Yang Tiansheng watched Yang Ge in silence, his gaze somewhat complicated.
Only after a long while did he speak. "I know your brain works better than mine... but have you really thought this through? Do you know what you'll be facing once those words get out?"
"The martial world isn't all fighting and killing."
"It's about human ties and worldly wisdom!"
"If you charge around recklessly just because you aren't afraid to die, you really will die..."
Yang Ge suddenly smiled. "You understand all that too?"
Yang Tiansheng frowned. "You really think I've made my way through the martial world all these years on nothing but a sword?"
Yang Ge's smile faded, and he said solemnly, "Then have you ever considered that this might be precisely why your sword isn't sharp enough?"
Yang Tiansheng opened his mouth to argue, but before the words came out, he suddenly remembered that his father seemed to have said something similar. For a moment, he froze, unsure how to answer.
"I understand that what is too rigid breaks easily, and that the rafter that sticks out rots first."
Slowly but firmly, Yang Ge said, "But I believe the most important thing in life comes down to two words: choosing and relinquishing."
"You want to accomplish something and keep yourself safe?"
"Where under heaven would you find such a bargain?"
"That goes for me."
"And it goes for those in the martial world who want fame and fortune."
After a pause, he smiled again. "Besides, Chain Wharf's Third and Sixth both died over this. If I pull out now to save my own skin... what the hell would that make me, Yang Ge?"
Though he was smiling, even a fool could hear the anger and resolve in his words.
Yang Tiansheng pondered for a long