Chapter 38

Outside the long pavilion,

By the ancient road,

The green grass stretches to the sky.

The evening breeze stirs the willows, and the flute's melody lingers,

The setting sun hides behind the mountains.

At the edge of the sky,

At the corner of the earth,

Old friends are scattered.

A pot of turbid wine to enjoy the remaining joy,

The cold night will part the dreams.

...

For some reason, Wang Lun, looking at the unusual scenery outside the farewell pavilion, felt the sad melody lingering in his heart.

"Sir, aren't those four people Teacher Xu and his companions!"

Li Si, the Grass Snake, had sharp eyes and quickly reported, causing Wang Lun and the others to look down the ancient road. They saw a man at the front wearing heavy shackles, his hands bound in front of him, his brows furrowed with worry, suppressing the heroic spirit in his body, looking dejected and weary.

Two bailiffs followed listlessly behind, while Tang Long trailed far behind, several dozen paces away.

At this moment, Tang Long also saw the situation and hurriedly caught up, which immediately drew the scolding of the two bailiffs. Hearing their words, Tang Long frowned but still approached and whispered a few words to his brother, then stepped back.

The man at the front, upon hearing this, hurriedly looked over, his steps quickening. He then heard the bailiff behind him shout, "Xu Ning! You are a distinguished person in the imperial army, how can you be so ignorant? This journey is hundreds of miles long, how can you decide to go fast or slow, to stop or not?"

Tang Long, with a humble demeanor, said, "Big brothers, there are some old friends ahead, just a few words and we'll be on our way!"

The bailiff continued to scold, but another bailiff said, "Let them talk for a bit, what's the harm? We've been walking for half a day, we're tired. We can rest in the pavilion ahead! Teacher Xu, go ahead, we'll rest here!"

Xu Ning, grateful, looked back and then hurried toward the group. The two bailiffs, seeing this, exchanged glances and quickened their pace. Tang Long stayed by his brother's side, never leaving.

As the two groups met, the bailiffs saw the pavilion filled with food and drink, clearly prepared for Xu Ning, and they started eating and drinking without hesitation. The others, seeing their arrogance, were very displeased. Wang Lun pretended not to notice, his eyes fixed on Xu Ning. He saw that the Spearman was indeed a fine figure, six feet tall, with a round white face and a fine black beard, broad-shouldered and strong-waisted. Before Wang Lun could speak, Xu Ning called out from a distance, "I've heard much about your kindness from my brother, how you spent money and ran around for me, I am deeply moved! But I, a mere man, have never met you, what virtue do I have to deserve such kindness?"

"Teacher Xu's name is known throughout the capital, my brother Lin Chong has often spoken of your heroism. How could I stand by and watch you suffer?" Wang Lun said, clasping his hands.

Hearing this, Xu Ning's eyes reddened, and he exclaimed, "Lin Chong!?"

Wang Lun nodded, smiling. Xu Ning murmured, "On the day Lin Chong was exiled, I was serving the emperor and couldn't see him off, which was very impolite. I never thought that today... sigh!" He wanted to bow to Wang Lun but realized his hands were bound. He sighed deeply, feeling dejected.

Seeing this, Wang Lun clasped his hands and said to the two bailiffs in the pavilion, "Please be kind and make things easier for us!"

The two bailiffs, engrossed in eating, barely glanced at Wang Lun. Wang Lun chuckled and repeated, "Please be kind and make things easier for us!"

Finally, one of them looked up, sneering, "Where did you come from, you barbarian? The law of the state—"

Before he could finish, Zhang San rushed over and slapped him hard. The sound was crisp, and the man fell to the ground. The other bailiff, shocked, still had half a chicken bone in his mouth, instinctively reaching for his saber. Suddenly, a dozen men surrounded him, grinning and flexing their muscles, daring him to draw his weapon.

The man's face changed, and he quickly smiled, saying to his companion, "What's the harm in letting them talk? Teacher Xu is the most law-abiding, he won't run away."

Tang Long, furious, said, "If my brother and I leave, how will you two dogs explain it?"

The man, embarrassed, dared not answer and hurriedly unlocked Xu Ning's shackles. Xu Ning said kindly, "My brother was just joking, please don't take it to heart!"

The man hurriedly smiled, "Of course not, Teacher Xu, please take your time!"

The bailiff who had been slapped struggled to his feet, though he didn't dare speak, his eyes were full of anger, clearly plotting something.

Seeing this, Zhang San looked at Wang Lun for approval. Wang Lun nodded slightly, and Zhang San grinned, saying to the bailiff, "Haven't you had enough to eat? Brothers, let's give this official from Kaifeng a little more to eat!"

As he spoke, a dozen men shouted, "What an honor!" and rushed forward, pushing the bailiff to the ground and raining blows on him. After a while, they found bending over tiring and stood up, kicking the bailiff on the ground. The other bailiff, seeing this, was terrified and hid behind Xu Ning, trembling.

After a while, the men, rubbing their waists and feet, groaned, saying it was tiring. Li Si, the Grass Snake, scolded, "You useless ones, it's so tiring to beat someone, watch me!" He demonstrated, jumping and stomping on the bailiff, saying, "See, this way it's not tiring!"

Xu Ning, feeling a bit sorry, approached Wang Lun and pleaded, "Sir, please spare them, if you keep beating them, they might die!"

Wang Lun, seeing this, smiled and nodded, calling Zhang San and the others to stop. He walked to the bailiff on the ground, who was begging pitifully, and squatted down, saying, "To tell the truth, you two are quite expensive. I just found out that it costs a thousand strings of cash to have you two bailiffs escort someone in exile. Save me some money, I don't have so much to give to your superiors!"

The bailiff on the ground groaned, unable to speak. The other bailiff, hearing this, was terrified and quickly said, "We dare not ask for money, we will serve Teacher Xu well, we will not be negligent!"

Wang Lun smiled and nodded, saying to the man on the ground, "I've heard that bailiffs have different roles, one plays the good cop, the other the bad cop. You are not up to the task, yet you insist on being the bad cop! Are Dong Chao and Xue Ba good at it? After this, think about changing your attitude, so you won't get beaten as often!" He stood up and called to the other bailiff, "Drag this one out, I want to talk to Teacher Xu!"

The other bailiff, like a dog, hurriedly dragged his colleague out, and Zhang San and the others followed, grinning, "You are Xue Wu, you live in West Chicken Alley, you are Ma Liu, you live on Zhao Ten Thousand's Road..."

Regardless of what Zhang San and the others were doing to the bailiffs, Wang Lun invited Xu Ning and Tang Long into the pavilion to sit. Tang Long, walking, said, "It feels good! Sir, this really makes me feel good! These two scoundrels, after taking my money, wouldn't let me stay by my brother's side. I had to follow far behind. If my brother hadn't insisted, I would have beaten them to death!"

After Tang Long finished cursing, Wang Lun saw that Xu Ning looked worried and chuckled, saying, "Teacher, don't worry, the bailiffs in Kaifeng are all dogs! After this lesson, they won't dare to act up. On the journey, you can go when you want to go, rest when you want to rest, and take care of your injuries first!"

Hearing this, Xu Ning was deeply moved and thanked Wang Lun, who helped him up. Seeing his state, Wang Lun knew that Xu Ning was unwilling to join him on the mountain, so he didn't mention it, only saying, "Today, your case was decided, and the bailiffs were assigned. I had someone follow them from the moment they left the court until they returned to the office, and no one contacted them. It seems that Gao Qiu has achieved his goal and has no further intention to harm you. You can rest assured! But the journey is three hundred miles long, take care of yourself. When you reach Mengzhou, remember to send a letter to comfort me!"

Hearing this, Xu Ning shed tears, "I have suffered much, and was betrayed by a small man. Fortunately, I met a noble person who saved me from my suffering! This kindness is hard to repay, if we meet again, I will work as a horse or a cow to repay you!"

Wang Lun, seeing this, comforted him, holding his hand and urging him to drink. Seeing Tang Long sighing, he smiled and thanked him, "The two thousand catties of fine iron from the Western Regions, I owe it to you. Today, let's drink together to show my gratitude!"

Tang Long, hearing this, hurriedly said, "I dare not, I dare not. It was only after hearing from Zhang San that I knew you wanted to buy fine iron. Otherwise, I would have invited you to the store that day. Now, the store has sold hundreds of catties, and I feel very guilty!"

Wang Lun waved his hand, "With those two thousand catties, it's enough! I don't dare to ask for more!"

Tang Long stood up and bowed, "After escorting my brother to Mengzhou and settling him, I will go to the capital to fetch my sister-in-law. When my brother's family is reunited, I will definitely visit you in Jizhou and forge the iron into weapons to repay your kindness!"