The Embroidered Uniform Guard

"...Do you even have a choice?"

The young man pressed him aggressively, his words carrying a pointed implication.

Yang Ge was hardly going to swallow that insult. "Listen to yourself, sir. I'm a lowly commoner drifting like duckweed. Would I dare sit across from you if I didn't have something to fall back on?"

He truly had no way whatsoever to deal with this government official.

But that was all right. At worst, he would die!

Just as he had possessed no certainty of victory before fighting the man in black last night.

The young man regarded the fearless Yang Ge with a smile, shaking his head as he said slowly, "Really? Think a little harder."

Yang Ge thought about it, his brows slowly knitting. "You're a government official... Surely you wouldn't stoop to something that vile?"

The young man replied calmly and unhurriedly, "There are all kinds of government officials. Some are the face, some are what lies beneath. Some handle the public performances, and some handle the dirty work... Which kind do you think your big brother here is?"

Yang Ge looked straight into his eyes. After considering for a moment, he shook his head. "Whatever kind you are, you're certainly an exceptionally clever man. Why would a clever man do something stupid? How many years do those two old men have left? If you use them as a leash around my neck, aren't you afraid I'll turn around and bite you the day it snaps?"

The young man clicked his tongue and smiled. "Since you know your big brother is clever, why ask such a stupid question? Do I have to find leverage over you to keep you in hand? Even your innkeeper knows that if he treats you well, you'll repay his kindness. Would your big brother fail to understand something so simple?"

Yang Ge froze. He opened his mouth, but could not think of anything to say. Only after a long while did he give up with a bitter smile. "Weren't you just worried I was a Tatar spy? Aren't you afraid of raising a tiger that will turn into a menace?"

The young man nodded, then shook his head. "I did have that concern earlier. After all, your origins are a mystery."

"But after thinking it over carefully, I decided you definitely aren't!"

"With talent like yours, even I know to keep you firmly in my grasp. Who would bear to send you out as a spy? A fool like that could never climb to a position where he could plant spies!"

Yang Ge shook his head. "You never know. A shit-stick has its value, and fine jade has its uses... Look, haven't you come knocking of your own accord?"

The young man finally lost his composure. "I just don't understand! You're willing to work at the Welcome Inn as a waiter everyone orders around, so why won't you serve the court and fight for a splendid future?"

Yang Ge was equally displeased. "I don't get it either. So many heroes and wandering swordsmen are fighting tooth and nail to get into the capital. Why do you insist on hounding a waiter who's just eating his way toward the grave?"

The young man said angrily, "That's because you don't understand the weight of the word 'grandmaster'! Do you know that a peerless martial expert can deter enemies as effectively as a hundred thousand elite soldiers? You're a full-grown man! With your country in turmoil, how can you bear to cling to life among market streets and taverns?"

Yang Ge snapped back angrily, "And what do you know about being a homeless wanderer with no livelihood, no family, and no one to turn to? I just want to lie flat, give up, and eat my way toward the grave. I don't want to get dragged into anyone else's disputes and grudges again, much less owe favors to anyone who has nothing to do with me!"

The young man slammed the table. "Coward!"

Yang Ge did not back down in the slightest. "Scoundrel!"

Both snorted at the same time, each hating the other enough to grind his teeth.

The young man could do nothing with Yang Ge, because he could see clearly that this fellow was not bluffing. He truly did not fear death.

Yang Ge likewise could do nothing with the young man, because his only backing was merely his lack of fear of death.

For a time, they reached a stalemate.

Only after a long while did the young man force down his anger and speak. "How about this? We both take a step back!"

Yang Ge looked straight into his eyes and answered seriously, "How?"

The young man said, "Your big brother won't force you to serve the court, and you stop thinking about giving up. Work honestly under me and earn a wage."

Yang Ge's face was a picture of bafflement. "How is that any different from joining the court?"

The young man struggled to remain calm. "There is a difference. If you draw the court's salary, you're an officially registered government man, and you must obey your superiors' orders."

"But if you take wages from your big brother, you're merely a worker I've hired. You're not a government man, and you don't have to obey anyone's orders."

Yang Ge understood. "Oh... A temp, then?"

The young man glared at him, anger gradually creeping up to his temples.

Seeing this, Yang Ge immediately swallowed the bargaining words on the tip of his tongue and said instead, "Do I have any other choice?"

The young man answered with absolute finality. "No. Dare so much as start saying no again, and I'll crush you on the spot and end all future trouble!"

His self-control should not have been this poor.

A potential martial grandmaster would ordinarily have been worth more time and effort to win over gradually.

But Yang Ge would take neither oil nor salt, yield to neither coaxing nor threats. Whatever happened, he remained an obstinate lump of gristle with an attitude of, "At worst, you can kill me." It was enough to drive anyone mad.

However numerous his methods or unconventional his approaches, he could not get a grip on someone who had almost no weaknesses, did not fear death, and even seemed faintly inclined to seek it.

And Yang Ge's background and origins really were a major problem!

Looking at the young man on the verge of exploding, Yang Ge opened his mouth, but ultimately did not voice another refusal.

"Fine!"

He cupped his hands listlessly. "Then I'm sorry for the trouble, boss. I'll be counting on your guidance and forbearance from now on."

He did not raise any further conditions to provoke the fellow.

It was only a wage, after all. It could buy neither his life nor his freedom to act for himself.

He trusted that the clever man before him would understand so simple a truth.

Once the young man saw him agree, his expression slowly softened, and he forced out a smile. "That's more like it. At your age, this is precisely the time to set lofty ambitions and strive for a future. How can you imitate those mediocre old men in their twilight years, muddling through and eating their way toward the grave?"

Yang Ge agreed with a false smile. "Yes, yes, yes. You're right to lecture me, boss."

At the sight of that smile that never reached his eyes, the young man nearly lost his composure again. He simply rose and headed outside. "All right, it's getting late. Get some rest. Someone will come to see you tomorrow and explain what comes next."

Yang Ge hurriedly stood. "I haven't yet asked your esteemed name, boss."

The young man strode out through the door, tossing back a sentence without turning his head. "I am Shen Fa, Thousand-Household Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Yang Ge felt as though he had awakened from a dream. Oh... So they're the Brocade Guard, and he's a Thousand-Household Commander at that. No wonder he's so hard to deal with!

After that brief moment of distraction, he looked again and found the courtyard already empty.

Yang Ge walked over to close the door, muttering, "What's wrong with these people? There's a perfectly good gate, but they just have to climb the wall!"

The words had barely left his mouth when he felt a dull blow to his chest. Looking down, he saw a pebble the size of a fingertip falling from it.

Shen Fa's gloating voice reached his ears at just the right moment. "Talking about your boss behind his back? That deserves a beating!"

Yang Ge thought, Are you out of your freaking mind?