Chapter 28

In the warm spring weather, the smell of the thin, foul-smelling liquid was particularly strong. As soon as the two ruffians fell into the manure pit, they started to wail. If they hadn't struggled, it would have been better, but as soon as they thrashed about, the manure slowly trickled into their mouths. Thus, the two ruffians began to vomit while standing in the manure pit, and they vomited so much that they even coughed up tears.

It was too unbearable. The two ruffians finally realized how terrible it was to fall into a manure pit. The feeling was even more miserable than being beaten up. The ruffians wanted to climb out, but how could Lu Zhishen let them? He swung his cudgel, beating the two poor ruffians until they wailed.

Fang Dashan's eyes were almost bulging out. He wasn't a fool and knew he should escape at this moment. The problem was that his right foot had been caught in a mousetrap, and he couldn't run even if he wanted to.

"Quick, escape and inform Third Brother and Fourth Brother to bring people to save me, quick..."

The ruffians exchanged glances, then left Fang Dashan and ran toward the southern wall. Lu Zhishen knew he couldn't catch all of them, so he only dragged the injured Fang Dashan over. Standing by the manure pit, he did the same thing, lifting his arm, and Fang Dashan fell into the manure pit like a little bird.

Due to his injured foot, Fang Dashan couldn't stand steadily and fell headfirst into the manure. When he finally lifted his head, the yellow and black stuff was dripping from his face. Not only did Fang Dashan look terrible, but even Lu Zhishen frowned, unsure how much manure Fang Dashan had swallowed.

"Cough... cough... cough..." Fang Dashan opened his mouth to vomit, but the stench almost made him faint.

"You ruffians, do you really think I'm easy to bully? Today, I'll let you taste the suffering of the manure pit so you'll know what pain is!"

Hearing Lu Zhishen's thunderous voice, Fang Dashan's face turned even more miserable. When they threw the monks into the manure pit before, they had laughed. Now, he realized how foolish they had been.

"Master, please spare us. We promise never to come and cause trouble again!"

Having lived on the streets for a long time, Fang Dashan knew that the wise adapt to the times. It was right to show weakness now. Once he escaped, he would gather his brothers and come back. With dozens of people, they wouldn't be afraid of this fierce monk.

Fang Dashan's beady eyes darted around. He had his calculations, but Lu Zhishen wasn't a fool. He shook his cudgel and sneered, "What a shameless dog. If I let you go now, you'll immediately bring people to cause trouble again. Hmph, stay in the manure pit!"

As Lu Zhishen finished speaking, the Zhao sisters clapped and walked out of the house with smiles. "The monk is right. We can't let them go. They must learn their lesson!"

It was so foul. Zhao Fugui had never been so close to a manure pit before and couldn't help but pinch his nose.

Hearing Zhao Yougong's words, Lu Zhishen and the ruffians all looked at him. Lu Zhishen was still fine, but when Fang Dashan saw Zhao Yougong, he inwardly groaned. This was Prince Zhao of Yongning. Why did this little master come here?

In the capital, Prince Zhao of Yongning wasn't much to the likes of Gao Yannai, but he was still enough to intimidate these ruffians. If not, he wouldn't have been able to bully the streets in the past.

"Prince of Yongning, why... why... ah, we didn't know Master was a friend of the prince. Prince, please spare us..."

Fang Dashan led the way, bowing in the manure pit. Fortunately, the pit wasn't too deep, or they would have swallowed more manure.

The title "Prince" shocked Lu Zhishen immensely. He had thought the Zhao sisters were not ordinary, but he never imagined they were from the royal family.

Prince of Yongning was well-known in Bianliang, but all for his bad reputation. Lu Zhishen naturally looked down on him. A prince who bullied the good and did evil deserved a beating. The idea of being friends was unimaginable. Yet, he had become friends with Prince Zhao and even called him "Brother Zhao."

The scene became awkward. Lu Zhishen's smile vanished, and he frowned at Zhao Yougong. "Brother Zhao, are you really Prince of Yongning?"

"Hehe, why the serious face, Brother? Does it matter if I am Prince of Yongning?"

Zhao Yougong left it at that and ignored Lu Zhishen, pinching his nose and squatting by the manure pit. He shook his slingshot and smiled evilly. "Let's make a bet. I'll throw ten stones with this slingshot. Whoever can dodge two can leave."

Prince Zhao looked gentle and spoke softly, but the three ruffians were terrified. At such close range, even if the prince's aim was poor, how could he miss? Plus, they were stuck in the manure pit, making it hard to move. Dodging even one stone would be difficult, let alone two.

"Prince, spare us. If you let us go, we'll work like oxen and horses to repay your kindness!"

"Get lost. Do I need you to work like oxen and horses? Since you don't want to bet, I have no choice. Monk, you decide."

Shrugging and spreading his hands, Zhao Yougong went to Zhao Fugui, and they chatted under the willow tree.

Lu Zhishen had been watching Zhao Yougong. His mind was in turmoil, unsure how to handle the situation. But Zhao Yougong was right; they needed to deal with the ruffians first. The rest could be discussed later.

He coldly snorted at the ruffians, walked to the corner, and soon returned with a pile of firewood. The ruffians watched, not understanding what the monk was doing. Soon, Lu Zhishen lit the fire, and the wood began to burn.

Why did Lu Zhishen light a fire by the manure pit? The reason was Zhao Yougong.

The manure pit was already foul, especially the pool of manure. But that wasn't the worst part. If a fire was lit next to the manure, the heat would cause the manure to evaporate, and the rising steam would feel like a layer of hair on the skin. The evaporating stench would penetrate the pores, sometimes even suffocating a person.

At first, they felt nothing. The warmth was comfortable. But after a while, the ruffians couldn't bear it. The stench grew stronger, and breathing became difficult. Every time they opened their mouths, the damp, foul air rushed in. Soon, they couldn't take it anymore.

Fang Dashan felt he was better off dead. If he had known, he would have preferred to be beaten by the monk. If he survived this, he would stay far away from manure pits.

"Master, please, put out the fire, put out the fire. We're just a bunch of rascals. Please spare us!"

This time, Fang Dashan was truly defeated. The monk looked rough but was cunning. The idea of using fire to steam the manure pit was brilliant. Stealing vegetables wasn't worth this. He would never steal again.

"Hmph, you ruffian, you talk big. Every time I let you go, you promise the same thing. But you always come back within three days. Do you think I'm easy to fool?" Lu Zhishen glared and swung his cudgel, sending a burning stick flying over Fang Dashan's head.

Lu Zhishen's timing was perfect. The stick grazed Fang Dashan's scalp, scaring him so much that his head buzzed and his bowels and bladder released. But no one noticed since he was in the manure pit.

He had thought the monk was just strong, but now he realized the monk's skills were exceptional.

"Master, I won't lie to you again. Please let me go..."

As the flames flickered, the ruffians' tears reflected the light. Just as Lu Zhishen hesitated, a commotion came from the garden entrance. A dozen ruffians entered, some with wooden sticks, some with cleavers, and one even with a cooking spoon.

The dozen ruffians were of all sizes and shapes. Seeing them, Zhao Fugui giggled, "Ling, look, are they performing acrobatics?"

"Acrobatics? Sister, don't joke. They're reinforcements for the ruffians. Let's hide and stay out of it!"

Without waiting for Zhao Fugui's objection, Zhao Yougong pulled her away. Standing at a distance, he laughed at the dozen ruffians, "Gentlemen, the person you're looking for is over there, but it's not our problem!"

The dozen ruffians glared. Who did these two pretty boys think they were? They looked well-dressed and were entangled with the monk. These ruffians were from the Black River Gang in the northern city, led by Zhang San, the Rat, and Li Si, the Grass Snake. Hearing that their brother Fang Dashan was captured, they rushed to save him, not caring who Zhao Yougong was, as they didn't recognize him.

"Two pretty boys, you're really asking for it. Brothers, attack and beat these pretty boys to death!"

Pretty boys? That meant he was handsome, right? Prince Zhao smiled, but Zhao Fugui was furious, "Shameless, you ruffians are lawless!"

"Hey?" Zhang San's eyes widened, and he laughed even more, realizing it was a girl in disguise, "Ha ha ha, what a lucky break. I didn't expect to find a beautiful lady in a Buddhist temple!"

Rolling up their sleeves, the ruffians were excited and tried to grab Zhao Fugui. Seeing so many, Zhao Fugui panicked and hid behind Zhao Yougong. Zhao Yougong was speechless at her behavior. If she couldn't handle it, she shouldn't have shown off.

Zhang San led the way, but before he took a few steps, he felt himself flying like a bird and landed in the manure pit with a splash.

"Ugh... Dashan... ugh..." Zhang San vomited, and before he could finish speaking, another shadow fell, and his good friend Li Si joined him.

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