Chapter 13

"Great King… Great King!"

A trembling, very aged voice called out from not far away, making Wang Lun, who was chatting idly with Du Qian and Song Wan, feel as if he had suddenly been transported into the *Journey to the West*. He turned around in surprise to look in the direction of the voice and saw an old man with a hunched back, supported by two young men, standing not far from him, stretching his neck to call out. At that moment, he was being held back by two vigilant bandits.

Under the flickering firelight, Wang Lun estimated that the old man was around eighty years old. He knew that even in the most medically advanced country in the world, such an age was not common. Moreover, based on his experience, elders of this age usually held considerable prestige in the local community. Villagers would often seek their advice for neighborhood disputes or major decisions. Thinking of this, Wang Lun did not dare to be negligent and quickly ordered the bandits to step aside, walking briskly toward the old man. Du Qian and Song Wan, seeing this, followed closely behind.

Wang Lun went up to support the old man, feeling the thin and flaccid muscles in the old man's arm through the tattered cotton sleeve, which reminded him of his grandfather from his previous life. After tucking the old man's coat, he asked, "Old Sir, it's so cold, why did you come out?"

The old man freed his left arm from the support of the young men beside him and waved it in the air, saying, "Great King, though I am old, my body is still strong. I'm not afraid of a little cold! Even a fifty-pound bag of grain, I can still carry it for half a mile!"

Wang Lun smiled in understanding, knowing that the old man was one who refused to admit his age. He quickly replied, "That's true! Old Sir, you are indeed vigorous in your old age! But it's so late, I wonder why you came to see me in the middle of the night. What advice do you have for me?"

Seeing that Wang Lun spoke kindly and had a good temperament, the old man took Wang Lun's hand and said, "What advice could I give? I just wanted to chat with Great King! I wonder if Great King has the time to listen to an old man's rambling."

Wang Lun, hearing this, helped the old man to a nearby clod of earth, and after the old man sat down, he sat down as well, saying, "Old Sir, my name is Wang, and my given name is Lun. You can call me by my name directly."

The old man's wrinkled face broke into a smile, and he nodded earnestly at Wang Lun, but did not change his address, saying, "To be honest, Great King, I have lived for over eighty years, and this is the first time I have met someone as righteous as you! Distributing grain from the granary, something I have only heard about before, I have never seen it with my own eyes until now! Tonight, Great King has rid our village of a tyrant. I believe even the government officials would not be as good as Great King!"

The old man sighed, and before Wang Lun could respond, he continued, "I have been farming the land passed down from my father for about sixty years. It was the third year of the Qingli era, when Fan Zhongyan was in power. He was a good official! When we suffered from disasters, he exempted us from taxes, so life was still manageable at that time. But as time went on, life became harder and harder! It's also my grandchildren's fault for being unambitious, lured into gambling by the village head, losing the three hundred acres of land we had, leaving us with less than forty acres. With over fifty people in our family, we can barely survive on this small piece of land. After paying the imperial taxes, there's hardly anything left. My great-grandchildren, who have never had a full meal, make me so sad! Every year during the New Year, when I see these children drooling at the smell of meat, my wife secretly cries!"

As the old man spoke emotionally, Wang Lun gently patted his hand, and the old man nodded heavily, continuing, "I heard from Xiao Si, who just gave us the grain, that Great King is kind and generous, and that life on the mountain is full of good food. My two great-grandchildren, after hearing this, are determined to follow Great King to the mountain! I couldn't stop them, so I had to come and beg Great King to take them in!"

Wang Lun, hearing this, looked at Du Qian and Song Wan, noticing that the two had been surrounded by villagers who had just received the grain, all with hopeful expressions. After a moment of thought, Wang Lun stood up from the ground and said to the two eager young men beside the old man, "Life on the mountain is not just about enjoying good food and meat. You must know that we are always on the brink of death. As the saying goes, 'Once you enter the world of the outlaw, there's no turning back.' Have you thought it through?"

"The Great King, we have thought it through! We are strong and can endure hardship! We want to live with our heads held high, just like Xiao Si! We don't want to live in fear and hunger anymore! Great King, please take us in! We are not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and we can take a beating!"

Wang Lun nodded without comment, looking at the two young men whose beards had not yet grown, feeling a heavy sense in his heart. He sighed deeply and asked again, "Being able to eat and not be bullied is true. But you must know that our line of work is dangerous. One mistake could result in serious injury or even death. Are you sure you won't regret it?"

The two young men exchanged a glance and then nodded resolutely at Wang Lun. It seemed that they had had enough of their hard lives, like a drowning person clutching at a straw, determined not to let go.

Seeing that Wang Lun was still hesitant, the old man struggled to stand up from the clod of earth, took Wang Lun's hand, and pleaded, "Great King, I am over eighty years old and know the gravity of the situation. I truly tried to persuade these two children at home, but they are stubborn. Actually, it's not their fault! Great King, life for us farmers is hard! In bad years, we fear hunger; in good years, we fear illness. I am old, and the worst thing I fear is burying my children. I am afraid they will die before me. But Great King, I can't stop them! We farmers can't even fill our bellies, and if we get sick, we can only endure it. If our luck is bad, we might die without even finishing a sentence. In my family, I have experienced this many times..."

At this point, the old man's eyes reddened, and he shed tears, saying, "Moreover, the village head has been tyrannical, and he has killed at least ten people. We can't go on like this! Although Great King has rid us of this evil tonight, who knows if another tyrant will appear in the future! I am old, and I accept my fate, but the children are still young. I can't just watch them suffer! Great King, I know what you are worried about. Take them to the mountain... everyone has their own destiny, and it's not your fault. I only ask that Great King treat them well. If Great King is later pardoned and becomes an official, the children will have a future and won't have to suffer like us! Great King, I beg you, please have mercy!"

Du Qian and Song Wan, hearing this, could no longer hold back and tugged at Wang Lun's sleeves, urging him with "Brother" "Brother." Wang Lun quickly supported the old man, who was about to bow, and looked at the two determined young men, sighing, "Since that's the case, you two will follow Xiao Si. He will teach you the rules of the mountain!"

Before Wang Lun's words had even finished, a burst of cheers erupted from the crowd. Numerous enthusiastic voices rose up: "Great King!" "I want to go to the mountain!" "Great King!" "We want to go to the mountain!"

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