Right and wrong

As those shadowy figures, their forms impossible to make out, lunged at him like wolves and tigers...

Yang Ge felt no fear at all.

Only fury!

He clenched his back teeth, plunged the Ox-Tail Saber into the ground, and sprang diagonally backward into the air, turning a four-sided encirclement into a fight against a crowd before him. At the same time, he channeled his power and swept both palms around before his chest, then thrust them out as he descended. "Motherfuckers, die!"

Surging inner qi flowed through the lesser yang triple burner meridian and became savage palm force, erupting like a raging tide smashing through a great dike.

Bang!

The foundations shook, dust sifted down from the rafters, and the charging figures flew backward even faster than they had come, vomiting blood before they even hit the ground.

This was the first of the Snowfall Palm's six killing moves: Frost Slays a Hundred Grasses!

It drew upon the murderous chill of frost descending upon the earth, a hundred grasses withering, and heaven and earth falling silent, annihilating every foe. Though named for frost and snow, it followed a fierce, forthright path of meeting force with force, consuming enormous amounts of inner qi.

After Yang Ge landed, a flush spread across his face. Only after gathering his qi and regulating his breathing for several breaths did he catch his breath!

Meanwhile, Fang Ke and the others had already wrestled his attackers to the ground and secured them in shackles and cangues.

Fang Ke drew a small knife, forced one man's mouth open, and probed inside with the blade. Then he hurried over to Yang Ge. "Banner Commander, they're outlaws from the martial world, not death-sworn agents!"

Yang Ge exhaled softly. "Keep them under guard. Don't let them kill themselves, and don't let anyone else kill them either. We'll hand them over to the Thousand-Household Commander later... Search thoroughly. Don't let a single person slip away!"

"Yes, sir!"

The guards answered in unison, then searched the county offices room by room in groups of five.

Yang Ge retrieved his saber and surveyed the villains on the ground with a dark gaze. Even their vicious expressions could not conceal their essential stupidity. "We're too late," he said grimly. "Those three who escaped earlier must have been the ones in charge!"

Before entering, he had already guessed that there were probably no big fish left inside.

After all, those slack, pampered county soldiers outside could hardly stop any big fish.

Yet seeing these idiots still left him disappointed, a knot of angry fire trapped in his chest with no one to vent it on.

Human lives here... really weren't worth a fucking thing!

Hearing his disappointment, Fang Ke waved the shield-bearing guards around them farther away, then stepped forward and said quietly, "Banner Commander, in my humble opinion, this might not be a bad thing..."

Yang Ge leaned back and looked him up and down as though seeing him for the first time.

Fang Ke's face stiffened, and he gave an awkward smile. "I spoke out of turn!"

Yang Ge pressed his lips together and asked softly, "Were you like this when you served the Thousand-Household Commander, too?"

Fang Ke hurriedly cupped his hands. "I acknowledge my fault!"

Yang Ge said, "The Thousand-Household Commander said you were clever and alert, but a little brainless in how you handled things. As far as I can see, you're anything but brainless. You've clearly got too many brains!"

Fang Ke smiled awkwardly, not daring to answer.

But the more he pondered Yang Ge, the more he felt that he resembled Shen Fa...

Both understood human relationships without letting those relationships bind them.

Both knew the ways of the world without playing by them...

"Who's there?"

"Drop your weapon!"

"I said drop your weapon!"

Just then, a burst of shouting came from the rear courtyard.

Yang Ge's spirits lifted at the sound. With a hand on his saber, he strode toward the rear courtyard.

Seeing this, Fang Ke snatched a large hide-covered shield from a guard and hurried after Yang Ge, placing himself in front to protect him.

Yang Ge glanced at him and, after a moment's consideration, said, "From now on, spend less time thinking about all that extraneous stuff. Do your job and fulfill your duties."

Without turning around, Fang Ke said jokingly, "Banner Commander, I don't have your good fortune, with the Thousand-Household Commander protecting me. If I really did things your way, one of these days I might have to trouble you to fish my corpse out of a gutter!"

Yang Ge's steps slowed a little, and he remained silent for a long while.

Only after passing through the courtyard gate did he answer softly, "Maybe you're right!"

Fang Ke shook his head vigorously. "You're certainly the one who's right. It's just that there are too few people like you in this world, far, far too few. And that makes you wrong..."

Yang Ge smiled, his gloomy mood lifting a little.

He gently patted Fang Ke's shoulder and said quietly, "I apologize for my tone just now. When we get a chance, let's have a proper talk, just the two of us. I think we'll have plenty to say!"

With that, he stepped past Fang Ke and strode, saber in hand, into the ring of guards.

Surrounded by the guards was a one-eyed, middle-aged man in a short gray outfit, his hair and beard grizzled. He sat crouched outside a side room with its door shut, one hand resting on a saber and the other holding a wine flask. Before him lay a corpse still holding a blade.

Even surrounded by more than a dozen guards, he continued sipping his wine.

Yang Ge examined the corpse on the ground, killed with a single stroke, and asked, "Do you work for the county offices, or did you come here to kill?"

The one-eyed man lowered his flask and pointed at the closed room behind him. "The girl in there don't know a thing. Ain't done a thing, either. Let her off!"

Yang Ge drew his saber three inches from its sheath and said more forcefully, "Answer me!"

The one-eyed man said, "You promise me first!"

Yang Ge glanced at the low, narrow doorway behind him. "What, at your age you still want to be an old ox grazing on tender grass?"

The one-eyed man grinned, revealing a mouthful of large yellow teeth. "That girl looks like my poor, ill-fated daughter."

Yang Ge slid his saber back into its sheath and smiled. "As long as she truly knows nothing and has done nothing, I guarantee she'll be safe."

The one-eyed man breathed a sigh of relief and rose, leaning on his long saber. "I believe you!"

Yang Ge shook his head. "If you believe me, don't fight. Come with me. As long as you haven't killed anyone from the county offices, I'll do my best to save your life, too."

The one-eyed man shook his head as well. "I deserve to die, too. Ain't worth saving."

"Don't you want to look at her a few more times?"

Yang Ge pointed at the closed door. "I can only keep her safe. I can't guarantee she'll have clothes on her back or food in her belly."

The one-eyed man grinned again. "That ain't my concern, then. She ain't my daughter."

Yang Ge sighed and once again drew his saber three inches. "Then come on!"

The one-eyed man shook his head. "You can't fight me. If I die by your hand, you won't live either."

Yang Ge said, "Trying to scare me?"

The one-eyed man said, "Even Lei Heng couldn't scare you. How could I? I'm telling you the truth."

Helplessly, Yang Ge sheathed his saber again. "Then what do we do? I can't just let you walk away... How about you meet our Thousand-Household Commander? If you die by his hand, he'll certainly survive!"

The one-eyed man said, "Can't meet him, can't meet him. That'd break the rules!"

Yang Ge clapped his hands. "Then you tell me what to do!"

The one-eyed man thought for a moment, then said, "I'll do it myself. If someone comes looking for you later, tell him I did it with my own hand. Had nothing to do with you."

With that, he deftly laid his saber across his neck.

Yang Ge said, "Don't! We were having a perfectly good talk. Why kill yourself...?"

Clink.

The long saber touched the ground, and a drop of blood slowly trickled down its edge.

Leaning on his saber, the one-eyed man lifted his head for one final look at the stars filling the sky and murmured, "There really is the sound of wind..."