Chapter 32: The Honorable Ximen?

Page (1/3)

The horse carrying more than three hundred pounds charged onward, while Su Wu pursued from behind.

As he ran, he shouted, “Where do you think you’re going, you thief?”

Li Cheng followed behind him and asked, “Brother, shall I put an arrow through him? I can certainly shoot him from the saddle.”

“Don’t shoot,” Su Wu hurriedly replied.

“Ah?” Li Cheng paused in surprise.

“Just keep after him. We need the man alive,” Su Wu said.

“Oh.” Li Cheng nodded.

They had not gone far when the horse ahead suddenly turned onto a narrow path.

They continued the chase. Ahead, the road curved behind a small grove. Once they rounded the bend, the horse was no longer running. It had been tied to a tree beside the road, and the enormous man stood beside it.

Su Wu halted as well.

Then someone called out, “Constable Captain Su, how have you been?”

What kind of opening was that?

Ximen Qing stepped out from behind the tree ahead, smiling broadly. He walked slowly into the middle of the road, opened his folding fan, and brushed it lightly across his chest several times before looking at Su Wu.

Dong Jian reacted at once. “This is bad! Captain, leave quickly. We may have walked into a trap!”

Su Wu remained calm. He merely asked, “Master Ximen, what kind of formation is this?”

The eminent master had a sword at his waist as well. He took several steps forward and said, “Aren’t you highly skilled in martial arts? Aren’t you determined to make an enemy of me? This day next year will be the anniversary of your death, Su Wu!”

Dong Jian stepped in front of Su Wu and drew his blade. “Captain, go first!”

Several men had already appeared ahead, blocking the road. A voice came from behind them as well.

“Today, none of you will leave!”

Li Cheng glanced forward and back. He had already set his crossbow, drawn his bow, nocked an arrow, and pulled the string taut. His voice was fierce.

“We’ll fight you dog thieves to the bitter end!”

Su Wu turned his head and took a look. He did not know the man; he had never seen him before, though the face seemed vaguely familiar.

The leader behind them was a burly, thick-set fellow. His hair was bright red, and a huge red birthmark covered one cheek. A large ring-headed saber stood beside him, and his appearance was extraordinarily fierce.

But this was strange. What sort of thieves were these from Liangshan? They were notorious criminals whose names had been listed by the imperial government. In every prefecture and county across Shandong and Hebei, wanted notices bearing their likenesses were plastered all over the streets.

Song Jiang, an assistant clerk from Yuncheng County, had merely been exposed for sending a letter to Liangshan, yet he had immediately prepared to silence the witness and flee his homeland.

And Ximen Qing and Yun Liwan actually dared to get involved in such a matter?

They had truly managed to summon one of them!

Ximen Qing said, “Su Wu, I might as well tell you plainly. Standing before us is the Red-Haired Devil of Liangshan Marsh. You are an officer of the county office. Surely you have heard of him?”

“His fame is indeed thunderous,” Su Wu replied with a smile.

Seeing that Su Wu was still smiling, Liu Tang said, “You’re Su Wu, are you? Your reputation has grown lately. Unfortunately for you, your parents failed to choose a fortunate birth date. I intend to take your head and use it to establish Liangshan’s renown. Don’t take offense.”

Su Wu turned to Liu Tang, then asked Dong Jian, “How much is this fellow worth? Could his capture earn us a promotion?”

Page (2/3)

Dong Jian licked his lips. “Their leader, Chao Gai, is worth three thousand strings of cash. This fellow is worth eighteen hundred. It would certainly count as a great achievement.”

“Worth a fortune!” Su Wu nodded. The man truly was valuable. The imperial government was the imperial government; it was nothing like the local prefectures.

Ximen Qing grew anxious. “Brother Liu, this fellow actually dares to look down on you.”

Liu Tang flew into a rage. The banter ended at once. He leveled his ring-headed saber and strode forward.

“Death is at your doorstep, yet you remain ignorant of it! Your grandfather will teach you how to lose your head today!”

Su Wu drew his own blade, while Li Cheng raised his hand and fired.

The bowstring twanged. Liu Tang’s expression changed in alarm. The arrow came so fast and true that he had only enough time to throw himself into a roll and sweep his saber across—

He had lost all dignity, but he barely managed to evade it.

Li Cheng hurriedly began resetting the crossbow and drawing the string, but Liu Tang had already risen.

“You dare attack me with a hidden arrow? I’ll slaughter your entire family, from the eldest to the youngest!”

The crossbow was too slow to reload. Liu Tang was astonishingly fast; in only a few strides he had arrived and brought his saber down.

Dong Jian clenched his teeth and moved forward to meet him. When the blow descended, he raised his weapon to block, but the impact knocked the blade from his hand and sent him staggering.

At a glance, Liu Tang truly seemed highly skilled. Ximen Qing shouted his praise.

“Brother Liu, splendid technique!”

Liu Tang raised his ring-headed saber again and slashed at Su Wu.

Su Wu brought up his long blade. With a resounding clang, his feet remained planted, his body did not sway, and he caught the blow solidly. There was no elaborate technique to it—only immense strength and lightning-fast eyes and hands.

Repelled by the block, Liu Tang’s body paused. He understood now that this man who had slain a tiger was no ordinary fighter.

Li Cheng reached for another arrow.

Ximen Qing grew slightly frantic and turned to shout, “Yu Baosi, what are you waiting for? Get up there!”

Hmm?

Where was Yu Baosi?

There was no time to worry about it. Ximen Qing waved both hands urgently.

“Everyone, attack! All of you, together!”

More than a dozen men closed in from the front and rear.

At that very moment—

A strange buzzing suddenly rose and fell all around them, one wave after another.

Ximen Qing stared in confusion and looked up and around. For a moment, he genuinely had no idea what the sound was.

Liu Tang, however, had seen battle before. His reaction was extremely quick. He stopped swinging his blade and shouted, “Take cover! Quickly, take cover!”

A succession of sharp whistles filled the air.

At last Ximen Qing saw them clearly: arrows, countless arrows. If it had been only the hum of a single bowstring, he could have recognized it. But this—

What was happening?

Where had so many arrows come from?

Ximen Qing hurriedly covered his head and ducked behind the tree.

In the blink of an eye, screams rang out one after another. Several men had been pierced clean through by arrows and were rolling helplessly across the ground.

Page (3/3)

The situation changed drastically, yet Ximen Qing still had no idea what was going on.

Liu Tang was the first to curse. “Ximen Qing, you bastard! You tricked me! You summoned government soldiers to capture me!”

Ximen Qing stared blankly. “Brother Liu, what are you talking about?”

“Ximen Qing, even if the government soldiers capture your grandfather, my brother will one day slaughter your entire family!” Liu Tang shouted again. He crouched behind the tree, peering toward the sky and in every direction.

The strange buzzing had begun again.

Liu Tang could only keep looking around, circling the trunk in search of cover.

Then Ximen Qing suddenly realized that Su Wu was standing motionless in the open. The arrows were not flying toward the center at all.

“Su Wu, it was you!” Ximen Qing exclaimed as the truth dawned on him.

Su Wu merely replied, “And what if it was?”

Su Wu was somewhat disappointed. He had thought he was preparing a grand feast, only to find that what had been served amounted to a few small dishes. The spectacle was far too modest. Ximen Qing was ultimately nothing more than a minor underling, incapable of creating any truly grand occasion.

Still, that was not necessarily a bad thing.

Several more men were rolling across the ground, wailing in agony. Someone cried out, “Leader Liu, what are we going to do?”

Liu Tang was flustered as well. He kept looking around, unable to decide in which direction to break through, because the arrows were coming from every side.

Then someone shouted from within the woods, “Brother, are we late? We stayed farther away in case we startled the snake.”

“You arrived at exactly the right time!” Su Wu called back.

Men emerged from the woods in every direction, carrying bows and crossbows. They had woodcutters’ axes at their waists, while others carried steel forks across their backs.

They were not government soldiers?

A surge of relief and delight swept through Liu Tang. If they had been soldiers, there would have been nothing to discuss. But if they were not soldiers, then they had to be fellow heroes. That meant there might still be room for negotiation.

Still hiding behind the tree, Liu Tang called out, “Gentlemen, this is all a misunderstanding!”

No one paid him the slightest attention.

Wu Song appeared and walked over to Su Wu. After looking around, he curled his lip in contempt.

“Brother, what a commotion over so few wretches…”

Only four or five men were still standing. More than a dozen lay on the ground, howling without end.

Su Wu turned his head again.

“Master Ximen?”

“Ah?” Master Ximen was still alive.

“Won’t you come out and meet us?” Su Wu asked.

“Ah, well… I’m coming out. Captain, you know this was all that Military Adviser Yun Liwan’s doing…” Ximen Qing glanced from side to side, his heart sinking as he took in the scene.

“Come out and talk.” Su Wu beckoned with one hand. Behind the tree, he could see a pair of terrified eyes.

(My brothers, you are truly incredible. Yesterday, the new-book rankings had me at number fifty-one, and today you pushed me all the way to number thirty. I am absolutely overjoyed, and I offer my deepest thanks to every one of you! I wonder how high this new book can ultimately climb…)