Chapter 51

Compared to the long, cicada-song-filled summer nights, the winter nights in Central China seemed somewhat lonely.

On this pitch-black wilderness, apart from the weak herbaceous plants swaying in the wind, it was hard to find any sign of life. Fortunately, a crescent moon hung high in the sky, finally bringing a faint touch of color to this desolate night.

After an unknown duration of waiting in the cold wind, a carriage finally appeared in the blacksmith's line of sight, but under the weak moonlight, it was hard to make out its outline.

Despite this, Tang Long's heart, which had been hanging, finally settled. He glanced gratefully at Wang Lun beside him. Wang Lun, seeing this, lightly patted his shoulder without a word, only gesturing for him to focus.

The carriage stopped a few dozen feet away from the two men. A young man got off and laughed at the figure in the darkness, "I have kept the noble sir waiting!"

Wang Lun replied, "No trouble, but to have you come here in the middle of the night, I feel quite guilty!"

Shi En laughed heartily, waving his hand in a carefree manner, indicating it was no problem. He then lightly patted the carriage twice, and two men jumped down, followed by another man being helped out.

Shi En said to the hooded man, "Teacher Xu, have a safe journey! Don't blame me for being heartless; it's just that the pressure from the higher-ups is too intense. Please forgive me, and I hope you won't resent me!"

Xu Ning, bound and gagged, was terrified upon hearing this. He thought to himself, "Could they have brought me here in the middle of the night to kill me?" Ignoring his inability to see, he called out, "Little Camp Commander, I have no grudge or enmity with you, why are you resorting to such cruel measures?"

Tang Long, hearing his brother's plea, could no longer bear it and shouted, "Brother, it's me!"

Xu Ning, hearing his brother's voice in this dire situation, was overwhelmed with emotion and said, "Could this be a dream where I meet my brother?"

Tang Long, unable to contain himself, rushed forward, removed the hood, and saw that Xu Ning was bound with ropes. Enraged, he turned to Shi En and demanded, "Little Camp Commander, we had an agreement, why did you make my brother suffer like this?"

Shi En clasped his hands and said, "To avoid drawing attention, it was a necessary measure! To prevent eavesdroppers, we had to knock Teacher Xu out first. Please don't blame us!"

Tang Long, still angry, turned away and used a short knife to cut the ropes. Xu Ning, freed from his bindings, immediately embraced his brother, who had been by his side through all the difficulties. Suddenly, he pushed away and exclaimed, "Brother, what happened to your left arm!"

Tang Long smiled faintly and said, "It's a small matter, not worth mentioning! I'm glad you're safe!"

Xu Ning, unable to suppress his shock, cried out, "Uncle sent you to help me, but now you've been disabled because of me! How can I face Uncle? It's all my fault!" He then hugged Tang Long and wept bitterly.

Shi En, seeing this, coughed and felt it was inappropriate to disturb the brothers' reunion. He turned to Wang Lun and said, "Noble sir, please give me something to prove Teacher Xu's identity, so I can report back!"

Wang Lun nodded, walked over to the brothers who were hugging and crying, and patted their shoulders to comfort them. Xu Ning then noticed the man from Jizhou, Wang Lun, and was surprised, "I didn't expect you to be here..."

Wang Lun nodded and took his hand, saying, "Teacher Xu, you have suffered a lot!"

Xu Ning hurriedly tried to bow, but the current situation made him realize the whole story. It must have been this righteous and generous man who saved him from certain death. Thinking of this, Xu Ning immediately bowed to Wang Lun.

Shi En, seeing that Xu Ning didn't seem very familiar with Wang Lun, felt some doubt but didn't ask, as it was now pointless to dwell on such trivial matters.

Wang Lun quickly helped Xu Ning up and said, "Teacher, no need for formalities. This is not the place to talk. Please give me something to prove your identity, so I can give it to Little Camp Commander to take back and make Gao Qiu give up!"

Xu Ning nodded and reached into his chest, pulling out a jade pendant and handing it to Wang Lun, "This was a special gift from the late emperor for my respectfulness. It has my name engraved on it, and there is no other like it. Gao Qiu will not have any doubts when he sees it!"

Wang Lun nodded, took the jade pendant, and gave it to Shi En. At this moment, Tang Long rushed back to the carriage, took something, and handed it to Shi En's confidant, saying, "Add this, and Gao Qiu will be satisfied!"

Everyone looked at the object in the man's hand, and the man also looked down, suddenly exclaiming, "A... arm!?"

Tang Long sneered, "I have a birthmark on my left arm, and everyone at the Li family blacksmith shop in the southern market of Tokyo knows it! Little Camp Commander just needs to tell the people at the Grand Marshal's residence that I, Tang Long, came to avenge my brother after hearing of his death, and you cut off my arm. Gao Qiu will have no more doubts, and you can rest easy!"

Shi En laughed awkwardly and said, "Brother, you're overthinking it!"

Tang Long didn't respond, only sneered. Shi En, seeing this, knew further words were futile and ordered his men to take a sack from the carriage and place it on the ground. He then said to Wang Lun, "This is the man who was exiled this afternoon! With this matter resolved, I must leave. Farewell!"

Wang Lun nodded and clasped his hands, "I won't see you off!"

Shi En bowed to everyone and then got into the carriage with his two confidants. The carriage turned and drove away. After a few dozen feet, it stopped again, and Shi En waved out the window. Several men with crossbows ran out from the shadows and got into the carriage, and it continued on its way.

Tang Long, seeing this, cursed, "Just as I suspected, this guy has no good intentions!"

Wang Lun patted his shoulder and said, "He's just being cautious. If he wanted to harm me, he wouldn't dare even if he had the courage!" He then whistled into the darkness, and soon Lu Zhishen, Zhang San, and Li Si, who had been hiding on the hill, ran back. Lu Zhishen said from a distance, "This scoundrel, even with crossbowmen in ambush, didn't hide far enough. I could hear their hearts pounding. If Brother hadn't ordered us not to act rashly, I would have killed them all!"

Wang Lun laughed and said, "In this small Anping Camp, where are there any skilled archers?"

Soon, Lu Zhishen ran over and, upon seeing Xu Ning, asked, "Are you the famous Golden Lance Instructor Xu, whom Instructor Lin often speaks of?"

Xu Ning hurriedly replied, "That's me! May I ask for the master's name?"

Tang Long said, "Brother, this master is no ordinary person. He is a fierce general under Old Chancellor Zhong, Lu the Inspector, who killed Town West with three punches!"

Xu Ning, hearing this, hurriedly bowed again. Lu Zhishen laughed heartily, "The imperial guards in Tokyo are truly different. You are so polite, even my Western Army comrades can't match you!"

Xu Ning, hearing this, felt a pang of sadness and said, "What imperial guards! If a farmer loses a chicken or duck, they will search for half a day. When I am missing from the emperor's side, it's like a brick falling from the Wende Hall; he wouldn't even glance at it!"

Lu Zhishen sighed and said, "Brother, I've heard you are a true hero. Why not give up that job and join us on Liangshan? We can all be brothers and live a carefree life!"

Xu Ning was shocked and asked, "What Liangshan?"

"Brother, this noble sir is Wang Lun, the leader of Liangshan in Jizhou, known as the Scholar in White. He came to Tokyo to escort Instructor Lin's family out of the city!" Tang Long explained. He then recounted how he was drugged at Crossroads Slope and saved by Wang Lun, which made Xu Ning feel even more heartbroken.

"In the past, I thought that a man without sin would not be wronged, but now I find myself in this situation! I have devoted myself to the Zhao royal family, but when disaster struck, who spoke up for me? I was left to the mercy of Gao Qiu, who not only took my family heirloom armor but now wants to kill me. If it weren't for Leader Wang saving me, I would already be a ghost! I only wish to join your ranks and serve as a humble soldier!" Xu Ning confessed.

Wang Lun sighed and said, "Teacher Xu, I have one more thing to say before you make your decision!"

Xu Ning hurriedly asked what it was, and Wang Lun said, "Actually, Gao Qiu didn't intend to kill you. It was because of something that triggered him, and it is related to me!"

Xu Ning's heart sank, and many thoughts flashed through his mind. He suddenly wondered why he kept encountering Wang Lun in his times of need. Could this all be planned by the person in front of him?

Thinking that heaven had abandoned him, his superior had betrayed him, and even this "benefactor" had ulterior motives, how could he not feel utterly despondent? He stood stiffly in the cold wind, staring blankly at Wang Lun.

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