Chapter 66

The black man did not avoid the axe blade but instead raised his left and right arms. Seeing that the tiger's mouths of both his hands were bleeding profusely, he turned his head and remained silent.

Seeing that the man was still defiant even with the axe at his neck, Mi Fei became interested and withdrew the long axe, saying, "Man, stand up and speak! In the world, they say, 'A true man does not change his name or surname!' What is there to hide!" Wang Lun, hearing this phrase that Mi Fei had learned from somewhere, could not help but laugh, remembering that when they first met outside Tokyo, Mi Fei was also unwilling to reveal his name.

The black man, hearing this, lifted his head and said, "You have the advantage with your weapon, so I am not convinced of my loss!"

Mi Fei laughed and said, "Isn't your weapon also an axe? How can I have an advantage! Besides, you are using two!"

The black man remained silent. At this moment, Jiao Ting said, "Hey, black man, how about we have a fist fight?"

The black man shouted, "Afraid you won't come?"

Jiao Ting chuckled and said, "If so, let's make a bet. The loser must answer any questions. Do you dare to bet?"

The black man, hearing this, his gambling nature flared up, and he shouted, "Bet it is! If I win, I don't want to ask you anything, just give me a chest of gold and silver from your beast!"

Everyone laughed at this. Wang Lun said, "If you can withstand three moves from my brother, I will give you a chest! What do you say?" He was already 80-90% sure that this man was Li Kui, and since Jiao Ting had subdued him with two moves in the original story, he decided to provoke him.

Seeing that these soldiers were smiling, apparently waiting to see him make a fool of himself, the black man could not bear it and pounced at Jiao Ting. Mi Fei immediately stepped aside and warned, "Brother, this man is just brute strength, no tricks!"

Jiao Ting chuckled confidently and said, "Don't worry, Brother Mi, watch me handle him!" He moved forward to meet the man. As soon as they faced each other, Jiao Ting punched a gap in the man's body, knocking him to the ground. The black man, startled, thought, "This man has good fists, no wonder that white-faced scholar dared to challenge me in three moves!"

Seeing that the black man remained seated on the ground, Jiao Ting said, "Black man, are you going to admit defeat?" The black man, hearing this, became furious, jumped up, and tried to fight again. Jiao Ting, seeing that he was unsteady, kicked him in the ribs, knocking him down again. The black man, seeing that he was defeated twice, and remembering the white-faced scholar's words, became even more angry and tried to fight again. Jiao Ting, prepared, dove into the man's chest, performed a back throw, and knocked him down again. Jiao Ting laughed and said, "If you want to fight more, I will play with you! But you keep falling, so you have lost!"

The black man, hearing this, stopped struggling and lay on the ground, saying, "Bad luck! Where did these two come from? If you want to ask me, just ask! I am straightforward and will not deceive you!"

"Li Kui! You killed someone in your hometown and were pardoned, but how dare you still rob on the road? This is at the foot of Liangshan, how can you harm people recklessly!" Wang Lun, seeing that the brute was still talking confidently, immediately gave him a warning.

The black man, hearing this, was indeed startled and asked, "White-faced scholar, how do you know my name?"

"Not only do I know your name, but I also know your nickname is 'Black Whirlwind.' You are now a small guard in Jiangzhou prison, and you have a brother named Li Da, who is in chains because of your crimes. Your old mother misses you so much that she has cried herself blind! You just wander around, not even thinking of going back to see your mother?"

Li Kui, hearing this, was stunned and said, "Sir, who are you? How do you know so much about me? Why is my mother's eyes blind?!" Suddenly, he slapped his head and said, "Am I stupid? Looking at your clothes, you must be a friend of Professor Wu!" Then he muttered to himself, "No, no, Professor Wu doesn't even know my brother's name..."

Wang Lun, hearing Wu Yong's name, instantly understood why Li Kui was here. This wise star was indeed doing his best to assist Cao Gai, even using distant connections. It was ironic that if Wu Yong remained loyal to Cao Gai in the future, he would not be forced to betray his old master for a new one.

At this moment, Wang Lun shouted again, "Since you were sent by Dai Zong to help Cao Gai, why don't you stay in his manor and rob on the road? This is causing unrest around the Liangshan marsh!"

The Black Whirlwind, seeing that this man seemed to know everything like a fortune-teller, did not dare to speak rashly and said honestly, "Don't mention Cao Gai, he is so infuriating! I came from a thousand miles away to help him, to guard against a white-faced scholar, but he not only disrespected me but was also very stingy. I had no money, so I came out to rob!"

Indeed, as I guessed! Although Cao Gai's ability to make friends is not as good as Song Jiang's, and he is somewhat rigid and inflexible, he is not overly stingy. Otherwise, he would not have gained a reputation in Hebei, attracting Liu Tang and Gong Sunsheng. He knew there must be a reason, and continued, "Cao Gai is not a stingy person. Perhaps you did something that displeased him!"

Li Kui, hearing this, immediately became dejected and mumbled, "Scholar, can you read minds? I didn't do anything, just beat up Han Bulong. Isn't he a child? He didn't seek revenge but went to Cao Gai to complain, making everyone in the manor look at me with disdain! If it weren't for Professor Wu's persuasion, Cao Gai would have kicked me out! I just arrived, and it wouldn't look good to Dai Zong, so I stayed for a few months. I just didn't want to take his money, so I came out to rob!"

Li Kui beat up Han Bulong? This black man once killed Han Bulong with one axe, and now, on their first meeting, he beat him up again. Truly, not enemies do not meet! Thinking about this, Wang Lun secretly shook his head. Human relationships are so peculiar; some people can entrust their lives to each other at first sight, while others, no matter how much they are brought together, just don't get along.

When it came to money, this black man was clear-cut. If he liked Song Jiang, he would take any money from him with a smile. Now, disliking Cao Gai, he refused to take any money, even resorting to robbery! This man was naturally cruel, treating human lives as grass, a born killer. Yet, his mind was simple, like a blank sheet of paper, allowing his leaders to write on it. If Song Jiang wrote "bravery," he would fear nothing and charge forward. If Song Jiang wrote "loyalty," he would be devoted and never complain. Such a man, born with bad luck, met two leaders who were not simple characters, first serving Dai Zong and then Song Jiang, becoming a tool for their private interests. Was it not tragic, hateful, and pitiful?

Looking at this bewildered and clueless brute on the ground, Wang Lun suddenly felt a sense of sigh and regret, as if at the end of a movie, for the tragic fate of a character. He thought to himself that if such a man were used in battles against foreign enemies to protect the country, he might become a respected true man.

Wang Lun sighed, squatted in front of the black man, took out thirty taels of garlic gold, and placed it in his hands. Seeing that his hands were bleeding, he tore off the bottom of his outer robe and bandaged them, saying, "These people are my parents. You must not rob here in the future. This money will last you three to five months. I hope you will improve and make your mother proud, so she can be at peace!"

Li Kui, seeing this, was stunned. He had never encountered such a thing or heard such words before. Although he was somewhat foolish, he was not stupid and had a natural intuition for recognizing people. His eyes were wide open like copper bells, forgetting to take the gold, which slipped from his chest to the ground. He just stared blankly, letting the scholar bandage his hands.

Wang Lun finished bandaging the brute's hands, picked up the gold, and placed it in his hands, saying, "Take care of yourself, and think of your mother before doing anything!" Then he stood up, called to the group, and the large group moved again, heading for Xixi Village.

The black man sat on the ground, watching the scholar, who had not even left his name, gradually disappear from sight, feeling lost. After sitting there for a long time, this brute, who had never had any worries, stood up, rubbed his chest, and suddenly blurted out a word: "Fight!"

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