Water Margin: Gao Yanei is actually a Gal Genius

Lu Zhishen got up and went out as usual, but Gao Jin was nowhere to be seen, which made him quite puzzled.

Ever since he met his brother Gao Jin, he's come here every day to practice martial arts, even on rainy days he'll still come for drinks. Often, before he's even awake, his brother is already practicing outside. Why is he so late today?

Just as he was pondering whether to hire a few ruffians to watch over the vegetable garden so he could go to the city to inquire, he saw several idlers hurrying to the outside of the yard, shouting anxiously, "Is Master Lu here? Is Master Lu here?" in strange, high-pitched voices.

Lu Zhishen looked closely and realized it was Fu An, whose teeth hadn't fully grown in yet, so his speech was inevitably a bit strange.

When Gao Jin first started practicing martial arts, Fu An stayed by his side the whole time. Later, he only watched and didn't practice, so Gao Jin drove him away.

"I'm here, what's wrong? Does my brother have something to tell me?"

Fu An was overjoyed to see Lu Zhishen. He left the idlers outside the courtyard and ran into the small courtyard through the gate. He came up to Lu Zhishen and said, "Young Master Gao invites you to his residence for a chat, saying that he has urgent business to discuss."

Lu Zhishen thought to himself, "How strange." His brother Gao Jin was usually considerate of him and knew that he didn't like Gao Qiu very much, so he always came to play in this courtyard. But today he changed his ways. Could it be that something urgent really happened?

Thinking of this, he felt a little anxious. Although his brother Gao Jin was quick-witted and strong, his martial arts skills were far too rudimentary.

Fearing for his brother's safety, Lu Zhishen picked up his iron staff and strode out of the courtyard toward the city. After taking only two steps, he remembered the staff in his hand and felt uneasy.

With a twist of his body, his muscles bulged, and with a "whoosh," he threw the iron staff back into the courtyard, creating a loud noise and billowing smoke.

"Leave a few idle men behind to help me look after the vegetable garden," Lu Zhishen said, glancing at Fu An and the other idle men who had followed him as he turned around.

Without waiting for Fu An, since he knew the way to Grand Commandant Gao's residence anyway, he headed straight for Suanzao Gate.

Lu Zhishen walked very fast and arrived at the gate of the Gao mansion in less than half an hour. The gatekeeper obviously knew that Lu Zhishen was coming. After asking his name, he led Lu Zhishen to the front hall.

When the head monk arrived at the front hall, two people were already seated there. One was dressed in a purple round-necked robe, with a gold and jade belt around his waist, a fish-shaped pouch, and a straight-legged turban. The other was dressed as a scholar, with a pile of garlic-shaped gold bars in front of him.

Behind the two stood many armored guards. When the majestic monk stepped into the front hall, they all gripped the swords at their waists as if facing a formidable enemy, observing Lu Zhishen's actions with apprehension.

Lu Zhishen immediately recognized the man in the middle as Gao Qiu. Although he felt some aversion towards him, he reluctantly bowed for the sake of his brother Gao Jin, saying, "This humble servant greets Grand Commandant Gao. May I ask if my brother Gao Jin is here?"

When Gao Qiu saw Lu Zhishen, he thought to himself, "What a magnificent monk! But I wonder what his temperament is like. Let me test him."

"Hmph, you monk, do you even know your deeds have been exposed? My poor child was just about to enter the court as an official at the end of the year, but now you've dragged him down, preventing him from pursuing a career in government."

"Tell me, how can I ever repay your immense kindness, monk?"

"Hmph! Grand Commandant, are you trying to trick me? I'm just an ordinary monk from the Great Xiangguo Temple, what could I possibly be doing?"

"Is murder not a big deal?"

"Ah? Grand Commandant, please don't talk nonsense. I am a law-abiding monk."

"That Zheng Tu from Weizhou was an honest butcher, but unfortunately he died a violent death, and the aggrieved parties have come all the way to Dongjing City to seek him out."

What did the Grand Commandant mean by that?

"My son has always admired heroes and great men, and as his father, I cannot embarrass him. Here is some silver; the monk can take it and find a carefree place to live a comfortable old age as a wealthy man. However, it will be hard on my son, and I'm afraid his career prospects will be ruined. Alternatively, the monk can surrender and spend eight or nine years in the Tokyo prison, allowing my son to earn a reputation for redemption through meritorious service. With a little maneuvering, I might be able to enter the court as an official next year."

"Rest assured, Venerable Monk, I always keep my word."

Lu Zhishen glanced at the dozen or so armored soldiers behind Gao Qiu, his face showing disdain. Suddenly, as if remembering something, his voice lowered slightly: "...Is this Gao Jin's intention?"

"He doesn't know, and as a parent, I don't want him to know these sordid things. Alright, enough of this, Venerable Monk, make your choice."

A soldier stepped forward and placed the plate of garlic strips next to Lu Zhishen.

Those dozen or so armored soldiers were no match for Lu Zhishen, but he felt completely powerless, his mind filled with thoughts of brotherhood.

Gao Qiu is truly ruthless. He uses loyalty as a knife to pierce people's hearts, and uses kinship as armor to leave people with nowhere to vent their anger.

Lu Zhishen thought to himself, "So be it. It's my fate to suffer this hardship. I'll just let this friendship be fulfilled."

Suddenly enlightened, Lu Zhishen sat cross-legged in the front hall: "Please, Grand Commandant, arrest me and give Brother Gao Jin a better future."

After saying that, he closed his eyes and began reciting Buddhist verses.

"Good! Good! Good!" The three cheers startled Lu Zhishen, who opened his eyes.

Gao Qiu rose from his seat, approached Lu Zhishen, and bowed deeply. "My son often praises you, Master, for your unparalleled loyalty and righteousness. I've spent my childhood wandering the streets, surrounded only by self-interest. Now, having met you, Master, I realize that true loyalty and righteousness truly exist in this world!"

After saying that, he was about to help Lu Zhishen up.

The senior monk quickly stood up, his tone puzzled, "Then just now...."

"We were just joking around."

Seeing that Lu Zhishen still looked doubtful, Gao Qiu whispered in his ear, "As a father, I must investigate the background of those close to my son. There is no aggrieved party who has come to the capital."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhishen felt a sense of clarity and relief, his pent-up frustration lessened considerably, and he felt refreshed all over.

"My son had a bad reputation in the city before. It was all because I, as his father, failed to discipline him properly, which led him astray and caused this whole mess. I hope you won't take offense, Master. Consider this money as my apology to you."

Lu Zhishen repeatedly refused, but Gao Qiu grabbed a handful of gold bars and stuffed them into his monk's robe. He then ordered his soldiers to send the rest to the Great Xiangguo Temple as offerings. Lu Zhishen couldn't refuse Gao Qiu's insistence and had no choice but to comply.

"My son is practicing martial arts with Old Taoist Chen in the back hall. Master, why don't you come and join us for drinks and fun?" Gao Qiu said, then waved to a soldier. "Take the master to find Tuizhi."

The armored soldier gave a loud greeting and led Lu Zhishen toward the flower hall.

After a while, Lu Zhishen had disappeared into the distance. The scholar-looking man picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, took a sip, and then said, "Grand Commandant, aren't you being a little too kind to that monk? Aren't you afraid of alienating the soldiers?"

"If you have the same loyalty and skill as that great monk, feel free to come to me and claim your reward." The soldiers remained silent. That monk was no ordinary man. They did have loyalty, but his skills... sigh.

Seeing this, Gao Qiu snorted coldly, sat down next to the scholar, and asked, "What does Uncle think of this monk?"

"He may seem reckless, but he is actually wise," Su Guo said calmly.

"Oh, what do you mean by that?" Gao Qiu asked curiously.

"I've heard he has a water-polished Zen staff weighing sixty-two pounds, which he never leaves behind," Su Guo said, taking a sip of tea. "But today, he didn't bring it."

Gao Qiu was puzzled.

"As the saying goes, 'He who possesses a sharp weapon will naturally harbor murderous intent.'"

"Did Uncle think he might have murderous intent because he was carrying a monk's staff?"

"No, what I mean is, if he walks around the city carrying a weapon, he'll be caught by the Prefect of Tokyo. Then today's scenario will come true."

"I almost forgot about Uncle's party if he hadn't mentioned it. He sent someone to deal with that Zheng Tu family."

"Shouldn't we tell that monk? After all, the Grand Commandant covered up such a serious matter as murder for him. He might even be grateful to Tuizhi."

"What's the big deal about killing someone? In this world, only those who survive are truly human..." Gao Qiu looked at the bright blue sky outside the main hall and said quietly, "...It's rare to find genuine loyalty and righteousness, so let's not let these things become sordid."