Chapter 71

"Die, so be it! But, Chief Wang, can you let Xiao Si die with clarity?" Wu Yong, who had been tied up like a dumpling, suddenly spoke up after calming down.

Wang Lun looked at him, impressed that this man still had some backbone even at the brink of death, much like the wise strategist who hanged himself before Song Jiang's grave.

"You may ask!"

"Was the earlier information deliberately leaked by you?" Wu Yong asked.

"Indeed, I had Zhu Gui deliberately spread the news that I would be leaving the mountain today, to create a one-time opportunity for Chief Chao, who was restless!" Wang Lun smiled.

Wu Yong shook his head with a bitter smile and looked at Wang Lun, "How did you know we would definitely intercept you today?"

Wang Lun smiled, "Do you really want to hear my true thoughts?"

Wu Yong nodded seriously. Seeing this, Wang Lun sighed, "Actually, it doesn't matter whether you came today or not! The truth is harsh, but it is indeed so. If you hadn't come, I would have just taken my brothers for a walk down the mountain. What loss would there be? You see me as a mortal threat, but I..."

Wang Lun paused, and saw that Chao Gai, who had been looking down, raised his head to look at him, clearly wanting to hear how he viewed them. Wang Lun sighed and emphasized, "I have never seen Chief Chao as my target!"

Chao Gai lowered his head, silent. Wu Yong sighed, and with a bitter smile, said, "We see you as a mortal threat, but you see us as a minor annoyance... Chief Wang, what a spirit!" He added, "But I didn't expect that you would use such strong medicine for a minor ailment!"

Wang Lun laughed, "A boil can be squeezed or left alone. But if you decide to squeeze it, you must not leave any lingering problems, or it will fester and be too late to regret! What do you think, Mr. Jialiang?"

"Thus, Chief Wang, you only brought these few dozen men today? Weren't you afraid that we might be more determined and directly attack the village? If Instructor Lin had arrived a bit later, Chief Wang might have become a prisoner!" Wu Yong replied.

"Planning is in man, success is in heaven! The current situation proves that those who think less are not necessarily inferior to those who think too much! And you were wrong about one thing, they are not just men, they are my brothers!" Wang Lun looked at Wu Yong's pale face and replied, noticing his eyes still darting around.

"Rumors are indeed often exaggerated, saying Chief Wang is narrow-minded and intolerant! Today, we have suffered the loss of believing rumors!" Wu Yong shook his head and added, "I regret that we are now enemies, otherwise, with my bailiff's character, we could have been good friends!"

Wu Yong muttered to himself, and Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian, who were also tied up, looked at him in confusion. Even Zhu Tong, who had his eyes closed, opened them to look at this man. Everyone wondered what this wise strategist was thinking.

Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums filled the air, and everyone was drawn to the sight of a wedding procession adorned in red. At the front was a tall horse, but it was empty, with no one riding it. Everyone was puzzled, wondering why the groom was missing from the wedding procession, yet the musicians continued to play without a care.

"That young man must have taken the wrong path! This way leads to West Creek Village, and there are no other villages within dozens of miles. Don't wander around!" Ma Laotai, the old man, kindly pointed out. If they were going to East Creek Village, they should have crossed the stream. Clearly, they were heading to West Creek Village, and he knew there was no wedding in his village, so he kindly directed them.

The servant leading the horse smiled and replied, "We are going to East Creek Village to marry the daughter of Chief Chao. We won't take the wrong path, old man, don't worry!"

Everyone laughed, except for the bound Chao Gai, whose face turned dark. The villagers thought, "Isn't Chief Chao being held here?" They sensed something was amiss but said nothing, just watching with crossed arms.

The mysterious wedding procession approached, and they showed no surprise at the bloodbath. The red sedan chair, carried by eight men, was slowly set down. The curtain was pulled back, and a man dressed in red, smiling, stepped out. Everyone was surprised; how could the groom be in the bride's sedan chair?

At this moment, Mi Fei and Jiao Ting exchanged glances and burst into laughter. Lin Chong smiled and congratulated, "Xiao Qi, how does it feel to be a groom?"

It turned out that the man who stepped out was Ruan Xiaoqi, who laughed, "Brother Lin, this is my first wedding, and I brought back five or six hundred fools. Isn't that unlucky?"

Mi Fei couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You think it's unlucky? The fools you brought back are even unluckier! They drank your wedding wine, and you knocked them out. Where can they go to complain?"

Ruan Xiaoqi laughed, "If they want to complain, they should complain to the government! The soldiers not only stopped my wedding procession but also drank my wedding wine and ate all my buns and beef. If I didn't knock them out, who should I knock out? If I knocked out passersby, I'd be scolded by my brothers!"

Hearing this, Wu Yong's forced calm face collapsed. It seemed that the reinforcements from Jizhou were in trouble. With no hope left, he couldn't keep up the act. He hung his head and shook it. After a while, he bit his lip, raised his head, and pretended to be surprised, shouting, "Xiao Qi, it's me, Wu Xuejiu!"

"Professor, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be teaching? Are you now teaching grown men? Is Chief Chao going to the capital to become a top scholar, so you're helping him become a prince's son-in-law? But he's too old, isn't he? He might scare the emperor!" Ruan Xiaoqi, who had seen him, despised him and mocked him. He remembered how Wu Yong had come to him and his brothers multiple times during the New Year, pretending to care, while they had foolishly considered him a close friend.

Wu Yong remained calm, still smiling, "Xiao Qi, public is public, private is private. We each serve our own masters! Now that I'm in trouble, I just want to ask you to send my regards to my mother, nothing more!"

Ruan Xiaoqi's face remained cold, but he stopped mocking him. Wu Yong thought, "He's falling for my plan!"

Wang Lun saw that Chao Gai, Zhu Tong, Xiao Rang, and Jin Dajian remained silent, but Wu Yong still didn't give up. He secretly admired his will to survive and didn't expose him, just asked Xiao Qi, "Where are Lu Tixia and Xu Jiaoshi now?"

Ruan Xiaoqi, seeing Wang Lun's question, put aside his thoughts and replied, "Brother, they are behind me, carrying too much, so they can't move fast!"

Wang Lun saw that his previous joy was gone, and his words were formal and emotionless. He sighed, "I understand. Say goodbye to your old friend!"

Ruan Xiaoqi's face stiffened, and he stepped forward, "Brother, although Wu Yong deserves to die, please spare his life for my sake!"

Wang Lun looked at him seriously, "Are you serious?"

Ruan Xiaoqi, resolute and determined, bowed deeply to Wang Lun. Wang Lun looked at him, silent, but inwardly admired his loyalty. After a moment, he helped Ruan Xiaoqi up and said to Wu Yong, "It's not wrong to scheme against others, but it's unacceptable to scheme against your own brothers! If you treat others as pawns, you will become a pawn yourself!"

Wu Yong, hearing this, was overjoyed. How could he not understand Wang Lun's implication? He forced a sorrowful expression and said, "Chief Wang's teachings, I will remember them!"

Wang Lun nodded, not caring if he was sincere, and had his men untie Wu Yong. Wu Yong bowed to Wang Lun and Ruan Xiaoqi, and Ruan Xiaoqi stepped forward, "Wu Xuejiu, in memory of our past friendship, I have pleaded for your life! But from now on..."

Ruan Xiaoqi tore off the bottom of his red robe and threw it to the ground. The red cloth danced in the wind.

Ruan Xiaoqi stared at the cloth for a while, sighed, and said firmly, "Today, I cut the robe and sever ties with you. The Ruan brothers have no such old friend!"

Wu Yong's face was awkward, wanting to use his eloquence, but seeing Wang Lun's sidelong glance, he swallowed his words. He knew that friendship was less important than his life. Afraid of angering this cunning leader, he dared not provoke him.

Seeing the danger, Wu Yong bowed to Ruan Xiaoqi and was about to leave when the red cloth fell on his head. He tried to pull it off, but Wang Lun shouted, "Where are you going? Did I say you could leave?"

Wu Yong's face changed, stopping in his tracks, unsure of what more misfortune awaited him. Wang Lun ignored him, walked to Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian, and cut their ropes, "Be more careful in choosing friends in the future. If you are in trouble, the doors of Liangshan will always be open to you!"

Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian were shocked, looking at each other in disbelief. After a while, they said, "We are deeply grateful for your kindness, but we are ashamed!" They bowed to Wang Lun, who helped them up and nodded, then walked to Chao Gai. The two men, having narrowly escaped death, were still trembling and leaned against a tree.

Note: While writing, I almost cried. Whether it's from emotion or a cold, I'm not sure, but it's definitely a cold. The temperature in Wuhan has dropped, and I now need a down jacket. I apologize for the delay in updates. Please give me a break!

Today, the book is on the Three Rivers list. If you like the book, please vote for "Water Margin Survival" on the Three Rivers page. Thank you! (Method: Enter the Three Rivers page, click on 'Get Three Rivers Ticket' on the right, then scroll down to find the book title and vote. Thank you!)

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