Chapter 247: Broken Kitchen Knife

Chapter 247: The Broken Kitchen Knife

Cheng Ge lifted his head, his face wearing just the right expression of confusion and curiosity.

Yet his hands skillfully refilled Lei Biao’s bowl with wine as he pretended not to understand, asking:

“Big Brother, what do you mean by that? Last time, we suffered a pretty big loss at their hands.”

Lei Biao’s eyes were already somewhat unfocused, and he downed the bowl of wine in front of him in one gulp, letting out a loud, satisfying burp.

More than half drunk, his mind clouded, he slurred: “Don’t worry about a thing! We have someone in the prefectural office!

Last time... last time it was because that son of a bitch prefect quietly transferred private troops from somewhere, that’s how he slipped one past us!

The day before yesterday... I already gave a heads-up to our man in the prefectural office. From now on, he’ll keep a close watch on him. If he dares to make another move, we’ll make sure he won’t be coming back!”

Cheng Ge’s heart clenched at this, but his face remained unchanged.

He slowly stood up, moved closer to sit beside Lei Biao, and casually draped an arm over Lei Biao’s shoulder, looking real chummy.

Turning his head, he picked up his own wine, clinked it with Lei Biao’s, and lowered his voice to ask: “Big Brother... what does this mean?

Could it be... that our Axe Gang really has our own man inside the prefectural office?”

Lei Biao swayed, stared at the handsome face, so close and full of concern, and mumbled, still dazed: “Of course... how could we not have someone...”

Cheng Ge swayed his head in response, then tilted it as if the drink had gotten to him, lying down on the table.

His long hair spilled loose, concealing his overly clear eyes.

As he weakly poured more wine for Lei Biao, he sighed, his voice thick with drink: “So that’s how it is... I figured everyone in the government office was a hard nut, but it turns out...”

Before he could finish, Lei Biao interrupted with a sneer: “Hard nut, my ass! They’re all scumbags!

As long as there’s silver, they’d even eat shit, let alone sell us information! Haha...”

Cheng Ge laughed. The corners of his eyes were already slightly red from the alcohol, making them even more alluring.

Lei Biao was momentarily dazzled by that smile, feeling the alcohol surge even more to his head, making everything seem double.

Cheng Ge seized the opportunity: “Then...that puts my mind at ease, Brother...

If you have time... you should introduce me to him...

Let me... get to know someone from the government office too... broaden my horizons. I’ve never even seen an official!” His tone carried a hint of longing.

Lei Biao waved his hand grandly, drunkenly boasting: “What’s so hard about that? It’s just a minor... Tongpan... Let alone him, even the Emperor himself—I’ll get to meet him in the future!”

Tongpan! A deep flicker moved in Cheng Ge’s eyes. So that’s it...

A Tongpan was a standard sixth-rank official, the second-in-command to the prefect. Something like bandit suppression would naturally go through him.

Cheng Ge’s smile remained unchanged, even more fawning: “Big Brother... you’re right... Big Brother is blessed by the heavens... one day you’ll sit the dragon throne! Here, let me toast you again...”

But his voice grew softer and softer, until finally, his head lolled to the side, his eyes closed, pretending to be dead asleep, completely unconscious from drink.

Lei Biao’s mind was also a total fog. Seeing Cheng Ge collapse, he pushed him a few times, mumbling:

“Brother? Let’s keep drinking... this is nothing...”

Cheng Ge, however, didn’t move a muscle, like a dead pig. Lei Biao cursed with a laugh:

“Pah! I thought you could hold your liquor, but turns out you’re all show and no go, already down...”

After that, he staggered to his feet, awkwardly dragged Cheng Ge onto the couch,

and even clumsily pulled the blanket over him. Then he couldn’t hold himself up anymore, plopping down on the edge of the bed.

His head rested against the bedpost, and within moments, he was snoring like crazy, completely dead asleep.

The room was suddenly left with only two breathing sounds—one as heavy as thunder, the other light and long.

After Lei Biao was thoroughly asleep, Cheng Ge, who should have been dead drunk, quietly opened his eyes. His eyes were completely clear.

Cheng Ge’s eyes moved under his lids. Silently, he slipped a bare foot out from under the blanket.

His icy toes first tentatively poked Lei Biao’s thick ox-like shoulder. Lei Biao showed no reaction; his snoring continued.

Cheng Ge curled his lip, using his waist to press his foot against Lei Biao’s shoulder, then shoved hard.

“Thud!” Lei Biao’s heavy body, already unstable from sitting, hit the floor with a muffled noise.

The earth-shaking snoring suddenly stopped, replaced by a few unclear grunts from the floor, as if talking in his sleep.

Then the snoring resumed, though now muffled by the floor, much lower in volume.

Cheng Ge contentedly withdrew his foot, pulled the blanket up higher, and stretched out fully, taking over the entire bed.

Ah, that’s better.

After that day, Cheng Ge truly acted like a patient needing peaceful recovery, never stepping out of his room again.

Every day, he either ate or slept, only moving around a bit indoors, appearing completely indifferent to the outside world.

Lei Biao came to see him a few times, noticing his face getting rosier but his energy seemed low.

He figured Cheng Ge was still nursing the hurt from last time.

Guilt-ridden, he supplied him with even more good wine and meat, telling his men not to disturb the Fourth Boss during his recovery.

...

As the year’s end approached, the mountain wind grew fiercer, but a restless, excited buzz took over Axe Ridge.

The reason was simple: word of a “fat fish” had spread like wildfire through the stronghold.

Word had it the caravan came from farther west, carrying a batch of rare and valuable premium furs.

Apparently, the owner was in a rush to get the goods to the capital to bribe the right people, hoping to get the imperial merchant qualification for the next year. So they risked the shortcut through Axe Ridge.

To be safe, the caravan had hired way more guards than usual, and the whole thing was big and well-guarded.

When the news reached Blackwind Stockade, the Loyalty Hall went wild. Every big shot and leader rubbed their hands together, eyes burning green with greed.

If they could pull off this heist, the whole stronghold would be rolling in fat for the New Year!

Moreover, since being ambushed last time, that useless prefect has been spreading "rumors" all over the city.

They say he beat the Axe Gang's founding leader until he wet himself, cried for his parents, and finally crawled back to Axe Ridge.

Even worse, he specifically had someone publish a storybook and hired many storytellers to tell stories in taverns every day in shifts.

Mocking Lei Biao as not a founding axe, but a chipped, worn-out kitchen knife.

When Lei Biao learned of this, he was so furious that his face contorted with rage, and he wished he could go down the mountain, twist off Song Yunzhi's head, and give it to Cheng Ge for a chamber pot.

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