“Hmph, I knew that as soon as you heard the word ‘Wang,’ you’d be glued to the spot.”
With that, Zhang Ge got up and leaned in close to Zhao Yi’an, draping his elbow over the younger man’s shoulder with a lazy, cocky air.
“Still thinking about Miss Huaiyu?” The guy’s tone was smug, completely looking for trouble. “She recently”
“got married, and on top of that, she’s already ‘pregnant.’ If you ask me, it’s time to move on.”
“These past few days, us brothers have been trying to take you out to clear your head, but you won’t go. You keep spacing out during work. What a lovesick fool you are.”
“And besides, people like us—just specks of dust—probably don’t even register in her eyes. Why take it so seriously?”
Then he raised his hand, made a fist in front of Zhao Yi’an, and blew on it. The tightly clenched fist slowly opened as if scattered by his breath.
“What’s the matter, little brother? Hit a sore spot?”
“I was just joking, old pal. Don’t be mad, all right?”
Zhao Yi’an’s silence made Zhang Ge panic for a moment. He was afraid that his good little brother might secretly go and swing from the rafters. If he really drove him to despair with his words, that would be a grave sin.
‘Maybe… I should just apologize sincerely. Sigh, I was trying to cheer him up… Damn it, my big mouth!’
After mentally slapping himself a few times, Zhang Ge forced a somewhat stiff smile and patted Zhao Yi’an on the shoulder.
“All right, all right! A real man sets his sights on the wide world. Why think about useless stuff? Come on, come on, I’ll take you out for a good meal. How about it?”
“Zhang Ge…”
Zhao Yi’an finally spoke after a long silence. His tone was calm, but what he said next gave the still-flattering Zhang Ge quite a scare.
“Remember the other day when Big Brother Ma lost his temper in the front courtyard?”
“Was it you who secretly took the medicinal wine that Big Brother Ma kept aside?”
“How was the effect?”
Hearing Zhao Yi’an’s flat but pointed questions, the smile on Zhang Ge’s face froze instantly.
“L-little brother, what are you talking about? None of us have seen any medicinal wine…”
“I didn’t say ‘us,’ did I?”
“And this wine was something Big Brother Ma went through a lot of trouble to get from Huang Laohan.” Zhao Yi’an turned his head, his calm gaze like that of someone looking at a dead man.
“What do you think would happen if Big Brother Ma somehow found out that you guys used his evening treasure on the girls at Dawn Spring Courtyard…”
“Stop, stop, stop! Don’t say any more!”
Zhang Ge yanked his hand over Zhao Yi’an’s mouth, his face turning white. He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then lowered his voice and gritted his teeth.
“Little brother! My own brother! For heaven’s sake, can you keep it down? If Ma Ge finds out about this, do I still have legs left or not?!”
Zhao Yi’an calmly pulled his hand down, a slight smirk flickering at the corner of his mouth before quickly fading.
“So you won’t tease me anymore?”
“No more, no more! I swear!” Zhang Ge slapped his chest, ready to take an oath on the spot. “Whatever you say goes! As long as Ma Ge doesn’t find out, I’ll do anything!”
“Hmph, smart move!” Zhao Yi’an raised an eyebrow and smirked triumphantly.
“I already told you I wasn’t thinking about Miss Wang. I’ve moved on, I’ve moved on. You guys just wouldn’t believe me. Still dare to joke about it now? See if you dare again?”
That was how Zhao Yi’an’s relationships worked in the horse gang.
He was usually so mild-mannered that people couldn’t help but pick on him, but when pushed to a certain point, he would pull out some unexpected leverage to strike back—a bit like a sly, secretly scheming youth.
And friendships often played out like this banter between mischief-makers. To them, it was all just harmless fun.
“So what’s with you spacing out at work, little brother?”
Zhang Ge stepped back, rubbing his chin as he looked the youth up and down, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
“Don’t tell me… you’ve found a new flame?”
“What are you imagining now? Let me put it this way—can you grown men stop always thinking about the stuff below the belt?”
“Every time you have a spare moment, you start guessing about me. Can’t I just not be in the best state?”
Zhao Yi’an gave Zhang Ge a disdainful glance and blurted out his complaint.
He couldn’t be bothered to argue further, so he picked up the horse gear and brush and headed toward the tool storage.
Seeing Zhao Yi’an about to leave, Zhang Ge followed, chattering incessantly.
“I won’t say anything, okay… Hey! Tell me, which girl is it? Is she pretty?”
“Did you hear that the Wang Family hired a new bodyguard?”
“Leader Li recently got a big job. Do you want to hear about it?”
“The Zhou Family Old Residence has been haunted lately, and the rumors are flying. I’m planning to take a few brothers there at night to check out the commotion. Maybe we’ll see a real ghost. Are you coming?”
And so, Zhang Ge’s endless chatter and Zhao Yi’an’s steady footsteps rose and fell in turn.
Finally, they stopped at the storage shed for tools.
“Hey, hey, hey! Can’t you even acknowledge your big brother?”
Zhang Ge looked at Zhao Yi’an with dissatisfaction.
The youth just sighed, tidying things up as he spoke helplessly:
“Zhang Ge, why are you so persistent? Can’t you draw the line with your joking?”
“But if I bottle things up, it hurts!”
Zhang Ge put on a look of deep pain.
“Fine, fine! I give up. Talk.” Zhao Yi’an resigned himself. “Go on… tell me about that Wang Family bodyguard, all right?”
“Heh heh! I knew you couldn’t resist!”
Zhang Ge quickly dragged a stool over from the corner, plopped down, and wore a smug expression.
“Go ahead.” Zhao Yi’an put away the brush and gear, leaning against the wall with an air of ‘Say what you want.’
“I heard that new bodyguard is something else!” Zhang Ge lowered his voice, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of sharing a secret.
“Not old, pretty handsome, and his moves are incredibly sharp! They say that when Second Master Wang was being chased, this young swordsman saved him—took down two assassins in no time!”
As he spoke, he waved his arms theatrically, as if he were that young warrior himself.
Zhao Yi’an just smiled and said nothing.
Maybe in the past, he would have felt envious, but thanks to his master’s recent encouragement, he didn’t have that feeling anymore.
Perhaps it was because he was now just one step away from the so-called jianghu?
“What happened next?” he couldn’t help asking.
“Next?” Zhang Ge spread his hands. “Then Second Master Wang spent a fortune to hire him as a bodyguard!”
Hearing this, Zhao Yi’an pursed his lips and clicked his tongue, shaking his head.
‘A true talented youth should regard money as dirt, never caring about material things at all.’
‘On that point alone, this guy doesn’t even measure up to Master. What kind of young swordsman is he?’
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Wang Family estate.
“Ah-choo! Who’s cursing me?!”
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