```
Do people who practice martial arts always have such nimble hands and feet?
...
A little less than half a month later, Yang Ge, dressed in a comfortable robe, sat basking in the sun in his own courtyard, pondering over what household supplies he needed to replenish.
This courtyard was built based on the one on Luting Chaimen Street, except that the overall layout was much clearer and more open, the earthen walls were thicker and more solid, and it was divided into functional spaces like the living room, bedrooms, and storage rooms. Unlike the small courtyard on Chaimen Street, there was no all-purpose hall where one could see the bed as soon as they walked into the house.
He was extremely pleased!
"Erwa..."
Yang Dashan, carrying a hoe, passed by his house and, seeing him lazily basking in the sun again, set down his hoe and scolded, "Just because you have money and can afford to idle about doesn’t mean you should. Why don’t you go to the clan and discuss with the elders about buying some land to farm? It’s such a waste not to put your strength to use on the fields!"
Honest farmers just can’t stand to see others idle.
"Shan, let me rest for a bit longer."
Yang Ge whined weakly: "I’ve been running around these last few years and I’m so tired. Now that I’ve finally returned to my roots, I really don’t want to move anymore... Give me a little more time, then I’ll go discuss with the clan elders about buying land."
Yang Dashan rambled on: "If you don’t farm, you could at least buy some chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep from the market to raise. It’s still income; farmers shouldn’t just think about spending money. Even a mountain of gold and silver can be spent one day!"
"Alright, alright..."
Yang Ge covered his face: "I’ll head to the town to take a look soon."
Seeing him realize his mistake, Yang Dashan, satisfied, hoisted his hoe: "Seeing your cold stove, it seems you haven’t figured out lunch yet, right? Come over when the rice is cooked; don’t make me call you over every time!"
Yang Ge: "Yes, yes, thank you, Shan, thank you sister-in-law!"
Yang Dashan chuckled, hoisted his hoe and casually went home... His courtyard, too, had been renovated, similar in layout to Yang Ge’s. The two courtyards were arranged side by side facing south, as if they were two brothers.
After he left, Yang Ge sat in the courtyard thinking for a while. The more he thought, the more he couldn’t sit still. He got up and strode out: "Shan, don’t cook lunch for me, I’m heading to town..."
Follow current novℯls on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.
Next door, Yang Dashan heard the voice and came out, but where was anyone in front of Yang Ge’s house?
A quarter-hour later, on the streets of Linjiang County.
Yang Ge sat in a small restaurant, contentedly dealing with a pot of not very authentic pickled fish.
As he recalled which items he needed to buy for home, he suddenly overheard two patrons dressed like scholars whispering at the next table: "Have you heard? Yang Zaixian from Guizhou has defeated the imperial troops..."
"You heard too? In my opinion, all those soldiers and generals of the court are useless, a mere..."
"Shush, can you keep your voice down? I don’t want to die yet!"
"What are you afraid of? Our Liu and Yang Zaixian aren’t on the same side. The imperial court is dispatching troops to suppress the rebellion, and Liu even answered the call to attend the order!"
"That was then, this is now, the imperial troops have been defeated..."
Yang Ge slowly furrowed his brow and emotionlessly smacked his chopsticks on the table, calling out loudly, "Owner, the bill."
"Right away..."
After leaving the small restaurant, Yang Ge found a secluded corner and, after roughly discerning the direction, leaped into the air.
...
Evening, the main camp of Yang Zaixian from Guizhou.
"The first step is secure!"
Yang Zaixian, armed and imposing, sat in the commander’s tent and said decisively, "Now it depends on whether the court is willing to pay the price!"
With less than a hundred thousand allied forces of Southwestern Tusi, he broke through the encirclement of the three imperial army routes, playing with the three hundred thousand imperial troops amidst the poor mountains and bad waters of the Southwest as if they were dogs. He had every reason to be proud!
"That’s the general idea..."
The emissary from Tower Beyond Tower, still dressed in black and wearing an iron mask, shook his head steadily and said slowly, "But that’s not how things should be done."
Yang Zaixian thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "I need to take a step back to advance and explain things nicely, right?"
The emissary gave him a thumbs-up: "It’s a relief to speak with a clever person!"
"Now, by lowering your stance and speaking kindly with the court, the people will think highly of you, and so will the Second Master. What should be yours, even if the court doesn’t give it to you, the Second Master will keep it in mind. However, if you push aggressively, even if the court begrudgingly concedes for the sake of the bigger picture, the people will still see you as bandits, and you will lose the Second Master’s favor. Even if you gain more benefits now, sooner or later, you’ll have to spit out everything with interest..."
Yang Zaixian nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I understand. I can’t afford to make a losing deal!"
The emissary nodded: "It’s good that the General has this awareness. Next, please make sure to control your subordinates. At this critical juncture, do not do anything irrational... The Second Master’s eyes cannot be fooled!"
Yang Zaixian solemnly clasped his fists: "Please rest assured, emissary, I’ve already laid down the law with the chiefs. Anyone who harms the people at this critical moment will not be tolerated by me or the Southwest!"
As the emissary stood to take his leave, suddenly there came a shout from outside the tent: "Who’s there?"
"Men, there’s an assas..."
Before the sentence was finished, two figures flew into the commander’s tent.
The two looked on in shock, only to see a tall young man with a plain hemp outfit and layered cloth shoes, hair casually tied with a string, walking into the tent barehanded.
```