The Spring Breeze Pavilion was an upscale brothel, not some clandestine whorehouse where men simply raised their spears and mounted up. Here, it was all about atmosphere.
When the group entered a private room, courtesans came to entertain them, with zither music and singing all provided, followed by a tableful of wine and dishes.
Deng Baichuan tucked into the food while telling deadpan jokes to the woman drinking with him, who could only laugh awkwardly.
The moment Gongye Qian saw wine, he forgot himself entirely. He had no attention to spare for the woman beside him, worrying only that the more she drank, the less would be left for him.
Bao Butong closed his eyes and swayed his head. He was actually listening to the music. The woman accompanying him tried to liven the mood with conversation, but whenever he opened his mouth, his retorts left her speechless, so she could only sit in silence.
Feng Bo'e looked fierce and menacing. He did want to have some fun, but the slightest move frightened the color from his companion's lovely face, leaving him to drink with flagging interest.
Things were quite different on Wang Gang's side. His stream of witty remarks made the woman shake with laughter like a flowering branch in the breeze, while the occasional suggestive joke, stopping just short of going too far, drew a string of coy scoldings.
One glance told anyone he was an old hand at this!
The other women drinking with them unconsciously edged toward him to strike up conversations, and he turned none away. For a time, orioles sang and swallows danced, with peals of coy laughter all around.
After they had enjoyed themselves a while longer, Deng Baichuan, perhaps having eaten his fill, put down his chopsticks and clapped his hands, signaling the women to leave.
Wang Gang's expression did not change. When the four had insisted on dragging him here today, he had already found it strange. They were on good terms, certainly, but not so close that they should be giving him medicine and taking him to brothels. They were far too eager!
Once the women had left, Deng Baichuan smiled. "Brother-in-law, I heard that monk Xuantong who came a while back visited our estate!"
"Yes. He noticed you drilling the estate men!" Wang Gang raised his cup and took a small sip. "I told him you were preparing to deal with the bandits on the lake!"
"There really are water bandits on Lake Tai," Deng Baichuan said. "They've occupied a small island, and a few days ago, they even plundered several merchant ships over by Huzhou. Their prefect, Master Zhang, has already notified our prefect.
"Now the county magistrate has come to requisition our estate households as archers to join Huzhou in suppressing the bandits! What do you think we should do?"
"If the magistrate came straight to you, that means he knows you've been drilling your estate men. You can't refuse this!" Wang Gang swept a glance over them with a faint, ambiguous smile. "As for how to suppress the bandits, the authorities will make their own arrangements. But how thoroughly they're suppressed is up to you!"
"What's up to us?" Deng Baichuan said solemnly. "Since we're suppressing bandits, of course we must catch them all in one net, so they won't plague the region!"
Seeing that his expression did not seem feigned, Wang Gang was rather surprised!
Weren't these water bandits people they'd recruited to play the part?
Why would their own people fight their own people?
Unable to work out what they were thinking, Wang Gang said bluntly, "Fatty Deng, what exactly are you trying to say? Just say it. Stop speaking in riddles!"
"Hehe, how would I dare speak in riddles with you, Brother-in-law!" Deng Baichuan gave an honest-looking grin. "I only wanted to confirm with you when the water bandits came to Lake Tai!"
"How would I know something like that!" Wang Gang straightened his scholar's robe.
"I forgot that you're a scholar, Brother-in-law. It's perfectly normal for you not to know about the water bandits!"
Deng Baichuan paused, then spoke as though something had just occurred to him:
"But I heard these water bandits arrived three months ago. They'd been scouting the place out all along and only struck recently!"
"Fine, understood. If anyone asks me, that's what I'll say!"
Wang Gang frowned, unsure what these people were trying to do! They were clearly getting their stories straight with him. It felt like trouble.
Gongye Qian suddenly spoke. "Brother-in-law, you've probably guessed what we're planning, haven't you?"
"No, and I don't want to!" Wang Gang shook his head.
"First you said the master had gone to Great Liao, then you covered up the military drills on the estate. You don't seem to know nothing!" Gongye Qian wore a faint, ambiguous smile.
"Ah..." Wang Gang put down his cup and sighed. "Does it matter whether I know?"
"This is a matter of grave importance. We'd better ask and be certain..."
"All right, I'll tell you now. I know you're plotting rebellion! And then what?" Without waiting for them to answer, Wang Gang continued, "I report you, then watch my sister get beheaded and get punished by association myself?"
They were all struck speechless. They had only worried about word leaking out, overlooking that Wang Gang's ties to the Murong Family were even closer than theirs.
To put it bluntly, if the rebellion failed, they might escape with their lives. Wang Gang would not even have a chance to flee.
Gongye Qian slapped his thigh. "Ah! I thought about it all wrong! My apologies, Brother-in-law!"
"Your concern clouded your judgment! That was an act of loyalty and righteousness!"
Wang Gang raised his cup and smiled. "We're all brothers here. Rather than saying sentimental things, drinking would be much more satisfying!"
"Good! Let's drink, let's drink!"
Seeing how forthright Wang Gang was, the four rose to toast him.
Wang Gang was worried about his injuries, and now that he had obtained a Minor Return Pill, he felt some anticipation. After a few cups, he stopped drinking and rose to take his leave.
Naturally, they urged him to stay, telling him to drink to his heart's content and spend the night if he got drunk.
Worn down by their persistence, Wang Gang could only invoke Li Qingluo. Leaving them with "I'm kept on a tight leash at home," he hurried away.
After he left, they exchanged looks. Feng Bo'e slapped the table. "How can a grown man let a woman control him! How can his authority as a husband be so feeble!"
"Not so, not so. It's not that his authority is feeble, merely that he dotes on her and respects her. Otherwise, he could simply beat his way out. What could she do?"
"No, I heard Brother-in-law's wife is quite formidable. Her martial arts are better than his!"
"Right. Apparently, there was even a scene on their wedding night. Brother-in-law took a sword strike to the neck and nearly died!"
"Oh, no wonder everyone says the madam went to the Wang household and quarreled with the new bride!"
Naturally, Wang Gang knew nothing of how they talked about him behind his back. After returning to the inn, he took the Minor Return Pill and began circulating his internal force through its circuit.
The pill melted the moment it entered his mouth, and a warm current instantly surged throughout his body. Wang Gang felt the pain in his meridians gradually lessen, while his internal organs seemed to be nourished by a gentle force.
He closed his eyes and quietly felt the changes within his body.
As his internal force circulated, that warm current grew stronger and stronger, as though turning into a searing flame that burned inside Wang Gang.
Yet this flame caused no pain. Instead, it brought a sense of comfort he had never experienced before.
Wang Gang felt as though he were immersed in a warm ocean. Every meridian greedily absorbed the medicinal power, then gradually expanded and grew ever tougher.
After several circuits, the Minor Return Pill's medicinal power was completely exhausted. Wang Gang slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and assessed his current condition.
To his surprise, not only had the damage to his meridians healed completely, but they had also become wider and tougher than before. Even when he circulated his internal force at full strength, he felt no obstruction whatsoever!
Wang Gang's eyes lit up. If this Minor Return Pill were paired with the panel... one would increase internal force like mad, while the other repaired the meridians for all it was worth. Invincibility under heaven would be just around the corner!
Holding the empty porcelain bottle, Wang Gang clicked his tongue in wonder and silently placed Deng Baichuan in the category of dearest friends and family.
Unfortunately, he did not know how to open the panel himself and could only wait passively.
It seemed that if he wanted to increase his internal force, he would have to visit Swallow Dock again. As for the Langhuan Jade Cave, Wang Gang did not want to deal with Li Qingluo right now.
Standing by the window in the first light of dawn, Wang Gang looked at the brightening horizon and murmured, "All this tangled business-I need to pick up the pace!"