Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

The shopping district remained bustling, capturing all the traffic brought by the winter solstice holiday.

Gao Zhao led Yang Zhi into the crowd and skillfully bought two masks. He put one on himself and handed the other to Yang Zhi.

"What's this?" Yang Zhi took the mask with a puzzled look, wondering what kind of novel game this was.

Gao Zhao explained in a muffled voice, "My rival has powerful connections. If you stand up for me, he might take his anger out on you. Wearing this mask is to avoid causing you trouble!"

Yang Zhi suddenly realized and quickly put on the mask. He couldn't help but feel touched, thinking that this young master Tong was a loyal and considerate person who had thought of him and relieved him of any worries.

The person who can be his adversary must be someone of extraordinary status. The other party might not dare to do anything to this Young Master Tong, but if they wanted to deal with Yang Zhi, it would be a complete disaster. He would have no power to fight back and might not even know how he died.

He then turned to look at Gao Zhao, who was also wearing a mask, and asked curiously, "Then, young master, you..."

"I'm not afraid of him discovering my identity!" Gao Zhao explained casually while adjusting the angle of his mask, "But if he finds out it was me, how can I laugh at him?"

"Uh...that makes sense!" Yang Zhi put himself in that shoes and felt that it was indeed more satisfying and suited his identity.

As expected of a spoiled brat, he really knows how to have fun and has a lot of tricks up his sleeve!

The two walked for a while longer, leaving the bustling market and turning into a secluded alley. Yang Zhi became alert, guessing that they were almost there.

Just then, two people walked towards them. One was a huge monk, holding a water-milled Zen staff. He looked menacing and was clearly not someone to be trifled with. However, the pig head mask he wore was rather comical, making people chuckle.

He instinctively reached out and pressed his hand on the hilt of the knife, his eyes wary, to prevent the monk from suddenly attacking. However, after glancing to the side, he released his grip.

The person accompanying the fat monk was thin and wore a monkey head mask, which suited him quite well.

Despite the mask he was wearing, Yang Zhi recognized him at a glance as the attendant of the young master Tong beside him, whom he had met a few times before.

"Young Master, the matter is settled!" The monkey-masked man strode forward, his words confirming Yang Zhi's suspicions. He produced a map and whispered, "We captured three people and interrogated them about the terrain; it's confirmed to be accurate!"

Yang Zhi glanced at it; it was probably a layout plan of some building, winding and quite complicated.

The fat monk strode forward, his voice gruff and dissatisfied: "What's the point of all this fancy stuff! In my opinion, we should just charge in and kill them all, no matter how many there are! Why go through all this trouble!"

Yang Zhi didn't know his background, but hearing him speak so unrestrainedly, he figured that his relationship with this Young Master Tong was not simple. He didn't dare to offend him rashly, so he just glanced at Gao Zhao and stood aside in silence.

"Vulgar!" Gao Zhao curled his lip, and even though he was wearing a mask, the disdain in his tone was still evident. "You're so brave, why don't you go and wipe out the Western Xia all by yourself!"

"You...you scoundrel...how can that be the same thing!" the fat monk roared, his eyes wide with rage. "I'm beating up street thugs, how can that be compared to fighting on the battlefield!"

As Gao Zhao flipped through the blueprints in his hand, he retorted, "In other words, we fight and retreat against foreign enemies, but dare to fight and kill our own people."

"Hey, you bastard, you're unreasonable! Believe me or not, I'll make an example of you today!"

These words enraged Lu Zhishen. He gripped his water-polished monk's staff tightly and slammed it down heavily on the bluestone slab with a dull thud, sending dust and gravel flying in the alley.

Seeing this, Yang Zhi quickly stepped aside to block Gao Zhao, looking warily at Lu Zhishen.

Shi Qian suppressed a laugh, coughed lightly, and reminded him, "Young Master, business is more important!"

"Alright, stop fooling around! I'll make the following plan, take note!" Gao Zhao nodded, waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then said, "After we enter the casino, we'll rush straight to the chip exchange area, throw out the gambling money, cause a scramble among the gamblers, create chaos, and then we'll fight our way in along that path!"

"The fat monk leads the way, Old Yang brings up the rear, and I'll coordinate from the middle..."

As Lu Zhishen listened, he flew into a rage: "Isn't this just brute force? How is it any different from what I just said?!"

"How can that be the same!" Gao Zhao rolled his eyes and said disdainfully, "What you're doing is mindless brute force, while I'm fully utilizing our strengths to create a situation where the strong attack the weak. That's military strategy, it's tactical arrangement, understand?"

"To hell with military strategy and tactics!" Lu Zhishen cursed, "I bet all your skills are just talk!"

"Not that little!" Gao Zhao said, not ashamed at all, but rather proud, "That's how we scholars are. Do you think everyone is as physically strong but mentally weak as you?"

"Read your mother's books..."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, important matters are at stake!" Shi Qian hurriedly tried to dissuade them again. He had seen the two men's character before and was afraid they would start fighting.

"That's right, let's stick to the plan!" Yang Zhi couldn't help but speak up to persuade them. He was a little confused by the scene. They hadn't even met their enemy yet, but their own people were already fighting amongst themselves!

I've traveled all over the country for years and never encountered anything like this!

Gao Zhao had a broad perspective. Hearing the other two say the same thing, he didn't bother arguing with this brute. He snorted coldly, waved his hand, and led the three of them towards the gambling den.

……

Meanwhile, in a side room in the gambling den, several students from the Imperial Academy, dressed in blue robes, looked pale and uneasy with their heads down. On the low table in front of them was a thick stack of IOUs, covered with dense ink marks. The amount of money involved was shocking.

"Manager Fu, please grant me a half-month grace period. My family is currently raising funds, and once next month's salary arrives, I will certainly pay you the full amount, including interest, without daring to delay even a penny."

Fu Jin tapped the table casually with his fingertips, a cold smile playing on his lips. His gaze swept over the embarrassed students, his tone carrying undisguised pressure:

Fu Jin said calmly, "Fellow students, I don't want to make things difficult for you, but you've been delaying repayment, which puts me in a very difficult position! Others are offering you higher interest rates, but I'm still paying the standard 'nine out, thirteen back' rate. Tell me, is that fair or unfair?"

The students looked distressed. They had been lured into a life of debauchery and gambling in the den of iniquity, sinking deeper and deeper into debt. Now, with their weaknesses in the hands of the other party, they could only plead in humbly. The high spirits they once had when studying and discussing philosophy at Biyong were long gone.

"Don't say I'm heartless. I'll give you three days. If you can't pay off your debts, then don't blame me for coming to Biyong to find you."

"No!" Several students cried out in alarm, their expressions changing drastically. If he were to be sent to Biyong, their future would be completely ruined.

The men wailed and pleaded repeatedly!

Seeing this scene, Fu Jin felt extremely pleased. No matter how well you do, can you make these students beg for your life?

Can we make them grovel and be subservient?

This feeling is amazing!

It is memorable.

Just then, several thugs rushed in, panicking, and cried, "Manager, something terrible has happened! Bad guys have broken in!"

Upon hearing this, Fu Jin stood up abruptly, his expression changing drastically!

What kind of thief dares to have such audacity as to trespass into my den of iniquity!