Chapter 47

"Sir, why are you here as well? Could it be that you are here to meet with Tang Long and the other brothers in the netherworld?"

Before Guanghui could answer, Tang Long woke up, and everyone quickly gathered around. Wang Lun stepped forward to support Tang Long, saying, "Brother! Take it easy, those villains have all been eliminated by Lu Tixia. You are safe now!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Long burst into tears, tightly gripping Wang Lun's arm, too agitated to speak. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He looked down and saw that his left arm was gone. He was momentarily stunned, then, regardless of his pain, he clung to Wang Lun, saying, "Sir, it doesn't matter if I die! I only beg you to save my brother!"

Lu Zhishen and Guanghui were meeting Tang Long for the first time. Seeing this scar-faced man so resolute, ignoring the pain of his severed arm, and only concerned about his brother's safety, they both thought, "What a brave man!"

At this moment, Guanghui quickly reached into his robe, took out a box of ointment, and handed it to Wang Lun, saying, "Leader Wang, this is a secret ointment from our temple, specifically for treating external injuries!" Wang Lun thanked him repeatedly, took the ointment, and Guanghui examined Tang Long's wound, saying with certainty, "This man's wound was treated promptly and cauterized with fire, so it shouldn't become infected. In a day or two, you can apply this ointment, and then find a clinic to get some tonics. He will surely be fine!"

Seeing Guanghui's confidence, Wang Lun gradually calmed down. He thanked him again and helped Tang Long up, saying, "Brother, with the master's secret ointment, you will definitely be fine!" Tang Long, upon hearing this, tried to get up to thank him, but everyone couldn't bear to see him struggle and held him down. Wang Lun, fearing he would be too formal, asked, "Brother, tell me about your brother."

Tang Long, upon hearing this, stopped moving and said through his tears, "After we parted in the capital, I brought my brother to Mengzhou. The prefect sent my brother to Anping Camp to serve his sentence. Thanks to the gold and silver you gave me, I bribed the officials to make my brother's life in prison more comfortable. The camp supervisor, who received my money, took good care of my brother. Moreover, the supervisor's son, who greatly admired my brother, often invited him to drink and allowed him to move freely. I often visited my brother, and over time, we became quite close. I learned that he had a nickname, 'Golden-Eyed Leopard Shi En.'"

"I stayed near the prison camp for a long time, and since my brother wasn't suffering here, I thought about bringing my sister-in-law from the capital to be with him. Yesterday, I went to discuss this with my brother, but when I arrived at the prison camp, those who were once friendly to me suddenly turned cold and wouldn't let me in. I had no choice but to mention Shi En's name, but they just sneered and refused to help. Helpless, I went to find Shi En, but he was hiding and not in Anping Camp. I knew something was wrong and secretly waited outside the prison camp..."

"Finally, in the evening, I met a friendly guard. I begged him and offered him a large gold ingot. He finally revealed that someone had ordered my brother's execution, and even the young supervisor knew about it but couldn't do anything. I was shocked and at a loss, so I bribed him to delay it for a day or two. He was reluctant but agreed for the gold. I returned to my lodging, calmed down, and realized only you could save my brother. So, I left the city at night and rushed to the capital. I arrived here at dawn, planning to eat and continue, but..."

"But I was drugged. When I woke up, I found myself on a meat slab, and after my arm was cut off, I fainted from the pain. I never thought I would be saved by you. Now, thinking about it, I feel incredibly lucky! If I hadn't been drugged, I would have missed you on the road, and my brother would have died. Now that we've met here, it must be fate. I have no regrets about losing my arm. I only beg you to save my brother. If you do, I will serve you as a slave to repay your kindness!"

Hearing Tang Long's story, the three men were taken aback, not expecting such a twist. Seeing Tang Long, despite his severed arm, only concerned about his brother's safety, they were deeply moved. Lu Zhishen said, "Brother, don't worry. With me here, your brother will be fine!"

Wang Lun looked at the pale, scar-faced man and sighed, helping him up. "Brother, I won't hide anything from you now. I'm not just any official; I'm the leader of Liangshan in Jizhou. I came down the mountain to escort Lin Instructor's family. This is a secret, so I didn't reveal it in the capital. I hope you understand! We will do everything to save your brother. Just rest and don't worry!"

Initially, Wang Lun had been cold towards Tang Long because of his past mistakes. Now, seeing his sincere desire to save his brother, even at the cost of his own arm, Wang Lun's prejudice gradually disappeared, and he now truly considered him a trusted brother.

Tang Long was overjoyed and said, "I never thought you were the leader of Liangshan. My brother will be..." but he couldn't catch his breath and fainted again.

Lu Zhishen quickly checked his pulse and said, "No worries, he just fainted from exhaustion."

Wang Lun nodded and began to think about the details of rescuing Xu Ning. Guanghui praised, "What a brave man, willing to lose his arm to save his brother!" Lu Zhishen added, "I never thought this scar-faced man would be so loyal, truly a man of character!"

Seeing Wang Lun deep in thought, Guanghui said, "Leader Wang, it's no wonder Liangshan is full of such loyal men. I'm moved. If there's anything I can do, just let me know!"

Wang Lun, coming to his senses, bowed to Guanghui, "Master, why don't you come with us to the mountain? My brothers there are all loyal, and we would be happy to have you!"

Guanghui laughed heartily, "Such an invitation is hard to refuse. I'll go with you, but I need to delay for a while. What do you think?"

Wang Lun and Lu Zhishen asked why, and Guanghui explained, "I'm here to pursue a villain. I won't rest until he's dealt with. Once I've taken care of him, I'll join you on the mountain!"

Wang Lun smiled, "That's fine. I and Brother Zhishen will wait for you on the mountain!"

Everyone laughed, and Guanghui asked, "For the rescue of this brave man's brother, is there anything I can do?"

Wang Lun shook his head, smiling, "No need this time. I have a plan, and I appreciate your offer!"

Guanghui smiled, "If you say so, I'm reassured. I'll take my leave now!"

Wang Lun and Lu Zhishen saw him off. Wang Lun asked, "Master, which direction are you heading?"

Guanghui replied, "This villain is quite clever, heading to Xixia. He thinks I can't do anything once he leaves the Song Empire, ha ha!"

Thinking of something, Lu Zhishen said, "Since you're heading northwest, could you deliver a message to Shi Jin, the leader of Shaohua Mountain, on your way back?"

Guanghui quickly responded, "Of course, Brother, what message?"

Wang Lun laughed, "Better to write it down. I'll do it for you!"

Lu Zhishen was delighted, "That's great. To be honest, I grew up in the military and never learned to read or write. It's quite embarrassing. Once, when I killed Zhen Guanxi and fled to Yanmen Pass, I saw people gathered around the city wall. I joined them, not knowing it was a wanted poster for me. I was just standing there, clueless. Isn't that embarrassing?"

Both men laughed, and Wang Lun found paper and ink, saying, "Professor Wen will open a school on the mountain. You can visit when you have time."

Lu Zhishen laughed, "I won't miss that!" He then dictated the message, asking Wang Lun, "My brother is a true hero, skilled in all eighteen martial arts, and a disciple of Wang Jin, the commander of the 800,000 imperial troops. Could you invite him to join us?"

Wang Lun smiled, "Do we ever worry about having too many heroes on the mountain?" Seeing Lu Zhishen mention Wang Jin, Wang Lun thought for a moment and asked Guanghui, "Master, you travel a lot. Have you heard any news about Instructor Wang?"

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