Chapter 2

As night deepened, the entire Li'erwa gradually fell into tranquility.

Except for the relentless north wind that still blew strongly, there was no human sound in front of the mountain pass, not even the night patrolmen came out, but instead huddled in thick quilts to avoid the cold.

A dim candlelight leaked out from the crack of a window in a stone house on the back mountain. The crackling sound of burning charcoal inside the house added a faint trace of human warmth to the night that had fallen into deep sleep.

At this moment, two dispirited men were sitting idly in the stone house, aimlessly poking the charcoal fire in the basin, occasionally letting out a sigh of sorrow. The dim firelight in the basin reflected on their faces, making their worried expressions appear particularly gloomy.

"Alright, Old Three, stop poking that charcoal, we can't even see the fire anymore!" one of them said.

"Ah..." Old Three sighed again, speaking with a double meaning, "Brother Seven, it doesn't matter if we can't see the fire, but now we can't even see any hope for ourselves!"

It turned out that these two men were Yan Qi and Jia San, whom Du Qian had ordered to stay by the bed to take care of Wang Lun.

"Who says it isn't so! We are at least somewhat literate, risking our lives in this business, for what? I thought we could follow him..." Yan Qi stood up, subconsciously changing his position to face away from the sickbed, and continued to complain, "I thought we could have a life of wealth and honor with him, but who knew he would die so soon, dragging us here to wait for death with him!"

When Jia San heard Yan Qi speak so bluntly, he was startled and subconsciously glanced at the patient on the bed. This action immediately earned him a mocking laugh, "What, are you afraid he'll hear you? Have you ever heard of anyone surviving after being struck by lightning? It's only because Du Qian and Song Wan have some sense of righteousness that they are trying to save him like a dead horse!"

"Ah? But you were shouting so loudly in front of everyone... The chief is still showing signs of life, how can you be so sure?" Jia San, still feeling guilty, asked hurriedly.

Yan Qi smiled ambiguously, "I always say you lack knowledge, and you really do. This is called a last flicker of light, do you understand? Being struck by lightning is a heavenly punishment! Even if we brought in the imperial physician, what could he do? I think he has no chance of survival this time. We should make plans early!" As he said this, Yan Qi spat on the ground, and continued, "This guy won't live much longer, and the bandit camp will eventually be led by Du Qian. I see that the people around him are all rough and crude, how can they compare to our cleverness? In the future, when we take advantage of the gap during his burial, I'll go talk to Du Qian. With our skills in reading people, we'll surely get a position as his trusted confidants. Hmph!"

Jia San was quite moved by this, but still felt uneasy, "Can this really work? After all, we have always followed the chief. Will Du Qian have any thoughts about it?"

"What thoughts could he have? You know him! Du Qian is a straightforward person, not like this guy with his petty mind, making us suffer so much in the past and be so cautious! If we follow Du Qian, life will be much easier in the future!" As he said this, Yan Qi laughed with satisfaction.

"These words are exactly what I wanted to hear! Among the leaders in the bandit camp, the chief is the most cunning, but Du and Song are straightforward and easy to get along with!" Jia San, swayed by his words, nodded in agreement.

"Even if Du Qian doesn't recognize our worth, the benefits we've gained in the past half year are enough for us to live the rest of our lives! When we find an opportunity to leave the mountain, we can find a place where no one knows us, marry a few wives, buy dozens of acres of good land, and live a stable and wealthy life. Isn't that better than serving people here?" As he said this, Yan Qi, remembering Wang Lun's past kindness, pushed the fire basin closer to the bed with his foot.

With a glimmer of hope in their hearts, the two men no longer looked as gloomy as before. They felt more and more excited as they talked, and eventually burst into unrestrained laughter, treating Wang Lun on the bed as if he were already dead.

...

"Where are my confidants!?"

A heart-wrenching scream startled Wang Lun, who was lying on the sickbed, making his muscles tremble uncontrollably. He felt a surge of turbid air in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

After an unknown period of time, the indescribable feeling of depression gradually dissipated, and his body gradually regained sensation. The discomfort he had felt before seemed to have vanished with that sudden scream. Wang Lun tried to move his fingers and toes, and found them as flexible as before.

He was puzzled, unable to understand what had just happened. Since he had woken up, this was the first time he had strongly felt the abnormality of this body. Could it be that the conversation of the two men under the bed had triggered the residual consciousness in this body? And that scream that had startled him, where had he seen it before? Ah, right! It was the last words he had left when Lin Chong overthrew Wang Lun!

Wang Lun was stunned for a while, but still couldn't figure it out. Science couldn't explain the various experiences he had had. He shook his head in secret, what was the point of thinking about these things now?

Isn't that right?

Complaining is useless, anger is useless, and lamenting is also useless. These things can't change the reality that has already become a fact. Now, in this Water Margin world of the late Northern Song Dynasty, he was no longer a spectator. With the sound of fate's whistle, he had been substituted onto the field. Regardless of whether the future would bring good or bad fortune, he had already replaced the former Wang Lun.

Well, since I'm here, I should do something! I can't just be a bystander. Besides, sitting and waiting for death has never been my character. Since there's no way to retreat or turn back, I will make myself, the new leader of Liangshan, rewrite a song of praise for the Liangshan heroes!

Of course, the premise of all this is to survive!

...

"Knock... knock knock..."

A few rhythmic knocks on the door brought Wang Lun back to his senses. It also interrupted the two men by the fire basin, Yan Qi and Jia San, who quickly stopped talking and put on a sad expression to open the door.

Two medium-built, shrewd-looking men stepped into the room and asked, "We just heard laughter and noise inside. Has the chief woken up?"

"The chief is still in a deep sleep. The laughter and noise were just us praying for his recovery!" Yan Qi, quick on his feet, quickly explained.

The two visitors exchanged a glance, their brows furrowed in suspicion, but they didn't argue with Yan Qi and Jia San. Instead, they walked straight to the bedside.

The two men who had been left behind, feeling guilty, followed closely behind. Jia San, trying to make conversation, said, "The chief seemed to have some awareness just now, his arm moved a bit, but he didn't wake up! Brothers, could it be that the chief is having a last flicker of light?"

The two visitors glared at Jia San, but didn't respond. They just tucked the blanket around Wang Lun and observed him for a while. Seeing that Wang Lun still showed no signs of movement, they didn't leave immediately but sat down on the stools.

Seeing that the visitors had no intention of leaving and had sat down, Yan Qi and Jia San, feeling guilty, lowered their heads, afraid that their previous得意忘形的行为会招来责骂。

果然没过多久，只听来客中一人当先劈脸问道，“严七、贾三，你们且说，寨主平日待我等如何？”

“这、这……恩重如山、恩重如山……”二人稍愣了一愣，忙不迭答道。

“那你两个为何这般怠慢，在寨主病床前嬉笑吵闹？”另一人接话质问道。

严七和贾三私下里目光一触，旋即散开，只听严七一脸惶恐的答道，“我、我等见寨主方才小有动静，心中欣喜不过，所以忘行，请两位哥哥责罚！”

两位问话者听了此话脸色稍好了一些，离床最近的那位开言道：“你二人且休要胡思乱想，想我四人蒙寨主看重，引为心腹，现在寨主有难，切不可自乱阵脚！”

“若只是寻常头疼脑热倒也罢了，将息些时日便好，可寨主此番是遭雷打了，只怕是凶多吉……”贾三忍不住嘟哝道。还没说完，就被来客喝断，“住了！休要胡言乱语，冲撞了寨主贵体你两个担得起干系？”

“老郑说得不错，你二人切莫心慌！我和老郑都有司职，不能时刻守在寨主身边，伏侍寨主之事还需你等多劳！待来日寨主醒了，难道会忘了你们功劳？且打起精神来，莫要怠慢！”另一位见同伴言语犀利，接言打着圆场。

严七和贾三哪里还敢说别的，只忙着点头称是，听了一回训，又想起还没有给来客倒茶，忙起身寻杯倒水。

二人接了茶水放在一边，并不沾嘴，仍是语重心长的开导着严贾二人。

病床前众人的对话一句不落的都进了王伦的耳中，他此时心里却并不怎么因严贾二人忘恩负义的举动而动气。常言道久病床前无孝子，何况这种临时纠合而成的依附关系？也许是没有付出所以并不期求回报吧，这时他突然有些理解不久前刚刚逝去的那一缕残魂。

老前辈，一路走好。只盼你来世莫要再如今生这般不识人。

一阵唏嘘后，他又躺在床上静静听了一会众人谈话，心里猜到这四人只怕就是原来王伦留在山上的心腹了，按水浒上所描述的，当日王伦被林冲火并之时，这几人莫说为主拼命，就是连狠话都不曾放过半句，实在脓包之极。不过，照此时两拨人颇为不同的表现看来，两位来客似乎还有些门道，不能简单与严七贾三归入渣渣一类。

他仔细在脑海中寻找关于这两人的记忆，可惜毫无所得，不单是来访二人，就是整个梁山上所有人众事务竟都毫无印象，看来伴随那声凄厉的惨叫声，这具躯体已经抹去了昔日的神识记忆，自己搞不好要扮失忆了。

唉！扮就扮吧，这也是没办法的事情。一番深思熟虑之后，王伦睁开了双眼。

首先映入眼帘的那盏油灯正昏昏暗暗地维持着，微弱的火光闪得叫人心悸，让人不由担心它随时会被黑暗吞噬。窗外的朔风此时正起劲的呜呜惨叫着，好似替眼前的这幕场景注脚。

“咳咳……我这是在哪里？”王伦轻咳一声，说出了跨越千年后的第一句话。

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As night deepened, the entire Li'erwa gradually fell into tranquility.

Except for the relentless north wind that still blew strongly, there was no human sound in front of the mountain pass, not even the night patrolmen came out, but instead huddled in thick quilts to avoid the cold.

A dim candlelight leaked out from the crack of a window in a stone house on the back mountain. The crackling sound of burning charcoal inside the house added a faint trace of human warmth to the night that had fallen into deep sleep.

At this moment, two dispirited men were sitting idly in the stone house, aimlessly poking the charcoal fire in the basin, occasionally letting out a sigh of sorrow. The dim firelight in the basin reflected on their faces, making their worried expressions appear particularly gloomy.

"Alright, Old Three, stop poking that charcoal, we can't even see the fire anymore!" one of them said.

"Ah..." Old Three sighed again, speaking with a double meaning, "Brother Seven, it doesn't matter if we can't see the fire, but now we can't even see any hope for ourselves!"

It turned out that these two men were Yan Qi and Jia San, whom Du Qian had ordered to stay by the bed to take care of Wang Lun.

"Who says it isn't so! We are at least somewhat literate, risking our lives in this business, for what? I thought we could follow him..." Yan Qi stood up, subconsciously changing his position to face away from the sickbed, and continued to complain, "I thought we could have a life of wealth and honor with him, but who knew he would die so soon, dragging us here to wait for death with him!"

When Jia San heard Yan Qi speak so bluntly, he was startled and subconsciously glanced at the patient on the bed. This action immediately earned him a mocking laugh, "What, are you afraid he'll hear you? Have you ever heard of anyone surviving after being struck by lightning? It's only because Du Qian and Song Wan have some sense of righteousness that they are trying to save him like a dead horse!"

"Ah? But you were shouting so loudly in front of everyone... The chief is still showing signs of life, how can you be so sure?" Jia San, still feeling guilty, asked hurriedly.

Yan Qi smiled ambiguously, "I always say you lack knowledge, and you really do. This is called a last flicker of light, do you understand? Being struck by lightning is a heavenly punishment! Even if we brought in the imperial physician, what could he do? I think he has no chance of survival this time. We should make plans early!" As he said this, Yan Qi spat on the ground, and continued, "This guy won't live much longer, and the bandit camp will eventually be led by Du Qian. I see that the people around him are all rough and crude, how can they compare to our cleverness? In the future, when we take advantage of the gap during his burial, I'll go talk to Du Qian. With our skills in reading people, we'll surely get a position as his trusted confidants. Hmph!"

Jia San was quite moved by this, but still felt uneasy, "Can this really work? After all, we have always followed the chief. Will Du Qian have any thoughts about it?"

"What thoughts could he have? You know him! Du Qian is a straightforward person, not like this guy with his petty mind, making us suffer so much in the past and be so cautious! If we follow Du Qian, life will be much easier in the future!" As he said this, Yan Qi laughed with satisfaction.

"These words are exactly what I wanted to hear! Among the leaders in the bandit camp, the chief is the most cunning, but Du and Song are straightforward and easy to get along with!" Jia San, swayed by his words, nodded in agreement.

"Even if Du Qian doesn't recognize our worth, the benefits we've gained in the past half year are enough for us to live the rest of our lives! When we find an opportunity to leave the mountain, we can find a place where no one knows us, marry a few wives, buy dozens of acres of good land, and live a stable and wealthy life. Isn't that better than serving people here?" As he said this, Yan Qi, remembering Wang Lun's past kindness, pushed the fire basin closer to the bed with his foot.

With a glimmer of hope in their hearts, the two men no longer looked as gloomy as before. They felt more and more excited as they talked, and eventually burst into unrestrained laughter, treating Wang Lun on the bed as if he were already dead.

...

"Where are my confidants!?"

A heart-wrenching scream startled Wang Lun, who was lying on the sickbed, making his muscles tremble uncontrollably. He felt a surge of turbid air in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

After an unknown period of time, the indescribable feeling of depression gradually dissipated, and his body gradually regained sensation. The discomfort he had felt before seemed to have vanished with that sudden scream. Wang Lun tried to move his fingers and toes, and found them as flexible as before.

He was puzzled, unable to understand what had just happened. Since he had woken up, this was the first time he had strongly felt the abnormality of this body. Could it be that the conversation of the two men under the bed had triggered the residual consciousness in this body? And that scream that had startled him, where had he seen it before? Ah, right! It was the last words he had left when Lin Chong overthrew Wang Lun!

Wang Lun was stunned for a while, but still couldn't figure it out. Science couldn't explain the various experiences he had had. He shook his head in secret, what was the point of thinking about these things now?

Isn't that right?

Complaining is useless, anger is useless, and lamenting is also useless. These things can't change the reality that has already become a fact. Now, in this Water Margin world of the late Northern Song Dynasty, he was no longer a spectator. With the sound of fate's whistle, he had been substituted onto the field. Regardless of whether the future would bring good or bad fortune, he had already replaced the former Wang Lun.

Well, since I'm here, I should do something! I can't just be a bystander. Besides, sitting and waiting for death has never been my character. Since there's no way to retreat or turn back, I will make myself, the new leader of Liangshan, rewrite a song of praise for the Liangshan heroes!

Of course, the premise of all this is to survive!

...

"Knock... knock knock..."

A few rhythmic knocks on the door brought Wang Lun back to his senses. It also interrupted the two men by the fire basin, Yan Qi and Jia San, who quickly stopped talking and put on a sad expression to open the door.

Two medium-built, shrewd-looking men stepped into the room and asked, "We just heard laughter and noise inside. Has the chief woken up?"

"The chief is still in a deep sleep. The laughter and noise were just us praying for his recovery!" Yan Qi, quick on his feet, quickly explained.

The two visitors exchanged a glance, their brows furrowed in suspicion, but they didn't argue with Yan Qi and Jia San. Instead, they walked straight to the bedside.

The two men who had been left behind, feeling guilty, followed closely behind. Jia San, trying to make conversation, said, "The chief seemed to have some awareness just now, his arm moved a bit, but he didn't wake up! Brothers, could it be that the chief is having a last flicker of light?"

The two visitors glared at Jia San, but didn't respond. They just tucked the blanket around Wang Lun and observed him for a while. Seeing that Wang Lun still showed no signs of movement, they didn't leave immediately but sat down on the stools.

Seeing that the visitors had no intention of leaving and had sat down, Yan Qi and Jia San, feeling guilty, lowered their heads, afraid that their previous得意忘形的行为会招来责骂。

Sure enough, not long after, one of the visitors asked sternly, "Yan Qi, Jia San, tell me, how has the chief treated us in the past?"

"This, this... with great kindness, with great kindness..." the two men stammered, hurriedly answering.

"Then why are you so disrespectful, laughing and joking by the chief's sickbed?" the other visitor asked, his tone accusatory.

Yan Qi and Jia San exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away. Yan Qi, with a look of fear, replied, "We, we saw the chief show some signs of movement just now, and we were so happy that we lost control. Please, brothers, punish us!"

The two visitors' faces softened slightly at this. The one closest to the bed spoke, "Don't let your thoughts run wild. We four have been trusted by the chief and are his confidants. Now that the chief is in trouble, we must not lose our composure!"

"If it were just a common illness, it would be fine, and he would recover in a few days. But the chief was struck by lightning, and it's likely to be a bad omen..." Jia San couldn't help but mutter. Before he could finish, he was cut off by the visitor, "Enough! Don't speak nonsense. If you offend the chief's body, you will be held responsible!"

"Old Zheng is right, you two must not panic! Old Zheng and I have our duties and cannot stay by the chief's side all the time. Taking care of the chief is your responsibility! When the chief wakes up, he won't forget your efforts. So, pull yourselves together and don't be negligent!" The other visitor, seeing his companion's sharp words, tried to smooth things over.

Yan Qi