Promotion

"Get down!"

"Behave yourselves, and keep your hands still!"

"You with the big head, I'm talking to you! Keep your hands still..."

Yang Ge wandered idly around the cargo ship with his axe, observing how the wolfish, tiger-fierce men of the Embroidered Uniform Guard subdued the ship's guards, who outnumbered them several times over.

Meanwhile, the prolonged fierce battle between Shen Fa, Fourth Master Xie, and the others finally reached its conclusion.

A bleak burst of laughter rang out. "Boy of the Shen family, your Fourth Uncle will go on ahead today and claim a spot beneath the Nine Springs. I'll be waiting for the rest of your family..."

Yang Ge turned to see a burly figure with wildly flying hair and beard, several steel blades lodged in his body, plunge headfirst into the Bian River.

On the other side, several experts of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were piled together like a human pyramid. They were too far away for him to see clearly, but the Tartar spy's furious, defiant roars carried over from their direction.

Oh, finally time to call it a day...

Yang Ge withdrew his gaze after a single glance, then slipped furtively into the cargo hold while the nearby guards weren't watching.

He was rather curious about what goods the large-scale trade flowing north and south carried in this era... Hadn't Fourth Master Xie said at the start that they were transporting things they shouldn't? Even if that was only a pretext dangled in the open to draw attention, surely they would have put some genuine contraband aboard.

Since I'm already here, I might as well broaden my horizons!

The moment he entered the hold, Yang Ge caught a somewhat familiar smell, though he couldn't recall what it was right away.

By the flickering torchlight from the deck, he saw long wooden crates stacked neatly throughout the hold. He approached one and tentatively tried lifting its lid, but it wouldn't budge. They seemed to have all been nailed shut.

He hesitated for a few seconds, but curiosity got the better of him. Using his axe, he pried open a crate and found it packed with dry rice straw.

He pushed aside the straw, revealing long, pitch-black objects.

The light was too dim for him to recognize them at first glance.

Until he picked one up and examined it closely by the flickering torchlight from the deck...

"Fuck!"

Yang Ge's hand jerked in fright. He dropped the object and turned to race toward the deck. Before he'd gone more than a few steps, cold sweat had broken out all over him.

He burst onto the deck and shouted, his heart still pounding, "There are guns in the hold! And gunpowder!"

The guards controlling the deck turned strange looks on him when they heard his shout, their eyes seeming to say, What, you didn't know?

Facing all those strange looks, Yang Ge's voice grew softer, but his alarm only intensified. In the end, he was left repeating a quiet mutter: "Madmen. You're all madmen..."

You knew the enemy had guns and gunpowder, and you still charged aboard carrying torches?

Are you the ones who aren't afraid to die, or am I?

"Sir!"

Fang Ke's voice sounded behind Yang Ge. He turned to find Fang Ke looking torn between laughter and tears. "The gunpowder is all at the very bottom of the hold, with several layers of fireproof padding around it. Unless you burn down the entire ship, it wouldn't explode even if you wanted it to!"

Yang Ge froze for a moment, then jabbed a finger toward the hold. "What about those guns?"

Fang Ke stared blankly for a few seconds before understanding dawned. "Oh, you mean those fire lances? Don't let street rumors fool you. They're a pain to use, and they aren't all that powerful either. Unless they have enough time and enough men to form a gun unit, those things aren't nearly as useful as bows!"

At that, Yang Ge finally recovered his wits. He realized that the firearms in the hold were probably primitive muzzle-loading guns, whose killing power was indeed limited.

But... which chemistry teacher taught you that gunpowder won't explode if you cover it in fireproof padding?

Yang Ge decided he had better deal with these people only at noon from now on. Otherwise, something would go wrong sooner or later!

"If there's nothing else, let's get off the ship first. With so many torches on deck, it really isn't safe aboard."

He headed toward the ship's rail as he spoke.

Fang Ke followed him. "Please wait a little longer. Our comrades are fishing out that man from the Xie Family. The Thousand-Household Commander has ordered that we must see him alive or recover his body!"

Yang Ge looked out over the river and saw an enormous net of iron chains spanning the entire stretch of water, slowly rising from beneath the cargo ship. Mules and horses brayed on both banks.

Watching the large fish thrashing in the net, he said in sudden understanding, "No wonder you dared strike in the middle of the river. You had everything prepared!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard... really did have a few tricks up its sleeve!

Yang Ge lifted the pot lid, releasing a billowing cloud of steam.

He leaned toward the edge of the iron pot and gently sniffed the steam, then opened his eyes with a dissatisfied click of his tongue. "Without chili peppers, it just lacks a little something..."

"Oh, I've come at just the right time!"

Just then, a voice laced with amusement drifted in from outside.

The instant Yang Ge heard that familiar tone, he thought, Oh, damn. He hurriedly replaced the lid and strode out of the kitchen, only to find Shen Fa standing in the sunlight with an oilpaper parcel in hand. He had changed into a white robe patterned with ink-painted bamboo and was making kissing noises to tease Little Yellow, whose fur was bristling.

The fellow seemed to have taken a bath. He now wore a lustrous white jade hair circlet, which, paired with the finely tailored white robe of excellent fabric, gave him an air of leisurely, flamboyant elegance from head to toe. Even the slightly menacing scar on his cheek did nothing to diminish that showy air!

Yang Ge had to admit, when the fellow wasn't brimming with murderous intent, he was a veritable slayer of housewives' hearts!

But Yang Ge merely glanced at him before shifting his gaze to the courtyard gate... the tightly shut courtyard gate.

He let out a weary sigh.

Noticing Yang Ge's gaze, Shen Fa turned and raised the oilpaper parcel with a smile. "I'm not freeloading. Here, my contribution."

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Yang Ge turned back toward the stove, wiping his hands on his apron. "After such a big operation last night, shouldn't you have plenty to keep you busy today?"

Shen Fa followed him into the kitchen as though he owned the place. His eyes fixed on the steaming iron pot, he said without looking up, "However busy I am, I can't neglect a great contributor like you!"

Yang Ge lifted the lid and deftly scooped the fish and pickled mustard greens out with an iron ladle. "Please don't. Just let me go like a fart, and that'll be the greatest reward you could give me!"

Shen Fa's gaze followed the ladle into the soup bowl. "I won't allow you to belittle yourself like that. You're worth far more than you think!"

As he spoke, he casually took a pair of chopsticks from the holder, picked up some fish and pickled greens, and put them in his mouth. After a little chewing, he let out a long, contented breath. "Leaving everything else aside, with cooking skills like these, your future certainly shouldn't be limited to being an inn waiter!"

Yang Ge said, "Oh, I've already been promoted. I'm the manager of the Welcome Inn now!"

Shen Fa: ...

There'll be a second chapter later~