Wuxia: Drinking with Spring Breeze

Days of idleness always passed quickly, and before he knew it, the late summer had arrived.

One day in late July, Shopkeeper Liu came over and informed Yang Ge that the inn had been renovated and that his "undutiful son" would soon be back in Luting County. He suggested they all have a meal together to get acquainted before handing over the inn to them.

Yang Ge readily agreed.

A few days later, someone knocked forcefully on the gate of the small courtyard.

"Woof woof woof..."

Yang Ge quickly walked out from the house, glanced at Huang, who was barking and facing the gate with his legs spread in an eight-character stance, waved at him, and hurried toward the gate: "Coming, coming."

"Creeeeak."

He opened the gate, only to be greeted by a sandbag-like fist coming right at him.

Yang Ge instinctively stepped back to stabilize his stance, then twisted his body to meet it with a whip kick.

"Thud."

The collision of fist and foot sent a dull echo through the air, causing Yang Ge and the newcomer to both step back.

"Inner Strength? You really know martial arts!"

The newcomer spoke in a low voice, excited as if he had caught him red-handed.

Yang Ge focused his eyes and saw a robust Great Han standing at the door, his face weathered.

At first glance, what stood out most about this man were his muscular, bulging arms, which made his thin, short clothes bulge considerably, giving the impression of excessive bodybuilding.

But his large, meaty fists, devoid of any visible joints, indicated that the visitor was no ordinary weight lifter.

Yang Ge stared at the face which looked familiar, then at the leather wrist guards on both his hands, and hesitated: "Young master?"

He suddenly understood why the old shopkeeper behaved like a cat that had its tail stepped on upon seeing the martial arts manual, never mentioning wanting to take a look or make a copy.

Ordinarily, even if one knew they shouldn't meddle with such things, curiosity would inevitably prevail, urging one to secretly keep it.

After all, it represented an opportunity to stand out, even if one couldn't practice it themselves, they could still pass it down to their descendants.

This time, the case was finally solved; it turned out the old shopkeeper had long been adversely affected by it...

"Oh, was it that obvious?"

The Great Han, upon hearing Yang Ge outright exposing his identity, rubbed his meaty face in surprise, then casually stepped over the threshold.

But the next second, he stepped back out, staring up at the gate in disbelief: "Is this really my rundown old courtyard?"

At last, a smile appeared on Yang Ge's face, and he stepped aside to reveal the freshly neat courtyard, making a "please" gesture inside: "Young master, please come in."

"No wonder the old man likes you so much. Every time he mentions you, it's all good things. You really know how to manage a household!"

The Great Han "tsk tsk-ed" in admiration as he stepped back into the courtyard, looking around the elegant space that now resembled a wealthy family's courtyard, struggling to connect it with the small, dilapidated place it had been before.

"Do you like grapes? Why set up a grape trellis in the yard?"

"Grapevines provide shade once they grow, so we can rest under the trellis during summer... and also pick some grapes to eat."

"And what's this pond for? To take baths in during summer? Then this pond is a bit too small!"

"No, that's for keeping fish. Next year, I'll plant some aquatic plants, lotus roots, and put some fish and shrimp in there to add life to the courtyard."

"How did you do this flooring? I remember that smoothing out stone slabs isn't cheap…"

"Oh, I bought ordinary stones, laid them out, poured water over them, and ground them down little by little with a grinding stone."

Yang Ge brought out a pot of hot tea and gestured for the Great Han to sit down: "Young master, don't just stand there, let's sit down and chat at leisure."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you really are a respectable fellow!"

The Great Han came over with a face full of amazement and heavily sat down on a bamboo chair, which creaked under his weight.

He wasn't just surprised by the current state of the small courtyard; he had seen even grander and more opulent courtyards before.

What surprised him was how Yang Ge had transformed what was once a dilapidated little yard, constantly on the verge of collapse, into the grand appearance of a wealthy family's home.

Yang Ge poured him a cup of hot tea and sat down with him: "Young master, when did you arrive?"

"Just yesterday."

The Great Han picked up the teacup, drank it all in one go, and sighed contentedly: "Ah, you really don't have to keep calling me 'young master'. With our small family business, we can't afford to hire an expert like you. My name is Liu Fuyu... don't laugh, my old man named me that, what could I do? Outside, I go by Liu Mang, and those who give me respect call me 'Mang'."

"Great name, very imposing... But, are you firing me now?"

Yang Ge joked with a smile: "Without a salary, I won't have the money to pay you rent!"

"Nonsense!"

Liu Mang slapped his thigh in annoyance: "If I'd let you go the first day I came back, the old man would have chased me with a broom... What I mean is, let's not stand on ceremony with each other in the future. You call me 'Mang', I call you 'brother', and let us be good brothers who share both meat and drink and face any challenges together."

Yang Ge wanted to laugh.

But since he was professionally trained, he managed to hold it in and bowed slightly, saying: "Then from now on, I ask for 'Mang's guidance and help."

Liu Mang waved his hand generously: "Sure thing. I've come back this time to revive the Iron Fist Sect's prestige in Luting County. It's great you know martial arts..."

"Wait, wait!"

Yang Ge quickly interrupted: "What did you just say about reviving prestige? Isn't our family running an inn?"

Mang listened, giving Yang Ge a look as if he were staring at a fool, "How much money can you make from running a guesthouse? If you want fame and fortune, of course, you should open a martial arts school. Listen to your brother, it's simple to start a martial arts school. The students have to pay a tribute when they come to learn, right? They need to give money for tea during holidays and birthdays, right? Once you train enough disciples, the local gentries who want to hire guards would want to connect with us, right? Later on, when you mention you're the master of a certain martial arts school, wouldn't that be impressive..."

"Please wait, wait a moment..."

Unable to get a word in edgewise, Yang Ge was forced to interrupt again, "Do you think the old shopkeeper knows about your plan to turn the guesthouse into a martial arts school?"

Mang waved his hand indifferently, "That old man, what does he understand about our young people's affairs? Listen to me, starting up a martial arts school is really promising. Just now, your leg technique looked very powerful. In the future, I'll teach boxing and you teach leg techniques, and in the martial arts world, we'll be known as 'Unrivaled Hands and Feet.' Doesn't that sound mighty impressive?"

Yang Ge: …

So, you never even discussed this with your dad, did you?

A father truly knows his son best, and you really are a genuine, foolhardy spender!

…

Mang spent a good part of the day at Yang Ge's place, earnestly persuading him to join his grand plan of opening a martial arts school.

Yang Ge naturally couldn't agree to it, but it was hard for him to outright refuse, considering he was Liu's only son.

Ultimately, he had no choice but to insist, "I'll listen to the old shopkeeper. If the old shopkeeper agrees, I'll open the martial arts school with you."

Confident, Mang went home to discuss with his father.

Yang Ge escorted him to the street corner.

By the time he returned home with a dizzy head, he had barely stepped through the courtyard gate when he heard Huang's frantic barking as it jumped on him.

Yang Ge comforted Huang by stroking its bristling fur, frowning as he glanced into the house and sighed, "Shen, this is what doors are for, not for climbing over."

The next second, a voice with a hint of laughter emanated from behind the closed door, "I've spent my days chasing tigers and hunting wolves, never missing my mark, yet I'm caught off-guard by a watchdog!"

Yang Ge sighed again and, with no energy, walked inside as he pondered whether he had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed that morning for all these troublesome people to come to him at once.

Upon opening the door, Yang Ge saw Shen Fa sitting at the head of a square table, with a gold-handled sword leaning beside him, a pot of wine, a package of roast chicken, a package of pig's head meat, and a packet of peanuts on the table.

He was still dressed in the same black, subtly-patterned outfit Yang Ge saw last time, but now his face bore a new scar, and his presence seemed imbued with more Evil Qi.

Looking at Yang Ge as he entered, Shen smiled, "Why do you sigh every time you see me?"

Yang Ge, "Perhaps it's because nothing good comes whenever I see you?"

Shen made a 'please sit' gesture and cheerfully replied, "Nonsense, didn't I help you out of trouble last time?"

Seeing his gesture, Yang Ge rolled his eyes irritably, thinking 'as if you are the host,' "Compared to you, Ding Man is nothing!"

Shen actually nodded as if it was natural, "That's true!"

Yang Ge's eyes nearly rolled to the sky.

Shen picked up a piece of pig's head meat with chopsticks, "Eat, why the stunned look?"

Yang Ge shook his head like a rattle-drum, "I won't dare eat until you clarify what you need from me."

Shen slapped him on the head and laughed, scolding, "Can't you be a little dumber? Being too smart makes life very exhausting!"

Yang Ge, uncomfortable with such familiarity, rolled his eyes and shifted to the other side.

Shen, acting as if he saw nothing, pinched his wine cup and took a sip, speaking softly, "There's a Tartar spy carrying very important military intelligence who has escaped from the capital. Our men caught up with him here, but his Qinggong is too good, and they can't keep up with him. Your expertise in 'Chaotic Wind Leg' movement technique is impressive. You should engage him, and create an opportunity for our men to kill him!"

Yang Ge nodded, putting on an understanding look, "So, a test of loyalty, I get it!"

Shen stared at him earnestly, "You can't always live alone. Since you've taken the first step, why not try taking a few more?"

Yang Ge stayed silent for a long while before finally picking up the chopsticks and taking a peanut into his mouth, murmuring, "Taking favors makes one obliged..."

A smile spread across Shen's face, "I knew it, I wasn't wrong about you!"

Yang Ge put down his chopsticks and seriously said, "Let's make this clear, I don't kill people!"

Shen laughed, "Do Tartars even count as people?"

"Whether or not they count is your concern,"

Yang Ge shook his head, firmly stating, "My parents only taught me to be a good person, they never taught me to kill."

Shen fell silent a few moments, then picked up the wine pot and poured Yang Ge a cup of wine, softly sighing, "Your hometown must be very prosperous and peaceful, huh?"

Yang Ge was about to answer, but just as he was about to speak, he felt something wasn't right.

He thought for a long time, then lifted his wine cup and toasted Shen, "I take back my earlier words... unless absolutely necessary, I don't kill people!"

Shen, puzzled, "Was I wrong? Is there also war in your hometown?"

Could it be… the painter made a mistake?

Yang Ge replied, "Conflicts and disputes exist everywhere, but my hometown remains peaceful because many people, with their youth and blood, keep those conflicts and disputes away from our lives..."

Hearing these words, Shen was deeply touched, though he did not show it on his face.

He softly asked, "Do you want to become like them?"

Yang Ge shook his head, "I might not become like them, but I think I shouldn't run away."

Shen smiled, clinked his wine cup with Yang Ge's, drank it all in one gulp and softly expressed, "That's the kind of person I want to be!"

Though his words were soft, they carried undeniable weight.