitement.
Yang Ge listened to his endless words, hesitating inwardly, unsure how to express the words he had prepared.
After a while, he finally asked, "What are your future plans?"
Liu Mang replied inexplicably, "What plan?"
Yang Ge: "You keep making wedding dresses for others like you’re doing now, that’s not really an option..."
Liu Mang: "Isn’t this pretty good?"
Yang Ge gave him a look, "What’s good about it? Of the disciples you’ve trained, how many remember their mentor after they leave? One in ten? It’s only been a few years, hasn’t it?"
"If your martial arts were any good, then that would be one thing, maybe you’d even think about starting your own school..."
"But your martial arts aren’t up to par, and the disciples you teach all end up serving other forces in the martial arts world. If they cause trouble outside, it could even come back to haunt you, their mentor. What are you aiming for?"
"Do you really value those few bits of scattered silver as a master’s fee that much? How is that different from doing business?"
"Our family isn’t worried about food or drink, so is it worth it to take on this kind of trouble for a little bit of money?"
Liu Mang’s mind couldn’t keep up, all confused, "This... have you heard something? Which rebellious disciple is causing me trouble outside?"
Yang Ge: "Don’t overthink it, we’re just having a chat, and it led to this, right?"
Liu Mang: "Really?"
Yang Ge: "Have I ever lied to you?"
Liu Mang: "What do you think?"
Yang Ge:...
He didn’t answer, and Liu Mang sat with his arms crossed, deeply pondering the points Yang Ge had made.
After a while, he finally felt that Yang Ge was indeed making sense... If his martial arts could no longer improve, the martial arts school was indeed just a business, one that didn’t make much money and came with great risks.
’No wonder he asked me why there was no progress in my martial arts...’
Liu Mang suddenly realized, "So, what do you think I should do?"
Yang Ge: "What else can we do? If the business doesn’t make sense, we switch to another."
Liu Mang: "What about the martial arts school?"
Yang Ge: "Let those who should graduate do so, dismiss those who should be dismissed, and if there are truly honest and reliable disciples, just keep them around and pay them a salary. I know you like teaching disciples. I’m not saying you can’t teach anymore, just that we change professions. No longer openly accept disciples, don’t turn anyone away who comes, and just teach a few moves within our own realm..."
Liu Mang thought about it and glanced towards the kitchen, a trace of hesitation in his eyes. He pondered for a while before asking, "Then what kind of business can I do? It can’t still be running an inn, can it?"
"Slap..."
Having listened silently for a long time, the old shopkeeper finally couldn’t restrain himself any longer, and with a backhand slap he twisted the fool’s head, shouting angrily, "What’s wrong with running an inn? Is running an inn disgraceful? If I hadn’t run an inn, how could I have raised such an ungrateful son?"