Chapter 96

Suddenly, a clear whistle sounded, and the water troops training on the shore rushed over. One of the leaders, looking at Ruan Xiaoqi who had blown the whistle, said, "Brother, what do you need?"

"Didn't you hear Brother Zhu Gui? Capture that scoundrel Han Bulong!" Ruan Xiaoqi jumped off the deck and ordered. Li Kui, who had been following behind, laughed and watched the commotion, as he had long been annoyed by Han Bulong. Now that someone was causing trouble for him, the brute was secretly delighted.

Han Bulong, who had just landed, tried to hide in the crowd. Liu Tang turned back and said, "Brother, don't be afraid, I'll protect you!" However, the straightforward Liu Tang failed to notice that the chivalrous Chao Gai had lowered his head, and Wu Yong, the master of strategy, wore an indifferent expression. Gong Sunsheng, unaware of the situation, did not rashly get involved.

The boatman, seeing that the usually mild-mannered Zhu Gui was furious, thought that a gentle person's anger was no small matter and rowed the boat as fast as he could. Before the boat reached the shore, Zhu Gui jumped off and rushed to the crowd, shouting, "Chao Gai, do you still have the nerve to fight back!?"

Chao Gai's face turned pale, and he felt a surge of anger. Recognizing the man as Zhu Gui, he said, "Brother Zhu, we have nowhere else to turn and have come to seek refuge. Is this how your stronghold treats guests?"

Zhu Gui, hearing this, became even angrier and shouted, "Stop fighting!"

The water troops all stepped back, leaving two men covered in mud and sand. One of them, with a red birthmark on his temple, said, "If I had a weapon, I would stab you to death! What kind of stronghold is this, a den of bandits?"

Zhu Gui, furious, laughed and said, "You want justice? Then let's talk about it. What should be done with someone who betrays his brothers and puts them in danger?"

"How did he put us in danger?" the man with the red birthmark, who was desperately protecting Han Bulong, shouted.

Before Zhu Gui could speak, Zhu Fu, who had come with him, loudly recounted Han Bulong's past misdeeds and how he had put Zhu Gui in an unrighteous position. His eloquence and clarity moved everyone.

Li Kui, hearing this, cursed, "I always thought you were no good, and it turns out I was right!"

The man with the red birthmark was initially indignant, but his face changed when he heard the details. He turned to Han Bulong and shouted, "Did you do this to your brothers?"

Han Bulong, with his head down, dared not answer. The man then turned to Chao Gai, who avoided his gaze. Realizing the truth, the man stood up and cursed, "Damn it! I'm out of this!" and stepped aside angrily.

Seeing himself about to be captured, and with no one else coming to his aid, Han Bulong felt a chill. He weakly called out, "Brother Liu Tang, save me... I... I had no choice..."

Zhu Gui, seeing this, became enraged. Without a weapon, he snatched a sharp knife from a nearby water troop leader and walked to Han Bulong, shouting, "You had no choice!? Did I force you, or did Chao Gai force you? You still haven't repented, so I'll send you on your way!"

Seeing Zhu Gui about to act, Chao Gai, as the leader of the group, stepped forward and said, "Brother Zhu, hold on! Even if my brother betrayed us, it's not a death sentence! Taking his life now is going too far!"

Zhu Gui paused, thought for a moment, and threw the knife at Han Bulong's feet, saying, "Han Bulong, I'll spare your life! According to the rules of the underworld, you decide your own punishment! Cut off a hand or a foot, it's your choice!"

Han Bulong weakly looked at Chao Gai, but Chao Gai, bound by principles, was at a loss. Seeing Han Bulong's pleading eyes, he steeled himself and said, "He is my brother, and this is all my fault. I'll cut off my arm for him!"

At this moment, Zhu Fu whispered to Zhu Gui, "Chao Gai has brought people to seek refuge, and Brother hasn't given his approval yet. Cutting off his shoulder would damage the stronghold's reputation! Besides, our enemy is Han Bulong, not Chao Gai. Think about it, Brother!"

Zhu Gui, not a rash person, calmed down a bit and said, "Han Bulong, you've found a loyal brother! As a man of the underworld, losing a hand or a foot would make you a cripple. In consideration of our past, I won't take your limbs. Cut off an ear, and we'll consider this settled. I'll have nothing more to do with you in the future!"

Chao Gai was about to speak but was cut off by Zhu Gui, who angrily said, "King Chao, everything comes down to reason. I'm being very restrained now. Don't push me too far!"

Chao Gai, unable to argue, looked at Wu Yong, who remained calm. Sighing, Chao Gai was about to speak when Li Kui, the brute, suddenly appeared, picked up the knife, and stepped on Han Bulong's chest. In a flash, he cut off Han Bulong's ear and threw it to the ground. Han Bulong, in pain, clutched his head and screamed. Li Kui cursed, "If I had done such a despicable act, I wouldn't even protest if you took my head! You have no name? From now on, you'll be known as One-Ear!" Han Bulong, ashamed and angry, fainted.

Seeing that Han Bulong had accepted his punishment, Zhu Gui, keeping his word, turned and left. Zhu Fu followed, and Ruan Xiaoqi, coldly snorting, said, "He got off easy!" He waved to Li Kui, and the two followed the Zhu brothers. Zhu Gui, recognizing the black brute, started a conversation. The water troops, seeing this, dispersed but kept a watchful eye on the group.

Gong Sunsheng sighed, took out a jar of ointment, and handed it to Chao Gai. Chao Gai treated Han Bulong's wound and bandaged him, then asked, "Should we still go up the mountain?"

Wu Yong, who had been silent, said, "We should. Where else can we go? Brother, if Zhu Gui had betrayed Han Bulong, and Han Bulong had captured him, his fate would have been worse! Seeing how restrained a Liangshan leader is, we should go up the mountain. Didn't Wang Lun say he would settle all grievances? I doubt he's worse than Zhu Gui."

Chao Gai, looking at Gong Sunsheng, who nodded, sighed and said, "Let's go then!" He picked up Han Bulong, and the group set off. The old man, sighing, nodded to his two grandsons, and the three followed Chao Gai up the mountain.

As they passed the first checkpoint, they saw a man with a green face sitting on the steps, a jar of wine on his right and a long knife on his left. The leaders who had gone ahead stood behind him. Chao Gai and the others were shocked, and Wu Yong, in a panic, slapped his forehead. He had not anticipated that this man would be on Liangshan. He had been secretly pleased when Zhu Gui avenged himself on Han Bulong, but now it was his turn, and he was at a loss, wanting to turn back but finding the gate closed.

With no choice, Wu Yong stepped forward and said, "Commander Yang, I didn't expect to see you again. Congratulations on joining a righteous cause, and I'm happy for you!"

Yang Zhi stood up suddenly, scaring Wu Yong, who took a few steps back. Liu Tang shouted, "Yang Zhi, what are you going to do?"

Yang Zhi, ignoring him, stared at Chao Gai and said, "You gave me wine on the Yellow Mud Slope, and I am grateful for your kindness. Now that you dare to come up the mountain, isn't it fate?"

Chao Gai, placing Han Bulong on the ground, said firmly, "Yang Zhi, you were escorting the people's wealth to the capital for a corrupt official. How could I not rob you? Your family is known for loyalty, but you serve a traitor. How could I not rob you? Now that I'm in your hands, kill me if you must, but I must speak my mind!"

"Brother, well said! Yang Zhi, if you kill us, in the next life, we'll rob you again!" Liu Tang shouted.

Wu Yong, in a panic, thought this would only make things worse. He silently cursed.

Gong Sunsheng also spoke, "Unrighteous wealth can be taken by anyone! We could have killed you all on the slope, but we spared you because you were innocent, driven by a corrupt official. Tell me, how have we violated the code of the underworld or our conscience? If you want to act, don't hesitate!"

Yang Zhi, instead of getting angry, laughed and said, "I have a jar of wine laced with knockout powder. Will you drink it yourselves, or should I force it down your throats?"

Liu Tang, hearing this, cursed and stepped forward, saying, "Give me the wine. I knocked you out before, and now I'll return the favor. Just make sure to use a sharp blade, so I don't wake up in pain!" He took the jar from Yang Zhi, drank a large mouthful, and said, "Good wine! Brother Chao Gai, have a drink too!" Ruan Xiaoqi, seeing this, asked Li Kui, "This man has such courage even at the brink of death. What's his name?" Li Kui, surprised, said, "This red birthmark man seems better than Han Bulong. I think he's called Red-Haired Devil Liu Tang. I didn't pay much attention to them at the manor, but I think that's his name!"

Chao Gai, turning to Gong Sunsheng, bowed and said, "Brother, it's all my fault. We'll die together today, and I'll repay you in the next life. I'll go first!" He took the jar from Liu Tang, who had already fallen to the ground from the drug.

Chao Gai, seeing this, shed a tear but did not move. He drank a large mouthful of the wine, which was then taken by Gong Sunsheng, who said, "Brother Chao, I don't blame you!" and drank a large mouthful. Chao Gai, tears in his eyes, nodded, and the two sighed, looking back at Wu Yong. Suddenly, Wu Yong spat and slowly drew two copper chains from his sleeve. (To be continued)