Zhuang Chu maintained his composure, still with a smile on his face, and said, "You flatter me, Second Master. A cat has its paths, a rat its own. I simply have no choice but to scrape out a living. You are the paragon of martial virtue, the Polaris of Mount Tai in our world. Those two thousand li of canal, nameless and unclaimed, have been monopolized by the Li Family for nearly twenty years. Surely, it is time to step aside now, isn't it?"
"You need not flatter me with grand words."
Yang Ge, grinning, said, "I treat people and matters alike. Whether I am reasonable or not depends entirely on my mood. You recklessly reach out for what belongs to my friends in Lianhuan Fort, muddling my mood quite unpleasantly. Right now, I very much feel like squashing you all like bugs."
The smile on Zhuang Chu's face stiffened, and sweat suddenly beaded on his forehead.
The four men following him also began to tremble, bowing their heads and swallowing repeatedly.
