Chapter 43

"Even if you don’t let me join you on the mountain, I still have to find a way to join you! All the good brothers are having a great time up there, but you leave me, a lone monk, to wander around aimlessly. That’s not fair at all!" Lu Zhishen was straightforward and spoke loudly.

Wang Lun burst into laughter upon hearing this. Seeing Jiaoting standing beside him, he took out a hundred taels of gold from his bag and handed it to Lu Zhishen. Lu Zhishen, not understanding his intention, looked at Wang Lun.

Wang Lun rubbed his forehead and laughed, "I was so happy for a moment that I forgot this part! Brother, this is the rule for joining the mountain, a thousand strings of cash as a settlement fee. Please take it!"

Lu Zhishen, seeing that it was a rule, did not refuse and took the gold from Jiaoting. He noticed that Jiaoting was staring at him intently, not blinking. Lu Zhishen smiled and said, "Brother, what’s the matter? Are you thinking of splitting it with me, or do you want to take a cut?"

"Brother, you’ve already given me some, why would I need more? If I run out, I’ll ask you for more!" Jiaoting said gloomily.

Lu Zhishen burst into laughter and said, "Alright, alright, come to me when you run out! But why are you staring at me like that?"

Jiaoting chuckled and said, "Monk, let’s have a sparring match!"

Seeing his persistence, Lu Zhishen found it quite amusing and said, "Let me go see Zhang Jiaotou and his family first, then I’ll spar with you! We’ll be brothers on the mountain, so there will be plenty of time for fun!"

Wang Lun found this amusing as well and looked at Jiaoting, who was grinning. It seemed he was pleased with his goal being achieved and retreated behind Wang Lun without another word.

"Sir! Why are you back?" Suddenly, Li Si’s voice came from the big tree. Unbeknownst to them, the three had already arrived at the foot of the mountain in Anren Village.

"Li Si, come down and see who’s back with us!" Wang Lun laughed.

Li Si, upon seeing them, exclaimed, "Master!?" Everyone in the tree hurried down, first paying their respects to Wang Lun, then greeting Lu Da, catching up on old times and asking about his well-being for a long while before reluctantly watching the three of them head up the mountain.

Before they reached the halfway point, the smell of meat wafted over. The Flower Monk took a deep breath, savoring the aroma in the air, and sighed, "I’ve been wandering around, and my money is all gone. I haven’t smelled this in a long time!" Suddenly, he felt something was off and said, "Hmm!? This isn’t the usual smell of beef or mutton!"

Wang Lun laughed and said, "It’s your good luck, Brother. Zhang San and the others caught this roe deer last night while on lookout. They’ve been roasting it to welcome you!"

Lu Zhishen laughed heartily and hurried to the thatched cottage. Zhang Jiaotou and Zhang San were roasting the meat at the door. The roe deer had been cleaned and gutted, and was roasting whole over the fire. Lin Chong’s mother-in-law, her daughter, and the maidservant were happily cutting the side dishes and condiments. The other men were bustling about, and Wen Huanzhang was reading an ancient scroll, smiling in the sun.

When everyone saw the rough monk running up the mountain, they were all delighted! Zhang Jiaotou hurried forward to greet Lu Zhishen, saying, "Brother, it’s been a long time since we last met, and I never thought we’d meet again here!" Wang Lun had already told him about Lin Chong’s exile the previous night, so the old man was quite moved to see his son-in-law’s close friend.

At this moment, Lin’s wife and his mother-in-law, Li Shi, also came over. When Lu Zhishen had stayed at the Great National Temple’s vegetable garden, they had seen him often. Now, meeting an old friend during their escape, they felt a mix of emotions.

After Zhang Jiaotou’s family had finished catching up, a group of ruffians, including Zhang San, gathered around, calling him “Master” affectionately, showing no resentment for having taken the blame for Lu Zhishen.

At this point, Wang Lun and Jiaoting walked up. Seeing Wen Huanzhang standing aside with a smile, Wang Lun hurriedly introduced him to Lu Zhishen, "Brother, this is Professor Wen, our host. We owe a lot to him this time, or we wouldn’t have met you!"

Lu Zhishen, upon hearing this, bowed to Wen Huanzhang, "Thank you, Professor, for taking care of my sister-in-law and her family, keeping them from freezing and starving. I’m grateful!"

"It’s a small matter, not worth mentioning! Master, please don’t be too formal!" Wen Huanzhang hurriedly returned the bow.

"Burnt, burnt!" Suddenly, Jiaoting shouted, and everyone quickly realized the roe deer was burning. They rushed to save it, causing another round of laughter.

At this moment, Zhang Jiaotou came to Wang Lun, holding his hand and said, "Leader Wang, when you left, I realized that the two carriages in front of the house were quite noticeable. I regret not asking you to take one, which would have saved you some walking! Now that you’re back, you can use it!"

Wang Lun replied, "I was in a hurry and didn’t think of that. Thank you for your kindness, Leader. I’ll take the carriage to Mengzhou, which will make the journey safer. But from now on, don’t be so formal; just call me by my name."

Zhang Jiaotou chuckled and said, "Very well, I won’t be so formal! Nephew, why don’t you and Leader Jiao have some roe deer meat? It’s a rare delicacy!"

Wang Lun agreed happily, and with Jiaoting, they sat down with everyone. He instructed two men to cut a fat roe deer leg and send it down to Li Si and the others on lookout.

As they talked, Jiaoting quickly finished his share and stared longingly at the roe deer meat sizzling on the fire. Xiao Jin, the young maid, noticed this and, blushing, got up and cut a large piece of meat, bringing it to Jiaoting.

The brute just stared at Jin, making her blush even more. Seeing he didn’t take it, she placed it in his bowl and ran back to Lin’s wife, almost tripping over her own feet. Lin’s wife, seeing her state, asked her repeatedly, but Xiao Jin, blushing to the roots of her neck, buried her head and didn’t speak.

Wang Lun found this amusing but didn’t say anything, just eating the roasted meat thoughtfully.

"Scholar, I forgot to ask you, why did you come down the mountain?" Lu Zhishen, after a hearty meal and a sip of wine, asked Wang Lun.

Wang Lun explained his journey to Mengzhou. Lu Zhishen said, "I didn’t expect a literate scholar like you to be so chivalrous! No wonder my brother trusted his family to you! For this, I’m impressed. From now on, I’ll call you brother!"

Wang Lun smiled and replied, "We’re all brothers now, so call me whatever feels natural!"

Lu Zhishen shook his head and said seriously, "That won’t do. It’s fine outside, but when we return to the mountain, you’ll be leading hundreds of men. Without rules, how can you maintain order? I can’t undermine your authority, as you’re a man of honor and integrity!" He was a former Western Army officer and understood the intricacies of leadership.

Wang Lun smiled and shook his head, clinking his wine bowl with Lu Zhishen’s, and they both drank it down.

After drinking, Lu Zhishen said, "I can’t stay idle. Why don’t I go with you to Mengzhou? I’d like to see the heroes of the Imperial Army and the style of the Imperial Guard’s instructor!"

Wang Lun was hesitant. His intention was to have Lu Zhishen stay to protect Lin Chong’s family, so he could travel west with peace of mind. Now that Lu Zhishen wanted to go with him, it posed a problem.

The only solution was to leave Jiaoting to protect everyone, so he could go to rescue Xu Ning with peace of mind.

Thinking this, Wang Lun looked at Jiaoting. Jiaoting, though straightforward, was not stupid, and shouted, "If I don’t go, who will protect you?"

Lu Zhishen said, "Am I a dead man? Brother, didn’t you want to spar with me? Let’s make a bet. The winner goes to Mengzhou with me!"

"Let’s do it!" Jiaoting stood up, confident in his family’s generations of martial arts.

Seeing Lu Zhishen and Jiaoting get ready to fight, everyone gathered around, cheering them on. Xiao Jin hurried to Zhang Jiaotou and asked quietly, "Master, do you think Brother Jiao will win?"

Zhang Jiaotou chuckled and said, "Lu Jiaotou is an elite of the Western Army, skilled in both spear and fist. The old general, Zhong Jinglue, assigned him to serve under Xiao Zhong Jinglue (similar to a military district’s direct command battalion commander) because he highly appreciated his abilities. As for Leader Jiao… well, let’s see!"

Wang Lun was very interested in Zhang Jiaotou’s words and watched the match intently. He wanted to see how his strong and skilled subordinate would fare against the battle-hardened Lu Zhishen.

"It’s not good, not good, not good…"

"Oh, oh… Why didn’t he dodge? He’s taking Lu Jiaotou’s move head-on?"

"He’s at a disadvantage? Don’t try to match him in strength. Haven’t you heard the story of the willow tree being uprooted?"

"Look, he’s fallen for it again. Sigh…"

"Retreat, retreat! Pay attention to your footwork…"

"Yes, yes, yes, he’s got it! Use your skills to outmaneuver him…"

"Right, right, that’s it. Don’t just rely on brute force. You’re strong and skilled, so you have a chance…"

"A battle you can’t win, but if you can hold your ground, you might have a chance to make peace…"

Wang Lun, listening to the commentary, felt increasingly uneasy. He looked at Zhang Jiaotou, who seemed to have become a commentator, and found the scene even more impressive than the match itself.

Note: This, I need some recommendations! I’m still a bit away from the top twelve on the new book list. I hope everyone can help me get on the homepage. I’ll be very grateful! Also, if you have time, you can post a comment in the book review section. I and the assistant will mark them as highlights, and the system gives weekly rewards, so don’t waste them. Thank you all!

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