Chapter 40

Suddenly, upon hearing this person's voice, both Lady Zhang and Jin'er were greatly alarmed. At this moment, Instructor Zhang also quickly walked in. He was not panicked, but his eyes showed a deliberative look as he glanced at Wang Lun.

Wang Lun pondered for a moment and said to everyone, "This time, we only came to bring Sister-in-law back to reunite with her brother. We don't have the leisure to deal with this scoundrel. Who would have thought he would be so considerate, delivering himself right to our door! If heaven offers it and we do not take it, we will regret it. Instructor Zhang, why don't we lure him in first and see how things go!"

Instructor Zhang nodded solemnly upon hearing this and turned to open the door. Wang Lun then instructed everyone to hide in different rooms, waiting quietly for the scoundrel to fall into the trap.

Soon, a frivolous voice was heard from the courtyard, saying, "These fellows are so lazy and negligent! I told them to take good care of my father-in-law's family, but now I can't even see a single person. They didn't even say hello and ran back to celebrate the New Year! When these fellows come to pay their respects tomorrow, Father-in-law, you will see, I won't give them a good face!"

Then, Instructor Zhang's cold voice was heard, "It's late, and there are many women in the house. It's not convenient. Sir, please go back!"

The scoundrel, Gao Yanei, had a stubborn nature. He wouldn't leave even when chased away and would retreat when hit. Seeing that Instructor Zhang was displeased and wanted to drive him away, he deliberately did the opposite, squeezing his way into the house. The four lackeys behind him also followed their master into the courtyard. Instructor Zhang stepped aside, a cold smile on his face, and closed the door.

The rogue Gao Qiang, with four ruffian lackeys, strutted into the hall, Instructor Zhang following from a distance. As soon as Gao Yanei entered, he saw the room brightly lit and turned back to laugh, "Father-in-law, are you keeping the New Year's vigil? Where is my wife? Why don't I see her? Please bring my wife out to meet me!"

Instructor Zhang remained stern and silent, standing at the entrance of the hall. Gao Yanei was a bit embarrassed, but then he saw a white-robed scholar come out of Lady Zhang's room. Gao Yanei was shocked and quickly said, "Father-in-law, are you senile? How can a man come out of my wife's room!?" The four lackeys also rose and loudly rebuked the white-robed man.

The scholar sneered and stepped aside, and suddenly, several large men surged out from inside. From Instructor Zhang's bedroom, five or six more men emerged, surrounding Gao Yanei and his four lackeys in the center of the hall. The four lackeys, seeing the situation, were already panicked. When they saw Instructor Zhang take up a spear, they hurriedly abandoned their master and tried to escape. Instructor Zhang, however, would not let them, and with his skills, he knocked them all to the ground. The four men lay on the ground, wailing.

"You had a way to heaven but didn't take it, and now you've come to hell! Gao Qiang, are you tired of living?" Wang Lun stepped forward and shouted at Gao Yanei.

Gao Yanei, originally a street thug, was adopted by Gao Qiu, who had no children. Seeing the situation, Gao Yanei immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, "I was wrong, I was wrong! I will change, I will definitely change! I won't come to disturb you again. Please, Lady... no, Lady Lin and all the heroes, spare me this time!"

Suddenly, a smell of urine spread in the air, and everyone covered their noses. Wang Lun, seeing how despicable this man was, lost interest in arguing with him and gave a signal to Jiao Ting. This brute then stepped forward and knocked out all five of them with heavy blows.

Wang Lun then instructed Zhang San and Li Si to take the five men to a side room. The ruffians, two or three to a man, carried these heavy drunkards away.

Now, only Jiao Ting and Instructor Zhang's family remained in the hall. Wang Lun said to Instructor Zhang, "In my opinion, it's not the right time to take Gao Yanei's life. Our group has both the old and the young, and the journey to Jizhou is a thousand miles. If we kill Gao Qiang now, it will force Gao Qiu to act rashly. When his cavalry scours the land and blocks us at every turn, it will not only endanger us but also your family. I think we should let Zhang San and the others teach him a lesson to vent your anger temporarily. I will definitely bring his head to you in the future!"

Instructor Zhang was surprised by Wang Lun's consideration, which aligned with his own thoughts. He had initially thought that Wang Lun, though dressed as a scholar, was just a pretender and might not have much insight. He had been thinking of how to persuade Wang Lun not to act rashly, but was pleasantly surprised by Wang Lun's mature and steady words.

"Even if you hadn't said it, I would have advised you to hold your breath for now. If we make a mortal enemy of Gao Qiu tonight, the journey ahead will be fraught with difficulties. It's not worth risking our lives for this rogue. Let's follow your advice, Wang Leader, and leave this revenge for another day!" Instructor Zhang bowed to Wang Lun in agreement.

Wang Lun quickly returned the bow and, as Zhang San and Li Si came out, instructed them, "We will leave first. You and Li Si will deal with this scoundrel, but leave him alive! After we leave the city, we will meet at Professor Wen's house in Anren Village outside the city."

Zhang San, Li Si, and the others were delighted to be given the task of dealing with Gao Yanei. This scoundrel had made their brothers suffer in the capital, and now that he was in their hands, they would give him a proper welcome. Although Wang Lun had instructed them to leave him alive, they had many ways to deal with people. They all suppressed their joy and said to Wang Lun, "Sir, rest assured, we will leave him alive!"

Instructor Zhang's family had finished packing, and Wang Lun greeted the remaining ruffians. He then led Jiao Ting and escorted Instructor Zhang's family out through the back yard, not stopping to admire the bustling night scene of Bianliang, but heading out of Tokyo City toward Anren Village.

After about an hour of hurried travel, they saw Professor Wen's thatched cottage not far ahead. Professor Wen was waiting at the door and quickly welcomed them in. After the formalities, he served them his best tea, and they waited for the others to arrive.

This middle-aged scholar, who had been overlooked for his talents, had thought long and hard about Wang Lun's words in the tavern and finally agreed to join the mountain. However, he refused to sit in a chair or take part in the affairs. Wang Lun immediately agreed and promised to build a school for him on the back mountain, where he could continue teaching, providing education for the many children on the mountain.

After another half an hour, Zhang San and the others returned. As expected, these righteous men did not want to stay in the capital and were willing to follow Wang Lun to the mountain. Wang Lun then stood up and invited everyone to leave that night, and they all agreed, helping to load their luggage onto the prepared carts.

Just as everyone was ready to leave, Li Si couldn't help but laugh, "Brother, where did you learn that skill? The knife was so fast and fierce, and Gao Qiang was still moving after one cut, and he didn't even faint!"

Zhang San, proud, replied, "You don't know, before I became a thug, I was an expert at castration!"

Everyone laughed at this, and Professor Wen, hearing it, asked Zhang San, "Did you castrate Gao Yanei?"

Zhang San nodded, "Yes! Sir told me to leave him alive, so I castrated him! But don't worry, Professor, we stopped the bleeding before we left, so he won't die!"

Instructor Zhang, hearing this, sighed deeply, unsure whether to be happy or sad.

Professor Wen turned to Wang Lun and said, "If so, we can't leave now. In a day or two, the people from the Hall of the Grand Marshal will find Gao Yanei. When that happens, the road will be filled with scouts. If we leave tonight, we will be stuck on the road. It's better to stay here and wait for the situation to calm down before leaving. I'm sure Gao Taiwei will never expect us to stay right next to Tokyo City!"

Wang Lun nodded and looked at Instructor Zhang, who also agreed. He then ordered everyone to move their luggage back into the thatched cottage.

Zhang San was shocked and said to Wang Lun, "Sir, are you worried that we will ruin your plans?"

Wang Lun shook his head. Even if Gao Yanei had been killed, it would have been his just punishment. The only issue was the timing and the fact that he hadn't given clear instructions. As a leader, he needed to take responsibility for his mistakes. So, Wang Lun patted Zhang San's shoulder and said to everyone, "It's fine. I was hasty and didn't give clear instructions. We will only be delayed a few days, which is not a big problem. In the future, think carefully before acting and don't be rash!"

Zhang San and the others nodded in agreement, and Wang Lun just smiled. As he was about to turn back into the house, he suddenly shouted, "No! Don't let the heroes die in vain!"

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