Chapter 21

On this day, Wang Lun woke up from his nap, still feeling aches all over his body. Since that night he returned to the mountain, his body had been in constant discomfort. Not only were his muscles swollen, but his head was also constantly dizzy. He had thought that a few days of rest would be enough to recover, but the situation had only worsened.

It seems this body is still too weak! Wang Lun thought gloomily.

In his previous life, he was born in a small village in the mountains of western Hubei. Just as children by the water learn to swim, and children in the mountains are unafraid of climbing, his childhood was largely spent on the mountains with his friends "hunting." He remembered that there was a dilapidated Taoist temple on one of the mountains he often played on, where an old Taoist priest particularly liked him and would often have him practice swordsmanship. Since he started practicing swordsmanship with this Taoist, he had rarely fallen ill, and even common colds and fevers were rare. Now, a mere journey of a few dozen miles left him needing several days to recover.

Starting tomorrow, I must start practicing swordsmanship again! Wang Lun resolved. He wondered how the bearded old Taoist, who seemed like a hermit, was doing, and whether he still stood alone at dusk, sighing at the setting sun.

Sigh, it can't be returned to! Wang Lun shook his head, pulling himself out of his reverie. He knew he still had a long journey ahead, and such heavy and luxurious emotions as nostalgia were perhaps not yet appropriate for him.

...

These few days, the bandit camp had been calm. The old bandits were resting and recuperating, while the new ones were actively integrating into the group. Wang Lun knew that waiting for things to develop required patience, so when Du Qian and Song Wan showed increasing eagerness for battle, he cooled their enthusiasm.

He did not want to attract the attention of the authorities before they were strong enough. Although the troops stationed in Jizhou City were not very powerful, it was still beneficial for Liangshan to maintain a low profile.

Fortunately, the battle at Xixi Village had raised Liangshan's reputation to a new level, and over the past few days, a couple of hundred people had come to join. After being carefully selected by Zhu Gui, who had learned from his mistakes, Wang Lun handed them over to Du Qian and Song Wan for training, giving these two, who dreamed of going down the mountain, something to do.

Flipping through the almanac, it was about time for Lin Chong to arrive. According to the Water Margin, Lin Chong should have joined Liangshan on a snowy night in early December. For several days, Wang Lun had been hoping for snow, but the sky remained clear, and there was no sign of snow.

Unable to sit still, he decided to try his luck!

For several days, Wang Lun visited Li's Inn at Li Family Ferry every evening, so frequently that Zhu Gui was somewhat taken aback. Originally, he was supposed to be inspecting the construction of other inns, but because of Wang Lun's unusual behavior, Zhu Gui decided to stay at the inn, preparing dinner every day and waiting for Wang Lun's arrival, like a devoted housewife.

Should I go down again today?

Wang Lun looked at the clear sky, hesitating. Every time he saw Zhu Gui's hard work, he felt that this couldn't go on forever.

Forget it, I won't go! It's unlikely to snow anytime soon. Just then, he saw Song Wan, humming a tune out of tune, swaying towards the kitchen. Wang Lun, with nothing to do, immediately pulled him into service, inviting him to patrol the mountain together.

It was dinner time, and as Wang Lun and Song Wan walked to where the bandits were eating, they saw everyone enjoying their simple meal. Wang Lun turned to Song Wan and said, "The bandit camp slaughters sheep and chickens every day, but with over a thousand people, the meat is only enough for lunch!"

Song Wan nodded in agreement, "Ordinary farmers can only smell meat during the New Year, but thanks to you, the children can now eat meat every day on the mountain, and there's plenty of grain. Who wouldn't be grateful to you?"

Wang Lun, seeing that Song Wan had misunderstood, did not explain but shook his head and said, "The water army is still too small. If we could spare some people to fish in the lake, it would be a treat for everyone in the evening!"

Song Wan laughed, "The water army is already stretched thin, and they are all busy with their duties. Where would they find the time to fish in the lake? Don't you remember how we were kept busy all night after the battle at Xixi Village?"

Wang Lun smiled, "I have a plan! Brother, tomorrow tell Du Qian to go to the warehouse and take a twenty-tael garlic-shaped gold ingot, three thousand taels of fine silver, a sheep, five fat chickens, and have the kitchen prepare them. Also, get ten jars of good wine, not the village brew. When everything is ready, we will go to meet three heroes!"

Song Wan scratched his head, puzzled, "Brother, who are these three heroes?"

Wang Lun chuckled, "You'll know when the time comes!"

The next day, after lunch, Wang Lun instructed Du Qian on some trivial matters and then set off down the mountain with Song Wan. They were accompanied by ten bandits carrying the roasted sheep and wine. When they arrived at Jinsha Beach, a boat was already waiting. Wang Lun saw that Song Wan had prepared two clean and tidy boats and said, "One is enough!" Song Wan laughed, "Brother, you don't know how to swim, so it's safer to have two!" Wang Lun smiled and didn't argue, just called a few experienced sailors, and they all boarded the boats and rowed into the lake.

The two small boats moved for about an hour. Suddenly, they were blocked by a vast expanse of reeds. The reeds, standing over a person's height, were so dense that they blocked the view.

At this moment, a small boat appeared in the reeds, and a man in a single garment stood on it, shading his eyes and looking in their direction.

"Chief, Third Leader! This is the Shijie Lake connected to the lake, and the village of Shijie is nearby. But we haven't been inside, and we dare not enter recklessly!" The sailor stopped rowing and reported to Wang Lun and Song Wan. He was an experienced sailor and knew that without knowing the way, they could easily get lost in the reeds.

"Hey, man, can you give us directions?" Song Wan stood up and shouted to the fisherman in the reeds.

The fisherman heard them but did not immediately respond. He broke off a reed and put it in his mouth, staring at them with strange eyes. After a while, he said, "Are you bandits from the mountain, trying to spy on our village?"

Song Wan laughed, "I am a bandit from the mountain, do you dare come closer to talk?"

The man laughed loudly, showing no fear. Without a word, he took off his single garment and jumped into the icy lake with a splash.

Wang Lun, seeing this, had a plan. In such cold weather, only a madman or an expert would dare jump into the lake.

A moment later, the boat behind Wang Lun began to sway, and a few bandits were thrown into the water. The sailors on the boat were angry and wanted to fight, but Wang Lun stopped them and said, "I have a fine roasted sheep, meant for the three heroes in the village. Do you want to knock it into the lake to feed the turtles?"

As he spoke, a tattooed arm appeared on the edge of Wang Lun's boat, and a head emerged, spitting out water. After spitting, the man said, "Tell me, which three heroes?"

Wang Lun chuckled and did not answer. He took out a gourd, drank a mouthful, and threw it to the man, saying, "No rush, come up and warm yourself with some wine!"

The man caught the gourd with both hands, but did not sink. He pulled out the stopper and drank deeply. Song Wan praised, "What excellent swimming skills!"

The man laughed, "Good wine!" and threw the gourd back to Wang Lun. He then slapped the boat and shot out of the water like an arrow, landing steadily on Wang Lun's boat.

Wang Lun smiled, "Since you've tasted good wine, how can there be no meat?" He ordered his men to take out a fat chicken from the food box. Wang Lun tore off a chicken leg and chewed it, then threw the rest to the man. The man, without hesitation, took the chicken and started eating. Wang Lun took off his coat and threw it to the next boat for the bandits to dry themselves.

"Huh?"

The man, who was eating the chicken but still paying attention, was surprised by Wang Lun's action. The coat must have cost several strings of coins, yet he casually gave it to the bandits to dry themselves, and they seemed to be used to it, taking it without hesitation. This made the man secretly admire Wang Lun.

"Man, how do you address the three heroes of Shijie Village?" Wang Lun asked with a smile, already having a good idea of the man's identity.

The man threw the chicken bones into the lake and laughed, "What three heroes? Just a nickname the fishermen use. The first two are my brothers!"

"So you are Ruan Xiaqi? Ha, what a coincidence! My brother and I came down the mountain today specifically to find you and your brothers!" Song Wan laughed.

"I am Wang Lun of Liangshan, and this brother is the third leader of our bandit camp, known as the Cloudy Diamond Song Wan. Today, we came to pay respects to the three heroes of Shijie Village, who are well-known in the江湖!" Wang Lun said, bowing.

"Are you the Wang Lun known as the White Scholar of Liangshan?" Ruan Xiaqi asked in surprise.

Wang Lun nodded, "That's me! I wonder if the Second and Fifth Brothers are at home?"

"They are, they are! Chief, please follow me!" Ruan Xiaqi said happily. He and his brothers had long intended to join Liangshan but were hesitant due to their low status, fearing they would be looked down upon. Now, with Wang Lun personally visiting, they were overjoyed.

Wang Lun ordered the sailors to row into the reeds. Ruan Xiaqi, without waiting, jumped ahead and shouted, "Follow me, Chiefs!" and led the way. Wang Lun followed, and the three boats rowed into the depths of the reeds.