Chapter 54

After Yang Shouwen finished speaking, Hu Teng's large spear suddenly thrust towards Yang Molie.

Yang Molie was startled and quickly picked up her twin hammers to block.

However, this time Yang Shouwen was the one attacking, and his spear was extremely fast. Hu Teng's large spear broke through the rain of strikes, thrusting out with a swift motion, making Yang Molie flustered. Yang Shouwen's spear became faster and faster, one thrust after another, enveloping Yang Molie in a flurry of spear shadows. In just a moment, Yang Molie's clothes were torn into strips, the pieces of fabric clinging to her body.

"Stop!"

Yang Shouwen suddenly stopped and took two steps back.

"Yang Molie, who taught you these martial arts?"

"Huh?"

Yang Molie looked bewildered, shook her head, and said, "I practiced on my own; no one taught me."

"I thought so..."

After a while, Yang Shouwen realized that although Yang Molie was strong, agile, and fast, she didn't seem like someone who had trained in martial arts. She had only a few moves and didn't know how to dodge or block.

However, with her strength, if she were to go to the battlefield and wear heavy armor, she would be like a living bulldozer.

Yang Shouwen felt a sense of unfairness in victory, sighed, and had no intention of continuing the match.

In terms of strength, Yang Shouwen was slightly weaker than Yang Molie.

But if they really fought, Yang Shouwen had a hundred ways to kill her in a minute.

This kind of match was better not to happen... Yang Shouwen walked forward and looked at Yang Molie for a long time. "Starting from tomorrow, you will practice martial arts with me. Do as I say... otherwise, you won't even be my match."

Yang Shouwen suddenly felt that Yang Molie was quite lucky.

On the way to Changping, the Sume Mohe people were attracted by Yang Chenglie and Yang Shouwen, so they didn't pay attention to Yang Molie, allowing her to succeed and scare them. In the Changping county office, no one knew Yang Molie's background, so they were taken aback by her sudden attack... but if she hadn't been so lucky those two times and had been seen through, she probably wouldn't have known how she died. This guy was really blessed.

"Practice martial arts?"

Yang Molie thought for a moment and said in a simple-minded voice, "Is it like lying on the ground and practicing like a toad?"

She then shook her head forcefully, looking unwilling. "Yang Molie doesn't want to practice like a toad; toads look so ugly."

She was right, and I had no words to respond!

Yang Shouwen looked at Yang Molie, and the feeling of being utterly defeated grew stronger.

At the entrance of the Great Hero Hall, You Niang was laughing so hard she couldn't stand.

The Golden Toad Guiding Technique, in Yang Molie's mouth, became lying on the ground and pretending to be a toad... This was a secret technique passed down for a hundred years by the Daoists of Wudang Mountain. If Yang Dafang heard this, he might jump out of his coffin in anger.

"Yang Molie, listen carefully. If you don't practice well, you won't have any food to eat in the future."

"Then I'll practice!"

Yang Molie fully demonstrated what it meant to be indecisive. At the mention of not having food, she would pretend to be a toad or even a rat. Yang Shouwen, holding his spear, stormed back to the meditation room. Yang Molie pouted, looking aggrieved, and muttered to herself, "Why do I have to pretend to be a toad? Alang just likes to bully Yang Molie."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In the afternoon, the rain stopped.

A rainbow stretched across the mountains, looking particularly beautiful.

After the autumn rain, Hu Valley Mountain stood even more gracefully.

The noon sparring ended in a very funny way. Yang Shouwen was extremely angry, and Yang Molie was very aggrieved.

At lunch, the two of them seemed to be competing, eating bowl after bowl of rice and pancake after pancake. The result was... Yang Shouwen and Yang Molie both ate too much and groaned in bed for the rest of the afternoon.

As it was about to get dark, there was a commotion at the mountain gate.

Someone was banging on the gate. Yang Molie opened it and saw Yang Chenglie and Yang Rui standing outside.

Yang Shouwen heard the noise and ran out.

Seeing Yang Chenglie, he was surprised and hurriedly greeted him, "Father, why are you and Second Brother here so early?"

Yang Chenglie nodded and stepped into the gate.

"I was going to ask you why you all ran up the mountain."

"Oh..."

Yang Shouwen didn't know how to answer, but Yang Qingnu ran out and threw herself into Yang Chenglie's arms. "Father, why did you come so late? I missed you so much... Father, I was bitten by a snake yesterday and almost didn't see you again."

"What?"

Yang Chenglie was immediately tense and quickly picked up Yang Qingnu.

"How did you get bitten by a snake, and how are you now?"

"Fortunately, Eldest Brother saved me... Eldest Brother is the best. If he hadn't acted, I really wouldn't have seen you again."

The little girl's answer surprised Yang Shouwen.

However, seeing Yang Qingnu's radiant smile, he didn't argue and just nodded lightly.

At this moment, Lady Song also came over.

She recounted what had happened the previous day to Yang Chenglie, praising Yang Shouwen highly. She didn't mention the conflict between Yang Qingnu and Yang You Niang or Yang Shouwen's anger.

"The town is too small. Nizi went up the mountain the night before last and found that all the monks had fled, so he told us to come early. You see, it's actually quite nice up here. There are plenty of rooms and space. Qingnu has been very happy these past two days."

Yang Chenglie was relieved to see that Yang Qingnu was fine.

"Nizi, do you still have that wine?"

"Huh?"

"The wine you sent me?"

Yang Chenglie sat down in a meditation room used as a guest room and, before Yang Shouwen could speak, asked urgently.

"Uh, yes, what's the matter?"

"Quickly, bring a jar... Nizi, I'm your father. How could you only send me a little bit? I didn't even get to taste it before Uncle Guan Hu drank a whole jar. County Magistrate Wang was even worse; he ran to my office and took the only jar I had left. Today... tsk tsk tsk, I've been craving it all day."

So, he came back early just because he wanted to drink?

Seeing Yang Chenglie's eager and silly expression, Yang Shouwen didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, there were still five jars of wine on the mountain. Yang Shouwen went to the kitchen to fetch one and, as soon as he filled Yang Chenglie's bowl, Yang Chenglie picked it up and drank it in one gulp.

"Phew!"

After drinking, he stroked his beard, like a drug addict after a fix, and let out a long breath.

"Good wine!"

"Look at you, how can you be so impatient?"

Hearing Lady Song's words, Yang Chenglie couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "Do you think I want to be like this? But Nizi's wine is really good. After drinking his wine, other wines taste like water. I don't know how I've been getting through these past two days. County Magistrate Wang has been hanging around my place all day, and that brute Guan Hu even drank a whole jar while I was away.

But Nizi, how do you make this wine?"

"Nizi won't say."

Before Yang Shouwen could speak, Lady Song stopped him.

"Lady, what do you mean?"

"Lady, this wine is now under my management. If you want to drink it, you need my permission..."

"You..."

Yang Chenglie pointed at Lady Song, his face changing after a moment, and he put on a flattering expression. "Lady, why do you make it so difficult? How can I, as a father, not taste the wine Nizi made? With you in charge, our Yang family will surely prosper."

"Hmph!"

Lady Song laughed and lightly hit Yang Chenglie.

"Alright, you eat first. I'll go help Yang Sister in the kitchen."

With that, she got up and left the meditation room.

In the meditation room, only Yang Chenglie, Yang Shouwen, and Yang Rui were left.

Yang Rui didn't speak, just ate the dishes. After drinking a few sips of wine, Yang Chenglie said to Yang Shouwen, "I've already released the Gai family."

"Oh?"

"The matter with Gai Jiayun is considered settled.

He said you promised him a position. So I thought about it and decided to let him join the militia as a gatekeeper. The city has been a bit turbulent lately, and the militia is short of people. He can help fill the numbers.

Also, I've spoken to the Gai family, and they will help me keep an eye on Lu Yongcheng."

He took another sip of wine.

"Father, what's the matter?"

Yang Chenglie suddenly laughed bitterly, a look of fatigue on his face. "I've been in charge of Changping for ten years, thinking I knew it well, but I didn't realize I had misjudged Lu Yongcheng's abilities."

"Father, what happened?"

"That Kou Bin was found."

"Oh?"

"But he's already dead!" Yang Chenglie took a deep breath and slammed his bowl on the table. "I didn't know until now that Lu Yongcheng had already extended his reach into my territory. This man is truly ruthless. I really misjudged him... Do you know, not only was Kou Bin killed, but even Lu Qing was murdered."