Chapter 80

Listen to this: Yang Xiong, the Sick Guan Suo?

Upon hearing this, Wang Lun's heart stirred slightly, but then he remained unperturbed. To be honest, he had little interest in this hero who would later rank high on the Tian Gang list.

When Yang Xiong first appeared, his performance was indeed rather weak. Later, when his wife had an affair, he showed a completely different attitude, which was inconsistent with his previous behavior.

At that time, his uncle and cousins had already been transferred to another state to serve as officials. It was natural for his brother to mention his younger brother to the successor before leaving office and ask him to take care of him. Moreover, the new Prefect was an old acquaintance of Yang Xiong. In short, Yang Xiong did not lose his influence due to his brother's departure and continued to serve as a high-ranking official in the state, responsible for the two courts and the executioner.

However, one day, after he came down from the execution ground, still accompanied by several jailers carrying the executioner's axe and gifts, he was suddenly stopped on the street by a group of six or seven ruffians led by a military rogue. They demanded hundreds of strings of cash from him, which was clearly not a request but a blackmail.

It should be noted that these military rogues and ruffians were very shrewd. After frequent extortion, they naturally knew who could be extorted and who could not. Who would have thought that Yang Xiong, who had influence with the Prefect and held a high position, would be seen as a fat sheep by this group of people? It was truly unimaginable.

Later, when a fight broke out, Yang Xiong was actually held back by three people and could not fight back. Among the heroes of Liangshan, even Li Yun, who was not known for his martial skills, could at least fend off thirty to fifty people. In such a situation, only a few people on the Tian Gang list, like himself, Song Jiang, and Chai Jin, would be held back by three ruffians.

Later, when his father-in-law heard about it, he quickly called over five or six people to help. From the old man's reaction, it seemed that Yang Xiong had encountered such incidents before. Indeed, later, when the old man saw Shi Xiu, who had come to rescue his son-in-law, he was delighted and said, "If my son-in-law has you as a brother to help him, it will not be in vain. Who would dare to bully him in the public office?" Despite holding a position and being favored by the Prefect, Yang Xiong was still bullied by ruffians, which was something that never happened to other jailers like Zhu Tong, Dai Zong, the Cai brothers, and Shi En (son of a jailer).

Later, after Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong became sworn brothers, Shi Xiu learned that Yang Xiong had married a widow, Pan Qiaoyun, less than a year ago. This woman was clearly very beautiful, and Yang Xiong must have cared about her deeply. Otherwise, with his status, he could have married a noble lady or at least a well-bred girl in the state. However, although Yang Xiong loved and cared for her, he did not fulfill his duties as a husband. It was unclear whether it was due to some mental obstacle from frequent executions or other reasons, but he was extremely unenthusiastic about intimate matters.

Later, Shi Xiu was first seduced by Pan Qiaoyun's flirtatious words and then caught her in the act of having an affair with a monk. After much mental anguish (such matters are hard to talk about, even Wu Song would find it difficult to tell his brother Wu Dalang), he finally hinted to Yang Xiong that his wife was having an affair. Initially, Yang Xiong was furious, but after being falsely accused by Pan Qiaoyun, he turned against Shi Xiu, making him the one who meddled in others' affairs and even drove him out.

If Shi Xiu were an ordinary person, he might have left without a word, letting the couple deal with their own mess. But Shi Xiu clearly cared about Yang Xiong and did not want his sworn brother to walk around the city wearing a green hat, a laughingstock. He was also worried that Yang Xiong might be killed by the adulterous couple in the future. In the end, he presented irrefutable evidence.

Unexpectedly, Yang Xiong, who had been weak before, suddenly went mad. On Mount Cuiping, he disemboweled the woman, hung her organs on a tree, and finally killed Pan Qiaoyun and her maid Ying'er. After that, this official even wanted to return to the city to pack his belongings, but fortunately, the meticulous Shi Xiu persuaded him. The two then took Shi Qian, who had been watching secretly and came forward afterward, to Liangshan.

After joining Liangshan, Yang Xiong did not have any outstanding performances and basically just got by. It was his sworn brother Shi Xiu who shone brightly after joining Liangshan. In the end, thanks to Shi Xiu, Yang Xiong was ranked just before him, at the thirty-second position on the Tian Gang list.

Although Wang Lun was not interested in this person, thinking about the tragedy that befell him, a line of ancient wisdom suddenly came to his mind. He lowered his head, thought for a moment, called over Chai Fu, and asked for paper and ink. After writing a few words, he whispered a few more to Chai Fu. Chai Fu was taken aback, looked at Wang Lun with a puzzled expression, thought for a moment, and finally nodded in agreement. He then took the paper and left.

After this, Wang Lun put Yang Xiong out of his mind. Not only did he have no intention of recruiting Yang Xiong, but even if he had, he would never have been able to persuade him to join. After all, Yang Xiong's career was going smoothly; why would he ruin his future by joining a band of outlaws?

Seeing Wang Lun's mysterious behavior, the others were not surprised. They just thought that their leader always had unexpected moves. Deng Fei was busy toasting Jiao Ting, his eyes redder from drinking. Only Wu Song was watching Wang Lun, deep in thought. Wang Lun, seeing this, did not say much, just chuckled and continued drinking with Wu Song. After half an hour, Chai Jin returned, apologized to everyone, and Chai Fu, who followed him, nodded slightly to Wang Lun. Wang Lun smiled at him, and Chai Fu did not say anything more, standing silently by the side.

The drinking continued until midnight, and everyone finally dispersed happily. Chai Jin, seeing Wang Lun's appreciation for Wu Song, moved Wu Song's room next to Wang Lun's. After returning to his room, Wang Lun personally packed a bag of gold and silver and sent it to Wu Song's room. Wu Song, seeing this, refused to accept it, but Wang Lun said, "Brother, if you want to return to your brother and start a business, you need some capital." After much persuasion, Wu Song finally accepted the bag of gold and silver and stayed up half the night talking with Wang Lun.

The next morning, everyone got up early, and Chai Jin accompanied them in the hall, chatting idly. Wang Lun thought about Yang Xiong's visit the previous night and wondered if his sworn brother was around. According to the story, he should still be with his uncle, trading sheep and horses, but no one knew where he had ended up.

Wang Lun, with the attitude of trying his luck, instructed Jiao Ting and Deng Fei to go out and inquire in the market if there was a hero known as the Desperate Third Brother. Wu Song, seeing this, thought, "Since Wang Leader loves me so much, and he has given me a task, I might as well go out with these heroes. It's not pleasant to sit here and watch Chai Jin's changing attitude."

Thinking this, he immediately suggested to Wang Lun that he go with Jiao Ting and Deng Fei. Wang Lun, knowing that Wu Song was a man who returned kindness with even greater kindness, and that he would feel uneasy if he did not contribute, did not hesitate and thanked him. Wu Song, delighted, bowed to Chai Jin and left.

Chai Jin, seeing Wu Song leave, was not concerned. He just pulled Wang Lun and Lin Chong to his stable, where two or three dozen horses had already been brought out. Wang Lun, seeing this, asked why. Chai Jin laughed and said, "How can a leader of a mountain bandit group not have good horses? My estate is close to Liao, and many horse traders come to visit. Over the years, I have collected some good horses. It is a waste to use them for hunting. It would be better for them to follow Wang Leader in battles. I have personally selected these thirty horses for you!"

Lin Chong, hearing this, went to look at the horses. Being an expert, he saw that they were all well-fed, strong, and had bright coats, clearly not ordinary horses. He turned back and said happily, "Chai Daren has collected good horses. Even in the mansions of high officials in Tokyo, it would be hard to find thirty such fine horses!"

Wang Lun thanked Chai Jin repeatedly. Chai Jin stroked his beard and laughed, saying, "These are just trivial things. I don't know how much effort Wang Leader put into finding the handwriting of my ancestor, Emperor Shizong. Compared to your generous gifts, these are nothing!"

Wang Lun thanked Chai Jin again. Chai Jin then instructed his servants to set up a feast and invited Wang Lun and Lin Chong to the main seats. As everyone was drinking merrily, Jiao Ting, Deng Fei, and Wu Song returned. Wu Song was holding a lean, agile man with thick eyebrows and bright eyes. Wang Lun, seeing this, asked curiously, "Brother, who is this man?"

Wu Song replied, "This man is very impolite. Seeing that Jiao Ting and Deng Fei had full purses, he tried to steal from them. I saw him from behind and caught him. He has excellent lightness skills, and it took me a lot of effort to catch him!"

Note: In the past few days, many heroes have @ me, but I can't reply in the backend. If you have anything to say, please leave a comment in the book review section or join the group. The group number is pinned at the top of the book review section. Thank you all!

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