"Have you heard? The Court has joined the fray too. Large numbers of experts from the Inner Court Three Offices have poured into Jingxiang, hunting down Five Poisons Cult followers prefecture by prefecture, county by county..."
"I heard. My seventh great-uncle is the sect leader of the Giant Dipper Gate in Yueyang. He keeps sending letters calling me back, saying the Court is offering a fortune!"
"Oh? Brother Li, you're actually the grandnephew of Sect Leader Ding, the 'Pioneer of Mountains and Lands'? Forgive me for not recognizing you!"
"You flatter me, you flatter me..."
The New Year celebrations were over, and the layabouts who had gone home for the holidays returned to the inn in twos and threes. Dozens of them gathered there every day, drinking tea, shooting the breeze, playing mahjong, and trading barbs. The place brimmed with merriment at every moment.
Yang Ge sat behind the counter, cradling his little crooked-spouted teapot, cracking melon seeds, and sipping tea. He relished the gossip, keeping abreast of the world's affairs without ever stepping outside.
Just then, Flea sidled over, rubbing his hands, and murmured with an awkward smile, "Second Master, have you heard?"
Yang Ge tossed aside a seed shell and asked casually, "Heard what?"
Flea lowered his eyes and said softly, "The old chief of the Chain Wharf might not have much longer..."
Yang Ge stopped cracking seeds. He immediately put them down and frowned. "Where did you hear that?"
Flea explained at length, "Second Master, a new outfit called the Brocade Sail Wharf has recently appeared in Jianghuai. Its chief is named Zhuang Chu, and the seven great families of Jiangdong are behind him. Lately, they've secretly uprooted quite a few of the Chain Wharf's outposts. Young Chief Li Jincheng took some men to demand an explanation,