Chapter 3 The Small Fry

"It's past midnight, time to close the doors and windows, beware of theft..."

Yang Ge sat at the table, guarding a lonely lamp, with the martial arts manual given to him by the bearded swordsman laid out neatly in front of him.

On the cover of the book, "Eighteen Chaotic Wind Leg" was written in six large characters that flowed like clouds and water, graceful as a startled swan!

Behind him, Wang Dali swiftly finished installing the last door panel, then excitedly scurried over to Yang Ge, hugging his shoulders and pleading repeatedly, "Little brother, little brother, show me, show me..."

Yang Ge glanced at him and silently reached out, turning the manual towards Wang Dali.

Wang Dali's eyes gleamed as he reached out to flip through the manual.

"Slap."

A slap landed on Wang Dali's head, twisting it to the side.

"You son of a..."

Enraged, Wang Dali turned to stand up, only to see Shopkeeper Liu standing behind him with a darkened face. He hurriedly swallowed the last word and, clutching his head, sheepishly sat back down on the stool, "Hey, Shopkeeper, I was just playing with the little brother."

Shopkeeper Liu looked down at Wang Dali with an expressionless face and said sarcastically, "Since when do you speak this way, Master Li? You're supposed to be a distinguished person who practices martial arts to become a hero. How are we worthy of playing with you?"

Wang Dali's face turned red, and he mumbled with his head low, "I was wrong, really wrong, Shopkeeper, please don't scold me anymore."

Shopkeeper Liu wanted to say something, but overtaken by anger, he raised his hand and slapped the other side of Wang Dali's head, once again twisting it.

"Don't you ever look at yourself and see what stuff you're made of, wanting to learn martial arts and become a hero? With that brain of yours, you'd get cheated to death the moment you step outside, and even the King of Hell would think you'd been fairly treated!"

Wang Dali covered his head and didn't dare to make a sound, but his gaze kept darting towards the manual, betraying his restless heart.

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Liu angrily raised his hand again, but in the end, he slowly let it fall and turned to speak to Yang Ge with earnest concern, "Little brother, throw that thing into the stove and burn it. Keeping it is a curse!"

The old man might not be a great figure, but having dealt with people all his life, he naturally had his own philosophy of life.

In his view, they at Yuelai Inn were all insignificant people, toiling day and night just for a daily meal and a place to sleep.

Such small people shouldn't babble about soaring to the heights of success or attaining noble ranks.

In his lifetime, he had seen that most people with greater appetites than their ability to eat ended up with bad fates...

"We can't burn it!"

Yang Ge, who had been silent for a long time, gently let out a few words.

Shopkeeper Liu's heart lurched, thinking that Yang Ge was also bewildered by the martial arts manual. Just as he was about to persuade him further, he heard Yang Ge say, "Burning it would cause even more trouble!"

Shopkeeper Liu paused, bewildered, "How so?"

Yang Ge tapped on the martial arts manual on the table and spoke slowly, "If no trouble comes knocking, this thing is nothing but a few pieces of scrap paper. But if trouble does come, it's the solution... and perhaps, our only way out!"

With Jiang Kui's loud voice, 'Star of Disaster,' it's likely that his offer was heard several streets away.

If someone comes looking for this thing from Yang Ge, and he says it's already been burned... who would believe that?

Not everyone has Shopkeeper Liu's insight.

Wang Dali is the best example of that.

Shopkeeper Liu suddenly realized and, stroking his chest in fear, said, "You are much more considerate than I, little brother!"

He worriedly looked at the martial arts manual on the table, feeling the matter thorny and unsure how to deal with it.

After a moment of silence, Yang Ge suddenly said again, "Shopkeeper, let's close the inn for a while."

Shopkeeper Liu and Wang Dali both turned to look at Yang Ge.

Yang Ge gradually spoke, "The martial arts examination is drawing near. Incidents like today's are likely to become more frequent. We're just making a small living by earning copper coins; there's no need to take such a great risk that could ruin our families."

Lu Ting County borders Luoyang, the Divine Capital, and is one of the gateways to the capital.

What happened today might seem like just an instance of bad luck.

But at such a critical time, these kinds of misfortunes are, in fact, inevitable.

After all, those who practice martial arts often dwell among sword glows and blood storms, and they tend to be hot-tempered and suffer from varying degrees of paranoia and PTSD.

And inns, being hubs for transient populations, are one of the places that most frequently interact with these martial artists rushing to the capital for the examination...

That Yuelai Inn encountered trouble with martial artists for two consecutive days is the best proof of this.

Furthermore, Yang Ge was certain that Jiang Kui really had the intention to kill when he gripped his arm that time.

After much hesitant consideration, Shopkeeper Liu finally let out a long sigh and said with a disheartened smile, "If it weren't for you mentioning it, little brother, I would have almost forgotten. This time it's the imperial martial arts examination... Thanks to the government, after thirty-five years of running the inn, we can finally take a break."

Wang Dali's attention was captivated by what Shopkeeper Liu said, and he chuckled awkwardly, "Shopkeeper, what's this 'imperial grace martial examination'?"

Shopkeeper Liu gave Wang Dali a disdainful look, too lazy to explain it to him, but when he saw Yang Ge also staring intently at him, he reluctantly began to speak: "The official martial examination, just like the civil service examination, takes place every three years, and selects mostly those with a clean background, outstanding individuals from the military, and sons from military families."

"However, the 'imperial grace martial examination' is similar to the grace exam, it is an opportunity created by His Majesty to bestow kindness upon the world and select capable individuals, opening an examination especially for this purpose... It is said that those who pass this imperial grace martial examination can be pardoned of all their past misdeeds!"

Wang Dali suddenly realized, "No wonder there were so many officials following that nasty guest and stopping here just now!"

Shopkeeper Liu grew even more worried: "I've lived for the better part of my life, yet this is only the second time I've seen such tactics in a martial examination. The last time was when Emperor Taizong personally led the campaign to the great deserts... It seems that this world is really set for troubled times!"

This might just be a case of 'the duck knows first when the spring river warms.'"

Although the old man didn't understand much about state affairs or have any reliable source of firsthand information, he could still use his lifelong experiences to spot similarities and judge some of the less obvious major events.

Yang Ge didn't respond, but he felt that the court's move was extremely bold. If it was indeed possible to bring together those unruly people from the rivers and lakes, it would not only reduce the internal strife within the realm but also enhance the combat effectiveness of the military—truly killing two birds with one stone.

Of course, this was provided that they could be integrated properly...

He pondered for a moment and then continued, "Shopkeeper, haven't you often said you want to go back to your hometown to see the old house? Now is a good opportunity."

Shopkeeper Liu glanced at him and slowly furrowed his brows: "You mean..."

Yang Ge nodded, "The inn is not safe. It would be enough to leave just me here."

Shopkeeper Liu stroked his beard energetically, "If trouble really comes knocking, you won't be safe here alone... Why don't we find a place for you to hide as well?"

Yang Ge tapped on the secret manual on the table and shook his head gently, "The trouble is looking for me and this item. If they can't find me, they'll come after you!"

Wang Dali stiffened his neck indignantly and protested, "It's just a broken book. Whoever wants it should just take it; could it really force someone into a dead end?"

Shopkeeper Liu looked at Yang Ge, wondering if Yang Ge was making too much of a fuss.

"I've looked over this thing in general, and to my knowledge, it doesn't seem to be a martial arts secret of significant depth—certainly not worth killing and stealing over," he said.

Yang Ge spoke quietly, but firmly, "The key issue isn't whether this martial arts manual is exceptionally rare, but rather how famous Jiang is in the martial world and how many enemies he has!"

"If everyone believes that what Jiang gave me is a divine martial arts manual, then even if this were just a children's picture book, countless people would come here to kill and plunder, even digging three feet into the ground."

"If Jiang has enemies everywhere, and all of them are unblinkingly brutal, then even if a stray dog simply wags its tail at him, someone would probably go and slaughter that dog."

"And as of now, we know nothing about this Jiang, do we?"

"Of course, things may not turn out to be as bad as I have described."

"But when our lives and livelihoods are at stake, we must prepare for the worst, mustn't we?"

When Jiang Kui had thrown him that martial arts manual, he knew right away that it was trouble.

After he had a moment to meticulously ponder the matter, he realized that it was even more troublesome than he had anticipated.

This also showed that Jiang Kui, despite his loud voice when throwing the item to him, may not have been entirely well-meaning.

Perhaps this is how the powerful view the less powerful: I have given you the opportunity, whether you seize it or not depends on your own abilities!

Shopkeeper Liu and Wang Dali initially thought Yang Ge was overreacting but after hearing his analysis, they felt a cold shiver down their spines, as if a pair of greedy eyes was secretly watching them from the darkness.

"Heh heh..."

Wang Dali swallowed hard and forced a laugh: "So I should head back home now, would it still be in time?"

"Slap!"

Unable to contain his anger, Shopkeeper Liu slapped Wang Dali on the back of his head, causing his head to knock against the tabletop like a pecking chicken: "You mule, if the youngster wasn't taking the hit for you, would he be in this mess? Did a dog eat your conscience?"

Wang Dali rubbed the back of his head and looked up, his eyes skittish and not daring to meet Yang Ge's gaze again. He murmured defensively, "Isn't the young master telling us to go home..."

Shopkeeper Liu raised his hand in anger, ready to give the rascal another smack, but Yang Ge shook his head and whispered: "Everything that happened tonight is surely known by the relevant people by now, and besides, it's curfew, you can't leave even if you wanted to..."

"I will sit here tonight, watching over the light, waiting. If anyone comes, I'll deal with them. You guys can leave the inn first thing tomorrow morning."

"If I can survive this ordeal, then we'll reopen for business after the martial examination is over."

"If I'm not so fortunate... well, I'll have to trouble the Shopkeeper to spend a clothe wrapper, bundle me up, and throw me into the Bian River."

As he spoke, he began to laugh, a spark in his eyes that they had never seen before.

Seeing Yang Ge like this, Shopkeeper Liu was reminded of last winter. Yang Ge, dressed in rags, would walk back and forth along snow-covered streets; no one knew where he was heading or where he intended to return to...

"Don't think like that!"

Shopkeeper Liu laid a hand on Yang Ge's shoulder and offered a forced smile: "You need to stay alive, we are still waiting for you to repay your debts!"

Yang Ge smiled and nodded: "Who doesn't want to live if they can..."