Chapter 237: Layout

Chapter 237: The Setup

White Brow saw Lei Biao brushing it off and knew it was useless to say more and just sighed to himself.

"Brother, your boldness is a fine thing, but it never hurts to be cautious in all matters. One cannot be too careful against deceit."

Though Lei Biao felt his second brother was blowing things out of proportion, he didn't want to outright dismiss the advisor's face, so he nodded vaguely.

"Fine, fine, I get it. I'll be careful. C'mon, let's go. I'm starving—gotta grab something to eat!"

With that, he strode to the door, which creaked open as he pulled it.

Cheng Ge, standing under the eaves, seemed to startle awake, instantly snapping out of that meek, still posture.

He quickly took two steps forward, his face showing just the right mix of eagerness and respect, inclining slightly: "Boss, finished with your meeting?"

Lei Biao, ravenous, just grunted in reply, only focused on heading out to find food in the kitchen.

Cheng Ge cleverly fell into step behind him.

White Brow was the last to step out, his gaze casually sweeping over Cheng Ge again.

Catching the look, Cheng Ge lowered his head, betraying unease under the scrutiny.

Though White Brow did not speak further to Lei Biao, his suspicions weren't fully put to rest.

He secretly assigned two sharp, low-key men to watch Cheng Ge for a few days.

The reports were always the same: this guy did nothing unusual—just followed Lei Biao around, buttering him up.

Occasionally using those "palace rules" to dazzle Lei Biao—nothing suspicious.

He never tried to pry, never went near the restricted areas, and even kept a careful distance from others.

Listening to his men's reports, White Brow started to wonder if he was really just paranoid.

Since nothing was wrong, he didn't dwell on it. After all, the stronghold had countless affairs to handle and worry about.

He just ordered routine surveillance and stopped worrying about it.

A few more days passed, quiet and uneventful—

That night, the moon was hidden and the wind howled; thick clouds completely blotted out the stars and moon.

The forest was pitch-black, with only a few torches on distant watchtowers flickering like ghosts.

In the dead of night, Lei Biao was already sprawled on his mat, dead asleep, snoring like a freight train.

Suddenly, a faint click came from the door, as if something had gently tapped it.

Almost at the same time, Cheng Ge opened his eyes from his bed.

He rolled over lazily, blinked hard, and yawned widely.

Then, reluctantly, he got up, threw on his clothes, and got out of bed.

He glanced at Lei Biao sprawled messily on the floor and stepped right over him.

He walked to the window and peered out into the dim light.

Then he climbed out the window, disappearing into the thick darkness without a sound.

In the dense forest outside the stronghold's perimeter, several figures that were almost one with the darkness gathered silently.

"...That's the plan. Tell Song Yunzhi not to get involved for now—don't want to spook the enemy.

Everything's on schedule. He just needs to follow orders." Cheng Ge instructed in a low voice.

"Got it!" Ling Feng and the others replied softly, no hesitation.

"Go, stay safe." Cheng Ge waved a hand.

The figures melted back into the dense brush and darkness, gone as if they'd never been there.

Cheng Ge scanned the area, his eyes finally landing on the distant watchtower's flame.

He stood still a moment, making sure no one had seen him.

Then he silently went back the way he came and climbed in through the window.

Standing in the dark, Cheng Ge looked at Lei Biao still on the floor.

He bent down, grabbed Lei Biao by the scruff of his neck, and tossed him onto the bed.

The sudden lift and drop finally snapped Lei Biao out of his sleep.

The room was dark; he could only vaguely see a figure standing by the bed.

Instinct made him alert. He rasped, voice thick with sleep:

"Who's there?! What—what do you want?!" His hand instinctively went for the knife under his pillow.

Then Cheng Ge's voice came, soft and oddly soothing in the dark.

"Boss, your blanket slipped off. I just came to cover you... If you catch a cold, that'd be bad."

With that, he slowly bent down and tucked the blanket around him. Lei Biao's hand stopped reaching for the knife. He sniffled his stuffy nose.

A rare warmth flooded the bandit's heart. This kid... really knows how to take care of people?

That vigilance was instantly shattered by the thoughtful gesture. He muttered, his voice much softer.

"...Mm... fine, I got it... go back to bed..."

Cheng Ge nodded, tucked in the blanket, then went back to his armchair.

Lying in the warm bed, his nose still blocked, Lei Biao stretched his stiff hands and feet, feeling quite comfortable inside.

Listening to the even, shallow breathing soon coming from the armchair, the thought crossed his mind again.

This kid wasn't just good-looking; he was attentive, considerate, spoke well, and knew how to care for others...

Damn, if only he were a woman, he'd make him the stronghold mistress for sure!

With this absurd regret and the stuffiness of his blocked nose, Lei Biao soon fell back into a deep sleep.

In the past couple of days, Axe Ridge had been somewhat unsettled, with two minor events occurring.

The first was that Lei Biao, the great chief who was usually as sturdy as a bear and claimed never to know illness, had for the first time caught a cold.

And it hit him hard: his nose was stuffed, his voice congested, and he coughed repeatedly. Wrapped in a thick tiger-skin cloak, he still shivered from time to time, looking pretty bad.

Second, a scout from the foothills reported that an unusually "fat sheep" had appeared on the northern official road, and the goods he was escorting seemed of great value.

Although the stronghold's daily affairs were normally managed by White Brow, for such a major business opportunity, Lei Biao intended to handle it personally to ensure nothing went wrong.

At this moment, Lei Biao, wrapped in his tiger-skin cloak, sat heavily in his chair and let out a thunderous sneeze that made the bowl on the table jump.

"Ah—choo!!"

Cheng Ge, standing off to the side, moved a step sideways and said cautiously, "Chief, your cold seems quite serious. Perhaps… we get the camp doctor to check you out? A few doses of medicine to help you sweat it out would do some good."

Lei Biao blew his nose, his voice nasal, but still as brash and bossy as ever.

"Bah! The hell with a doctor! I'm strong and healthy—this little cold is nothing.

A bowl of strong liquor will fix it. See a doctor? That's girly!"

As he spoke, he turned his head and raised his arm quite naturally, wiping his nose clean with his sleeve in one smooth motion.

The corner of Cheng Ge's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, and he instinctively took half a step back.

Lei Biao, however, didn't notice. He got up suddenly, though his steps were a bit unsteady from his illness.

Still, swaggering, he walked to the wall and took down the two battle-axes hanging there.

"Let's go! Follow me down the mountain to fleece that fat sheep!" he bellowed in his nasal voice, and made to head out.

Cheng Ge immediately followed closely behind. As Lei Biao reached the door, he sensed that tail still on him.

He turned back impatiently and glared at him. "What are you following me for? Get back and stay put!"

Cheng Ge said matter-of-factly, "Me? I'm going with you, Chief, to do big things!"

Lei Biao: "???"

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