Chapter 33

In today's world, the city with the largest scale, the most population, the richest culture, the best medical care, and the greatest fame is not in the sleeping Americas, not in the dark Europe, nor in the two river basins of West Asia and North Africa, which gave birth to ancient civilizations. It is only under Wang Lun's feet at this moment.

Standing at the center of this most prosperous and flourishing city in the world today, Wang Lun couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

This thousand-year-old city, the capital of ten dynasties, is not only the true center of the Song Dynasty but also the global center of economic and cultural exchange. At this moment, it is burning with the last of its vitality, sparing no effort to display the incomparable brilliance of the Chinese nation to the outside world.

Unfortunately, not long from now, the Jurchens, who rose between the Black Mountains and White Waters, will point their military might here. This scene of human prosperity, which seems like a fairyland, will be brutally exposed to the hooves of the foreign invaders, to be burned, plundered, destroyed, and disgraced.

The fate that the bustling and crowded Song citizens on the streets are about to face will exhaust all the words that historians can imagine, representing disaster and suffering.

Wang Lun sighed in his heart.

Unlike Jiao Ting, who was only staring greedily at the prosperity in front of the Great National Temple, Wang Lun's gaze rested on the ruins by the temple, which were overshadowed by the bustling atmosphere.

He turned to Yang Zhi and said, "Commander, is this the former residence of General Mian?"

Yang Zhi was slightly stunned upon hearing this, then nodded and sighed, "I didn't expect that Scholar Wang would know? This is indeed the site of the former residence of Lord Di!" This Di Qing, who came from a humble background, had achieved countless military merits in his lifetime, later becoming a Deputy Chief of the Military Council and a high-ranking official, a legend in the hearts of Song military men. Unfortunately, he was soon unable to tolerate the public opinion of the court and was exiled a few years later. He died in depression less than half a year after that. His old residence in Tokyo was destroyed in a fire and had not been preserved, and over the years, it had become part of the Great National Temple's vegetable garden.

"An emperor orders the arrest of a meritorious general, surrounded by swords and soldiers, bound with ropes, trembling in fear. Today's heroic spirit, yesterday's Great Wall..." Wang Lun shook his head and said softly.

Seeing Yang Zhi looking at him with deep eyes, Wang Lun sighed and didn't say much more, only bowing and saying, "Farewell, Commander, take care!"

This scene deeply moved Yang Zhi, who for a moment couldn't think of how to address Wang Lun. After a long silence, he finally said, "Brother, take care!"

Wang Lun stepped forward, took his hand, and instructed, "No matter what, through heaven and earth, Commander, don't forget the brothers in Shandong!"

Yang Zhi nodded heavily, sighed deeply, bade farewell to Wang Lun, and turned to step onto the path of fame and fortune.

At this moment, Jiao Ting came forward and asked, "Brother, why don't you invite this hero to join the mountain and gather for a cause?"

Wang Lun shook his head with great emotion, pointing to the crossroads in front of them, "Look at this intersection, bustling with people, not everyone chooses the same path!"

Jiao Ting still didn't understand, looking puzzled, and shook his head. Wang Lun chuckled, didn't insist, and just took him for a stroll in the market. When they walked near the vegetable garden not far from the Great National Temple, Wang Lun recalled the story of Lu Zhishen uprooting the willow tree and stopped to watch.

Suddenly, he heard someone speaking loudly from the nearby ruins. Wang Lun listened carefully and heard something like, "You scoundrels, you let the Flower Monk escape, and you still dare to linger in this Tokyo city? Haven't you had enough of the beating from the Grand Marshal? In the past, we didn't interfere with each other, but since Lord Gao has spoken, I will beat you every time I see you. I was busy recently and didn't have time to deal with you scoundrels. Now that you've run into me, let me give you a good beating!"

Then another voice came, "Niu Er, you, who are a street thug, actually serve the Gao family like a dog. What face do you have to meet us? Pah!" This was followed by a series of contemptuous spits, as a group of people kept spitting.

"Whether it's Lord Gao or Grand Marshal Gao, even if we were all street thugs in the past, they now have money, power, and influence! What about you scoundrels, who are so useless, stealing vegetables from the garden every day, and still talking about face!"

"We steal vegetables, but we are better than you who serve as dogs! Even worse, you serve the broken family of Gao Qiu. You, who are good people, choose to be dogs to the powerful!"

"Ha, still talking back, beat them!" the first voice said angrily.

The sound of a fight broke out. Wang Lun glanced at Jiao Ting, and the two of them walked into the ruins. They saw two groups fighting, with one group clearly having the upper hand, and the other group, about a dozen people, barely holding their ground.

The ruffians who were fighting saw strangers come in and shouted, "We're busy, get out of here! If you take another step, we'll beat you too!"

"Who's your grandpa?" a deep voice came from behind Wang Lun, which was Jiao Ting.

"Your... oh!" A burly man, relying on his numbers, stepped forward to provoke, but before he could finish, Jiao Ting grabbed his arm joint, causing intense pain, and he cried out.

The cries of the man startled the two groups of ruffians who were fighting. They all stopped and looked over. Wang Lun looked at the group being beaten and asked the two who seemed to be the leaders, "Who is Zhang San, the Rat in the Street, and who is Li Si, the Green Snake?"

The smaller group of ruffians saw that the white-clad scholar's companion was skilled, and with one move, he injured a tough guy from Niu Er's gang. They thought these two might be friends, not enemies. A bruised man stepped forward and respectfully answered, "I am Zhang San, the Rat in the Street, and this man next to me is Li Si, the Green Snake!"

Wang Lun smiled and nodded, then suddenly changed his expression and said, "Beat them!"

Zhang San and Li Si were startled, wondering when they had offended these two tough guys. Everyone huddled together, ready to defend themselves.

But Jiao Ting laughed and rushed into the larger group. The ruffians who were watching were shocked and hurriedly tried to defend themselves. Jiao Ting, undaunted by their numbers, attacked with precision, targeting the joints and vital points of his opponents. With his strength and skill, most of them were thrown to the ground, crying out in pain, unable to fight back.

Seeing this, the leader of the ruffians, Niu Er, pulled out a dagger from his waist. Everyone shouted, "Niu Er, are you following the rules? Using a knife in a street fight, are you still a hero?"

Niu Er ignored them and cautiously approached Jiao Ting. He knew that this man was a formidable opponent. His subordinates, experienced street fighters, were all taken down with one move and couldn't get up. This made him fearful, so he had to use a weapon to boost his courage.

As they closed the distance, Niu Er aimed for a non-fatal spot on Jiao Ting's abdomen and stabbed. In the shock of the crowd, Jiao Ting calmly used a family-secret technique, "Empty Hand Against White Blade."

There was a crack, and the dagger fell to the ground. Niu Er's hand was broken. Jiao Ting grinned and kicked Niu Er's knee, causing another bone to break. Niu Er screamed and collapsed, unable to get up.

Seeing this, Zhang San and Li Si seized the opportunity, shouted, and led their group to attack. They beat Niu Er's remaining men so badly that they fled in terror. Wang Lun, seeing that it was enough, called out, and Zhang San and Li Si stopped their men. After all, this was in the capital, and while the authorities usually ignored street fights, a death would be a different matter.

"Take your dogs and get out! I'll beat you every time I see you!" Jiao Ting said in a deep voice, mimicking the ruffians' words.

After Niu Er's group left, Zhang San and Li Si gathered their men and thanked Wang Lun, "Thank you, sir, for your help!" They were experienced street fighters and could tell that Wang Lun and Jiao Ting had a master-servant relationship.

Wang Lun waved his hand, seeing that the place was quiet and no one else was around, he asked, "Were you the ones who helped the Flower Monk Lu Zhishen escape?"

The ruffians looked at each other and said, "It was our group, but many couldn't take the beating and submitted to Grand Marshal Gao. Only we ten or so remained. We thought Gao Qiu would let us go, but Gao Qiang still came to harass us! Humph! We are all street fighters, and a few beatings won't make us submit. Pah..."

Wang Lun smiled and said, "Although your skills are not great, you still have some sense of righteousness, which is quite commendable!"

Hearing this, Zhang San and Li Si suddenly remembered that Wang Lun had called their names and asked, "Sir, how do you know our names?"

Wang Lun didn't answer but had Jiao Ting take out twenty taels of gold and put it on the ground. "You can either ignore what I'm about to say, take the gold, and leave. Today's matter will be settled. But if you stay and listen, and if you dare to leak a single word to outsiders, the consequences will be more severe than just broken hands and feet!"

The ruffians looked at each other, unsure when such a ruthless person had appeared in the capital. His accent seemed to be from the Jiangdong region, and though he was dressed as a scholar, his words and actions exuded the aura of a leader. He also had a fierce companion. They all thought this white-clad scholar was no ordinary person. Zhang San and Li Si exchanged glances and decided to form a bond with him, so they nodded and said, "We don't want the money; we are willing to listen to you, sir!"