Chapter 113: The Lu Zhishen Arc

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Hearing the truth from the minor chieftain, the bandits—who had believed only sixty percent of what Zhu Gui and the others had said—were utterly stunned. None of them had imagined that Wang Lun could be so deranged. Some immediately plunged the meat-cutting knives in their hands into the throats of the Wang Lun’s followers beside them.

Wang Lun’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth, but no words came out before he fainted.

At that moment, Lin Zhong stepped forward. In the next instant, he had Wang Lun lifted in one hand.

“Everyone! When all is said and done, this matter arose because of me, Lin Zhong. Whether Brother Zhu Gui or Brother Du Xing, they were all originally brothers of this stronghold. I cannot allow you to be trapped in unrighteousness!”

As he spoke, he tightened his grip and snapped Wang Lun’s neck.

“Wang Lun is dead, but Liangshan cannot be without a new leader!” Zhu Gui declared loudly, raising his wine cup. “Brother Lin Zhong possesses formidable martial skill and is loyal and honorable. He is precisely the kind of leader Liangshan needs! I nominate Brother Lin Zhong as the new leader of Liangshan!”

“We pay our respects to the leader!” Zhu Gui cried, raising his cup.

Song Wan, Du Qian, and Du Xing spoke in unison. “We pay our respects to the leader!”

Lin Zhong raised a hand, and a wine cup dropped into his grasp. “Since everyone is showing me such sincere goodwill, refusing would be ungracious. However, my brother Yang Zhi is equally skilled in martial arts and is in no way inferior to me. I would like to nominate him as deputy leader!”

With that, he raised his cup toward Yang Zhi.

Yang Zhi also lifted his cup. “We pay our respects to the leader!”

Throughout their journey, he had always regarded Lin Zhong as their leader. Until the matter was settled, he had never imagined himself occupying that position.

Zhu Gui and the others raised their cups. “We pay our respects to the deputy leader!”

Lin Zhong said, “Since everyone agrees, then this celebratory feast has not been in vain. Today is a day of great joy for Liangshan! Eat and drink your fill!”

Amid the laughter of the assembled men, the banquet continued until just before dawn.

Hidden in a corner, Pixis watched Zhu Gui and the others with a curious gaze. The reason was simple: the three of them still showed no sign of awakening.

Elsewhere, Mu Xingye followed Monk Yuanjue and Lu Zhishen all the way to a village. Their party was no longer composed of two people, but three. The third was someone already familiar to Lu Zhishen.

He was the Nine-Tattooed Dragon, Shi Jin—a General Star.

In other words, of the three traveling together, only Monk Yuanjue was a Demon Star; the other two were General Stars.

Because Monk Yuanjue was present, Mu Xingye did not dare draw too close or send a small reconnaissance device after them. Fortunately, they traveled in a straight line along a clearly visible road, so Mu Xingye did not lose track of them.

In the end, when the three stopped at a village for the night, Mu Xingye gained an unexpected harvest.

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The three men sought lodging for the night. Two were dressed as monks, while Shi Jin looked like the son of a wealthy landowner, so the villagers did not show much resistance. However, after dinner, the elderly woman whose home they had borrowed told them that if they heard any movement outside during the night, they absolutely must not come out—and that they should leave the following day.

Those words instinctively made the three men sense that something was wrong.

After repeated questioning, the old woman shed tears.

“Our village lies between two mountains. The first is Peach Blossom Mountain, and the second is Erlong Mountain. Both are occupied by powerful bandits. The former are fairly reasonable. Once we pay them, they do not trouble us. In fact, if anyone else tries to harm our village, they will even protect us.

“But a young woman from our village happened to be seen by the second chief of Peach Blossom Mountain when he came down from the mountain. That second chief is young and impetuous, and he is unmarried. He forcibly sent betrothal gifts, and tonight he is coming to take her as his wife!”

“So the girl does not want to marry him?” Lu Zhishen asked.

Was that not precisely why he had once become a monk? The butcher Zheng had wanted to force a common girl into marriage. Ordinarily, in this era, if the son of a wealthy household took a liking to a girl from a nearby village, why would he need to resort to force?

Even bandits who occupied the mountains would generally offer some measure of protection to the villages below. Given what the old woman had said, if the second chief intended to marry the girl properly, the villagers would not be reacting this way. It would not have come to this.

In other words, anyone who abducted a common girl by force was either abusing the authority of someone above him or was simply a petty tyrant. In the eyes of a man like Lu Zhishen, neither sort was worth a damn.

Yuanjue seized Lu Zhishen by the arm. “You said it was the second chief who wanted to force the marriage. What about the chief? Does he not intend to intervene?”

The old woman replied, “If that were not the case, why would we refuse? Their chief seems to have entered secluded cultivation. No one is keeping an eye on him anymore!”

Well, in that case, even if the three of them intended to intervene, they could not simply kill the man.

This second chief was clearly attempting to consummate the marriage first and report afterward. Judging by their values, the chief must be a proper and honorable man.

“So, if the second chief were to marry her properly, complete all the rituals, and give her a formal status, you would be willing to let her marry him?” Shi Jin asked.

He had some experience with such matters himself. As the sole legitimate heir of the Shi family estate, he was at the age when many households within the estate were eager to offer him their daughters—not for a title or formal marriage, but merely for the privilege of staying by his side.

The old woman nodded. “The second chief may be somewhat frivolous, but he is neither lacking in appearance nor ability. Since our village receives their protection, we naturally would not be overly choosy.”

“Then this will be easy to settle,” Lu Zhishen said. “The bridal chamber can remain as it is. I will wait for him inside and persuade him to abandon the idea.”

Shi Jin nodded. “That is a sound plan. Yuanjue and I will wait outside. We will make certain that his lackeys do not harm anyone in the village.”

“This... all right.” The old woman nodded. If she wished to protect her daughter, she could rely only on these men before her.

Not long after nightfall, a long procession of torches wound down from the mountain toward the village.

At its head rode a man dressed entirely in bright red. A freshly picked flower was tucked into his hair, and his face was alight with delight.

His elder brother had entered secluded cultivation for three days. Today was the second day, and he would emerge the day after tomorrow. Under normal circumstances, he would never have dared do such a thing; otherwise, his elder brother would beat him so badly he would be unable to get out of bed.

But once the deed was done, he thought, and he offered a few words of apology along with a generous betrothal gift, his elder brother probably would not pursue the matter.

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Zhou Tong imagined the scene in the bridal chamber, and the smile on his face grew even broader.

At the village entrance, the village headman and a group of sturdy young men stood guard. They were not there to welcome the guests, but to prevent them from harming any other household.

When Zhou Tong reached the entrance, he leaped from his horse and landed behind the villagers.

“Old village headman, my men have brought all the food and wine. There is no need for you to trouble yourselves. If you are in the mood, come and have a little with us. After tonight, we will truly be one family!”

As he spoke, he turned his head toward the village. The doorway beneath the bright red lanterns was where his bridal chamber awaited him.

“Heh heh. With the red lanterns hung high, tonight I become a bridegroom!”

Swaying with every third step and humming a tune, Zhou Tong made his way to the doorway.

The old woman pushed herself upright with the aid of her cane. Zhou Tong hurried forward to support her. Though he was a mountain bandit, his elder brother had taught him that the elderly and children should be treated with kindness. Besides, this was his own mother-in-law.

“Mother, rest assured and entrust your daughter to me, Zhou Tong! If you truly cannot bear to part with her, come with us. There are plenty of houses on the mountain. I will find a few nimble young fellows to wait on you!”

Grinning, Zhou Tong helped the old woman along. She struck the ground with her cane, trying to make him release her hand.

At that moment, the men at the village entrance were pushed aside by the bandits. One of the more agile lackeys hurried over to support the old woman, creating an opportunity for Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong gave him an approving glance, then turned to the old woman.

“Mother, a moment of springtime is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Your son-in-law will come pay his respects properly in the morning!”

After straightening his clothes, he pushed open the door and entered.

“My bride, your husband has come—!”

Zhou Tong strode into the room and shut the door, only to find that the lamp, which had been burning brightly, had been extinguished.

“My bride, have you grown impatient waiting? Heh heh, I have too. Let us dispense with the formalities and get to it!”

As he spoke, he removed his hat. With one hand he began to undress, while the other reached toward the bed curtains.

In the next instant, a powerful hand seized him.

“You...”

Zhou Tong naturally realized that something was wrong, but before he could exert his strength, an enormous force flung him to the floor.

Immediately afterward, an entire quilt came crashing down over his head, followed by a rain of fists.

Through the quilt, with no internal energy being used, only the strength of the physical body, Zhou Tong tried to resist—but he could not.

The main door was smashed open, and Zhou Tong, still wrapped in the quilt, was thrown outside.

He released his internal energy, blasting the quilt apart. He had only just risen to his feet when a chill ran down his back.