Water Margin: Gao Yanei is actually a Gal Genius

In the following days, Gao Jin kept something to himself and didn't tell anyone.

He wanted to escape, to get away from this cage.

Gao Jin only drank and discussed martial arts with the monks, waiting to settle Lin Chong's matter before making further plans.

There's not much to say about his daily life with Chen Liqing. They always kept a distance of two or three steps, without any physical contact, and he always had a maidservant or foster son following him wherever he went.

Gao Jin's thoughts became clearer and clearer.

He planned to take Lu Zhishen with him to roam the martial arts world, as for Chen Liqing...

A woman who carries the "Admonitions for Women" with her every day would probably not venture into the world alone with him.

Although he was somewhat reluctant to part with her, Gao Jin came to terms with it; it was just Xiao Tou's lustful desire.

As for feeling guilty?

If Gao Jin really took Chen Liqing's virginity, he might stay and marry her, giving her a proper status.

For the sake of freedom, both can be sacrificed.

If you think holding hands and hugging means he has to take full responsibility... you've probably got the wrong person. He's not that noble.

Days passed by like this, and before they knew it, the day of the martial arts competition at the Palace Commander's Mansion had arrived.

Before dawn, the seventy-two black flags on the parade ground of the Imperial Guard's Mansion were already being whipped by the north wind, and the sound of the flag feet striking the flagpoles was more frequent than the sound of rain pattering on banana leaves.

Gao Jin and a group of Imperial Guard officers stood in the training ground, waiting for the martial arts competition to begin.

A large crowd of over a thousand onlookers had gathered outside the gate.

The news had spread throughout Tokyo a few days ago. The young master of the Gao family, nicknamed "Playboy," was going to make an appearance at the Grand Marshal's Mansion competition, and everyone was there to watch the spectacle.

Gao Qiu sat to the side of the reviewing stand, watching Gao Jin standing in the drill ground, and nodded in satisfaction.

That brat, at least he has some brains; he knows to keep a low profile.

"What time is it?" Gao Qiu asked the supervisor standing next to him.

"It's just past Chenshi (7-9 AM)..." the supervising officer replied with his hands clasped.

Gao Qiu glanced at the empty seat in the main room and made up his mind that the Emperor would not be coming today.

"Then let's begin..." Gao Qiu waved his hand. Official duties were plentiful; how could one attend to everything at once?

"By order of the Grand Commandant, the Imperial Guards' Grand Competition begins!" the supervising officer shouted at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly, a creaking sound was heard, and two bare-chested soldiers carrying eighteen-foot iron spears walked into the arena.

The spear was made entirely of wrought iron, with eighteen bamboo-joint patterns cast on the thick shaft, and the spearhead was a foot long with three blood grooves.

The soldiers' veins bulged, and as they walked, their foreheads were covered in sweat.

"This spear weighs 120 jin (approximately 60 kg)." The supervising officer announced loudly, "Today's first event: spear thrusting at the stake! The score is valid until the spear touches the ground; if the spear falls from the hand, it's an immediate loss."

Before the words were finished, a coach walked out of the coaching class.

He steadied himself, gripped the shaft with both hands, and began to wield the spear. Unfortunately, after only four or five exchanges, before he could even thrust it into the stake, the spear crashed back to the ground with a 'bang'.

It was a close call that it didn't fly out of his hand. The instructor, his face flushed with anger, lowered his head and silently returned to the ranks.

Gao Jin wasn't in a hurry; he looked at the wooden stake not far away.

There were nine pine stumps, each as thick as a bowl, with a porcelain bowl on top of each stump. Clearly, there was a reason why these porcelain bowls would fall to the ground.

The instructors stepped forward one after another. Some couldn't even lift their iron spears, while others managed to drive all nine stakes into the ground. However, the number of porcelain bowls that shattered on the ground varied.

The onlookers outside the gate, oblivious to the situation, started shouting and making a ruckus.

If you can't dance well, you get boos; if you dance beautifully, you get cheers.

After all the instructors and senior instructors had finished their trials, the next to appear were the ten generals, military commanders, and deputy military commanders who were confident in their abilities.

These junior officers must first demonstrate their abilities before they can compete with the senior officers.

An hour or so later, the junior officers had finished their demonstrations, and Gao Jin then walked lightly to the iron spear.

When the onlookers from Tokyo saw that only one person remained and the slick-haired, handsome Gao Yanei was nowhere to be seen, they all shouted in unison outside.

"Gao Yanei, come out! Gao Yanei, come out!"

Gao Jin, who was about to bend down to pick up his gun, straightened up again with a puzzled look on his face. "Isn't I right here?!"

Unfortunately, the noise from the people outside was too loud, and Gao Jin's voice was instantly drowned out.

Hearing the commotion outside the gate, Gao Qiu's face showed displeasure, and he waved to summon the supervising officer.

"Go! Tell those people that I, the magistrate, am here! Tell them to shut up and watch properly!"

The supervising officer, carrying a gong, ran towards the gate, banging it and shouting, "Young Master Gao is here! Stop making a racket, or you'll all be dispersed!"

"Wow." The people outside the gate seemed to be seeing Gao Jin for the first time. When they heard the commander shout, they all gasped in surprise.

Various comments were heard from the crowd.

"Is this kind of man nicknamed 'Playboy'?"

"It wouldn't be so bad if this young master made a move on me..."

"Rumors are indeed unreliable..."

Suddenly, a pink flag was raised in the crowd outside the gate, bearing the three large characters "Fan Hua Ju".

Gao Jin's expression stiffened when he saw this, and his eyes searched around. Sure enough, he spotted several of the most popular girls from Fan Hua Ju on the temporary viewing platform outside the gate.

When the masters saw Gao Jin looking at them, they excitedly dressed up, and the few frail women immediately joined forces to hold up a banner.

"Young Master Gao, I miss you terribly at Fan Hua Ju!"

Some curious Tokyo residents witnessed this scene and pointed at the woman, patting the shoulders of her friends and relatives, shouting...

"Young Master Gao, I miss you terribly at Fan Hua Ju!"

Once someone started it, the fearless people of Tokyo began shouting outside the gate.

"Young Master Gao, I miss you terribly at Fan Hua Ju!"

Gao Jin's face flushed. These masters were amazing; they actually remembered one of his casual witty remarks.

The officers of all ranks looked at each other in bewilderment, unsure of what to do.

Sweating profusely, the supervising officer, carrying a gong, ran back to Gao Qiu's side. "Grand Commandant, this..."

Gao Qiu's expression turned stern. He was about to send men to disperse the rioting crowd when he noticed Gao Jin's awkward posture. A slight smile appeared on his lips, but he suppressed it and sighed.

"Enough. The current emperor has repeatedly asked us to share the joy with the people. As long as the people are happy, that's all that matters. What is that scoundrel still doing there? Let him continue his martial arts competition."

The supervising officer bowed, turned, and walked to the center of the arena, shouting loudly, "By order of the Grand Commandant! The martial arts competition shall continue!"

Gao Jin took a deep breath, cleared his mind, gripped the iron spear with both hands, and with a flick of his wrist, the hundred-pound iron spear hummed and produced several spear flowers!

Gao Jin wielded the Lin family's spear techniques, moving swiftly across the training ground.

When the spear shot out like a dragon, everyone only felt a blur before their eyes.

The first thrust of the spear landed squarely on the center of the wooden stake, which cracked open with a snap. A porcelain bowl flew out from the top of the stake, and as the spear extended and retracted, the bowl seemed to be stuck to the spear tip, landing steadily and smoothly.

Gao Jin, holding the iron spear, slowly placed the porcelain bowl into the bamboo basket beside him!

He then got up and performed another set of spear techniques, thrusting out a second spear that pierced through the wooden stake.

When Gao Jin drew his spear, he used a clever upward force, and the porcelain bowl flew lightly off the top of the stake. With a flick and a twist, he steadily brought the porcelain bowl to rest on the tip of his spear, and then slowly placed it into the bamboo basket.

The third, the fourth... Gao Jin's iron spear did not deviate in the slightest, and he put all nine porcelain bowls into the bamboo basket without breaking a single one.

Of the nine wooden stakes on the field, none were intact; some were broken or cracked.

"Good!" The people of Tokyo, who had quieted down outside the gate at some point, cheered as Gao Jin finished his demonstration.

"Young Master Gao, I miss you terribly at Fan Hua Ju!" This time, it was the group of female fans who led the shout.

They seemed to remember something, their voices trembling.

As the chanting continued, those busybodies changed the slogans into all sorts of different things.

"Young Master Gao, I'll be waiting for you at Sister Gui's Drink Shop."

"Young Master Gao, I'm here..."

For a moment, Gao Jin couldn't tell whether the young lady was inviting him or someone was taking the opportunity to cheat on him.