Chapter 31

"Rascal, return my luggage and valuables!"

The man with the green face hurried up to the front, but suddenly stopped. He suddenly realized that his load of goods was untouched, quietly placed by the roadside. The two men leaning against the rocks were looking at him with a smile, their eyes full of amusement. He was a meticulous person and immediately felt something was amiss. He then calmed down, pondered for a moment, closed his mouth, and walked forward with his head down, picking up the load.

Suddenly, he heard a gust of wind by his ear. He quickly dodged, and saw a long spear fly past him, landing ten inches in front of him, the handle still buzzing. The man was greatly startled, hastily dropped the load, and instinctively gripped the broadsword in his hand, looking around with great caution.

He saw a tall man already standing up, holding a spear, making a gesture inviting him to fight. The man with the green face, seeing no way to avoid it, sighed, and raised his sword, ready to engage in battle.

Suddenly, a voice came from the other side: "Yang Zhizhi, your broadsword can only defend against ordinary people, but it cannot defend against my brother! I have already prepared a spear for you. Let us see the legendary Yang family spear technique!"

The man with the green face was greatly shocked. It seemed that today would not end well. Since the other side had already figured out his background and still dared to ambush him with only two people, they were either mad or confident in their ability to overpower him.

Thinking about this, Yang Zhizhi's palms gradually became sweaty, and his eyes involuntarily glanced at the load. But where was the family heirloom broadsword? This action immediately drew another round of words from the other side. He heard the white-robed scholar laugh and say, "Commander, my brother also has such a fine broadsword, but unfortunately, it is not with him now. Otherwise, he could have played with you!" After saying this, the man playfully took out Yang Zhizhi's family heirloom broadsword, praising it, "What a fine sword, what a fine sword!" After playing with it for a while, he smiled at Yang Zhizhi and said, "Commander, use the spear this time!"

Yang Zhizhi grunted, and thrust the broadsword into the ground. The broadsword stood firmly, deeply embedded in the ground. It was known that the ground in the cold winter was as hard as steel, and this skill was truly impressive. Lin Chong, seeing this, praised him highly. Yang Zhizhi smiled bitterly, stepped forward, and pulled out the long spear that was also deeply embedded in the ground.

Seeing the man with the green face take the spear in hand, Lin Chong clasped his hands and invited him to fight. Yang Zhizhi jumped into the circle and engaged in battle with Lin Chong. The spear flowers were brilliant, and the fighting spirit was intense. One was like a white jade pillar supporting the sky, the other like a purple gold beam spanning the sea. Neither had any weaknesses, and both were full of bravery and might. One aimed at the heart with all his strength, the other aimed at the ribs with great spirit. They fought for more than a hundred rounds, and Lin Chong became more and more fierce, while Yang Zhizhi became more and more alarmed, secretly calling himself unlucky, thinking, "How could I encounter such a skilled opponent here? If I cannot break free, I might have to leave my life here!"

After two hundred rounds, Lin Chong saw an opening, suddenly jumped out of the circle, and clasped his hands, smiling, "The Yang family spear technique is indeed well-known, Commander Yang. I am Lin Chong, I have offended you!"

Yang Zhizhi was startled, hastily retracted his spear, and returned the salute, "I was just wondering, it turns out you are indeed the instructor!" He sighed and said, "What a fine Lin family spear technique, but I, Yang Zhizhi, am incompetent and have disgraced my ancestors. It is not that the Yang family spear has lost to the Lin family spear!"

Lin Chong smiled and said, "The Yang family spear technique is unparalleled in the world, who doesn't know! I was impolite just now. My brother and I only wanted to invite you to our mountain for a drink, but we were afraid you would not stay, so we resorted to this tactic! I have offended you!"

Seeing that Yang Zhizhi was now sincerely engaging with Lin Chong, Wang Lun couldn't help but smile.

In the original story, Yang Zhizhi and Lin Chong fought for thirty rounds, and the old chief of the bandits, Wang Zhen, stopped the fight. After that, Yang Zhizhi did not even look at Lin Chong. Even when the old chief mentioned Lin Chong's name to show his strength, Yang Zhizhi showed no reaction, not even the basic courtesy, and directly ignored Lin Chong, only asking Wang Zhen for his luggage, without any further words. Such contemptuous behavior must have made the already awkward Lin Chong feel even more uncomfortable.

Wang Lun shook his head in secret, this descendant of a military family was indeed very proud and arrogant!

No matter how skilled you are, once you join the bandits, even if you are Lin Chong, you are the same as the other leaders on the mountain, and in Yang Zhizhi's heart, you are all labeled as despicable, just like the "rascal" he called earlier.

This loyal descendant of the Song Dynasty, who only wanted to gain the recognition of the court through his skills, in order to restore the reputation of his declining family, was willing to serve under a corrupt official to achieve the goal of ennobling his wife and children and bringing glory to his family. Unfortunately, he had bad luck and failed in his official duties under Gao Qiu, losing the Flower Stone Gang, and then failed in his private affairs under Liang Zhongshu, losing the Birthday Tribute. As a result, he did not dare to report back and fled into the wilderness. If he really wanted to pursue a career in the Song Dynasty, perhaps joining the long-serving military official Tong Guan, who was constantly waging wars, would have been a better choice, but fate did not give him this opportunity.

If it weren't for his courage and integrity shown when he killed the rascal Niu Er while selling his sword, he might have fallen into the ranks of the despicable like Lu Qian.

Yang Zhizhi had principles, even if they were just basic moral standards, which were rare in this corrupt world. However, these qualities also limited him. If he wanted to succeed under a corrupt official, these excellent qualities would become obstacles to his advancement, ensuring that he would never become a trusted confidant of the corrupt, but at most a pitiful pawn, doomed to be gradually drained of all his value.

Thinking about this, Wang Lun sighed lightly and said, "I heard that Commander is passing by our small stronghold. I, Wang Lun, as the host, invite you to come up the mountain for a drink!"

Yang Zhizhi was in a dilemma. The white-robed Wang Lun was skilled, first hard and then soft, making it impossible for him to refuse. But he really did not dare to go up the mountain. How could a meticulous person like him not know the tricks of the bandits? Was it rare for bandits to force people to join their ranks?

If it were just any ordinary bandit stronghold, he could rely on his superior martial arts to escape, but this Lin Chong... Thinking about this, Yang Zhizhi looked at Lin Chong with a pleading look, but saw Lin Chong smile and say, "We only admire you, Commander, and have no other intentions! We will respectfully escort you down the mountain early tomorrow morning!"

Seeing Lin Chong say this, Yang Zhizhi felt a bit more at ease. Although they were not familiar, they were both well-known figures in the capital, and Yang Zhizhi knew Lin Chong's character well. He sighed, stepped forward, and picked up his load. Wang Lun, seeing this, smiled at Lin Chong and led the way.

Wang Lun said nothing on the way, only listening to Lin Chong and Yang Zhizhi reminiscing about old times. After reaching the mountain, Yang Zhizhi saw the bandit stronghold decorated with lanterns, and became even more suspicious, secretly thinking, "They have even prepared a ceremony. Do they really want to force me to join and take a seat? My parents gave me a clean body, how can I let it be defiled like this!" Taking advantage of the fact that they had not yet reached the place, Yang Zhizhi pulled Lin Chong aside and said, "Instructor Lin, if you force me to join, you might as well take my head now!"

Lin Chong laughed heartily and explained, "Last night, our leader Du Qian got married. Don't misunderstand, Commander!"

Seeing Wang Lun looking at him with a smile, Yang Zhizhi blushed and lowered his head, following the two to the assembly hall. Wang Lun introduced Yang Zhizhi to the other leaders on the mountain, and everyone came to offer drinks. Yang Zhizhi was overwhelmed, and his heart, which had just calmed down, became restless again. Fortunately, after this round of drinks, everyone went back to drinking, and he finally felt at ease, quietly sipping his wine.