Chapter 29

"Report! The army has returned! However... however, two leaders have been hit by several arrows, and they are now less than ten miles away from the inn!"

The urgent report startled Wang Lun and the brothers Zhu Gui and Zhu Fu, who were chatting in the waterside pavilion. Upon hearing that two leaders had been hit by arrows, Wang Lun was shocked and quickly stood up, asking the scout, "Which two leaders? Where were they hit?"

"The injured are the third and ninth leaders. Neither of them were hit in vital areas. Leader Du Qian was hit in the arm, and Leader Ruan Xiaoqi was hit in the calf. Both were saved by Leader Lin Chong and are now on their way back!" Seeing the anxious expression of the chief, the scout hurriedly provided more details.

Wang Lun let out a sigh of relief. It was good that their injuries were not serious. Losing either of them would have been unbearable. Fortunately, Lin Chong was there tonight to save them, or the gang would have suffered a significant loss.

"Scout again!" Wang Lun waved his hand to the scout.

Looking at the equally anxious Zhu brothers, Wang Lun said, "I can't sit still. Brothers, come with me to meet them!"

The two brothers, without a word, quickly followed Wang Lun out of the inn. As they passed through the inn's hall, Zhu Gui picked up two broadswords, handed one to his brother, and took a torch, calling a few waiting gang members to bring their weapons and follow closely behind Wang Lun.

Soon, they encountered the returning Liangshan army. Under the torchlight, Wang Lun saw that his troops seemed normal. Although the front ranks of the gang members did not show joy, they also did not look deeply saddened. His heart, which had been tightly suspended, gradually relaxed.

Someone in the ranks had already spotted the chief and quickly ordered the troops to stop. Soon, Lin Chong, helping Du Qian, and Zheng Qian, supporting Ruan Xiaoqi, emerged from the back. Wang Lun, along with the Zhu brothers, hurriedly went to meet them and asked anxiously, "Brothers, how are your injuries?"

"Brother, it's nothing! It's like being bitten by a mosquito. Although I bled a bit, it's not serious. I'll be fine after resting for two days!" Ruan Xiaoqi shouted, though he was hit by an arrow, he still seemed in good spirits.

At this moment, Du Qian gritted his teeth and said, "That damn county magistrate had crossbows hidden in his house. If it weren't for Brother Lin Chong, we would have been hit with more arrows!"

Wang Lun hurriedly thanked Lin Chong with a bow. Lin Chong, supporting Du Qian with one hand, could not return the bow but held Wang Lun's hand and said, "Brother, I am now part of the gang. It's my duty, no need to thank me!"

Wang Lun nodded repeatedly and asked what had happened. Lin Chong explained, "At first, everything went smoothly. From breaking into the manor to killing the county magistrate, it was all over in a blink. The manor's guards, though fierce, were no match for our gang. However, just as we were about to return, cold arrows suddenly flew from the roof, hitting our rear ranks. Brothers Du Qian and Ruan Xiaoqi were caught off guard and were hit!" Lin Chong looked ashamed, regretting not protecting the two brothers better.

Du Qian laughed at Lin Chong, "If it weren't for Brother Lin throwing a spear to kill the two bandits on the roof, Ruan Xiaoqi and I would have been hit more times!" He then laughed again, "These bandits had good eyesight. They saw that the three of us were the leaders. The first arrow missed Brother Lin, so they aimed at us two unlucky ones, making me, Du Qian, flustered and Ruan Xiaoqi roll around in pain!"

"Phew! Brother Du, don't talk nonsense. I, Ruan Xiaoqi, never rolled around in pain..." Ruan Xiaoqi, getting excited, accidentally pulled his wound and winced in pain.

Seeing that the two were still in good spirits, Wang Lun was relieved. Suddenly, he remembered that poison was commonly used in the regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou, and he asked Lin Chong, "Brother, were the arrows poisoned?"

Lin Chong shook his head, "Brother, don't worry. I checked the roof. They were just standard military arrows, not coated with anything else!"

Wang Lun was relieved and told the two injured men, "Brothers, go up the mountain to rest and recover!" He then ordered the gang members to prepare the mountain, instructing them to have strong liquor ready to disinfect before applying medicine.

After Wang Lun finished his instructions, everyone was about to set off when an old man and a young man and woman came running and crying toward them. Everyone stopped, and the old man, upon reaching Du Qian, fell to his knees, crying and bowing, speaking incoherently. Ruan Xiaoqi found this ominous, and everyone was surprised, not understanding the relationship between the old man and Du Qian, which seemed like a funeral.

Du Qian, seeing this, was at a loss, saying, "I'm not dead. Who are you, and what's going on?"

Wang Lun glanced at Zhu Gui, who quickly went forward to help the old man up and asked what was wrong. The old man just cried uncontrollably, unable to speak. At this moment, the young man behind the old man stepped forward and explained, "Chief, leaders, I am Li Ye. This is my father. Seeing Leader Du Qian take revenge for our family and get injured, he is very sad. Please forgive us!"

Everyone finally understood. Du Qian said, "Li Ye, please take your father back. I'm fine, no need to worry. I apologize for any rudeness."

Li Ye hurriedly thanked Du Qian. At this moment, the old man, who had been crying, suddenly said, "Leader Du, you took revenge for our family and shed blood for us. I have nothing to offer in return, but I beg you to take my daughter as your wife to serve you and repay your kindness!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Fortunately, it was dark, so Du Qian's face, red like Guan Yu's, was not fully visible. He stammered, "Ah! Ah? This... this... is not possible!" Seeing his brothers laughing, he hurriedly explained, "I didn't come down the mountain to marry your daughter. It's not right... not right! I've never seen you in the gang! Did you come up the mountain with Li Ye?"

The more he explained, the more everyone laughed. Annoyed, he snatched a torch from a gang member and threw it to the ground. Lin Chong, who was supporting him, could hardly hold back his laughter and let him be.

Seeing this, Wang Lun waved his hand to everyone and said to the old man, "We don't do that in our gang!" Du Qian, hearing this, felt that Wang Lun was truly loyal. Among so many people, only his brother was good! But then Wang Lun laughed and said, "If your daughter is willing, we, as brothers, won't object. Let her decide, and no one should speak!"

Everyone burst into even louder laughter. Du Qian wished he could find a hole to hide in and never see these brothers again.

Wang Lun spoke, and a quick-witted gang member raised a torch behind the girl so that the leaders could see her clearly.

Everyone looked and saw that the girl was tall and graceful, like a lotus just out of the water, with a delicate beauty. Her face was fair, with red lips and white teeth, and her eyebrows were finely arched. Her charming demeanor made her a rare beauty. Everyone secretly praised her, waiting for her to speak.

The girl, seeing so many rough and tough men looking at her, felt a sudden shyness. She lowered her head, fidgeting with the hem of her light blue silk robe, biting her lower lip, and her shy and charming posture made the surrounding gang members stare in amazement.

After a while, no one heard the girl speak, and they didn't know if she was willing or not. Wang Lun laughed and said, "Girl, if you keep hesitating, Leader Du's blood will be gone!"

The girl was startled and quickly looked at Du Qian. Seeing that her tall and strong benefactor, though looking strange, did not seem seriously injured, she realized she had been tricked. She lowered her head, her face turning red, and her charming posture made Du Qian also stare in amazement.

"Done!" Wang Lun laughed and said to Du Qian, "Prepare to be a bridegroom!" He then ignored the couple and called everyone back to the mountain. In the midst of everyone's laughter, Wang Lun took over from Zheng Qian and supported Ruan Xiaoqi, who looked unwilling and kept repeating, "Brother, I also went down the mountain, I also got injured, I also took revenge for them, right? Why am I not involved now?"

Note: It's a new week, and the new book rankings are very important to the author. I hope everyone will help by giving a few recommendation votes! I thank you all!

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