Chapter 38: There is nothing that a little drink cannot solve!

"I see."

Upon hearing Cai Fu finish explaining the situation regarding Zengtou Village, Shi Xiu’s tiger-like eyes widened wide, and his hair stood on end with fury:

"Whatever Brother says we should do, that is what we will do!"

Yang Xiong chimed in, "Me too!"

"Very good!"

Cai Fu patted Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu on the shoulders with satisfaction.

"Heal your wounds first; your older brother will make the necessary arrangements."

Of course, he knew what was on Song Jiang and Wu Yong's minds. Weren't they just planning to use Lu Junyi to attack Zengtou Village?

In truth, Chao Gai had left behind a final testament: "Whoever manages to capture Shi Wengong shall be installed as the Lord of Mount Liang."

If Lu Junyi captured Shi Wengong, and Song Jiang honored Lu Junyi as the Lord of Mount Liang, Song Jiang would still be considered a decent human being.

The ridiculous part was that Song Jiang wanted to use Lu Junyi to capture Shi Wengong, yet had no intention of letting Lu Junyi become the Lord of Mount Liang.

As a result, even after capturing Shi Wengong, Lu Junyi was manipulated by Song Jiang and forced to become the second-in-command.

The problem was that Lu Junyi had been doing quite well as a wealthy country squire; who on earth would be willing to be your second-in-command?

In any case, Zengtou Village had to be destroyed. Leaving Song Jiang aside, Cai Fu would never allow the Jurchen dogs to station ambushes there.

Therefore, he might as well kill two birds with one stone!

Cai Fu suddenly remembered another matter.

"By the way, where is Lord Chai?"

Yang Xiong sighed. "Lord Chai is a direct descendant of the late Chai Shizong of the Later Zhou dynasty. He holds the Dan-shu Tie-quan—the iron certificate bearing the imperial decree bestowed by Emperor Wude, the Grand Ancestor.

"The corrupt officials have already sent bailiffs to escort him to Bianliang..."

"I see!"

Cai Fu suddenly understood.

Of course. Chai Jin's identity was special, and beheading him at a public crossroads indeed seemed inappropriate.

It could only be said that Chai Jin had bad luck. If he had also been scheduled for execution at the crossroads, wouldn't he have been rescued alongside the others?

Now it was too late to pursue them. According to Yang Xiong, they had set off several days ago, and by this time they had probably already reached Bianliang...

...

Still over two hundred miles away from Bianliang...

With unkempt hair and tattered clothes, bearing a heavy wooden cangue weighing seven and a half catties on his shoulders, Chai Jin staggered forward.

The two bailiffs escorting him were Dong Chao and Xue Ba.

These were the exact same two who had previously escorted Lin Chong from Bianliang to Cangzhou.

Had Cai Fu not traveled through time to rescue Lu Junyi, according to the original plotline, Dong Chao and Xue Ba would have been escorting Lu Junyi to the Shamen Islands instead.

Ultimately, they would have died beneath Yan Qing's arrows.

To round it up, it was equivalent to Cai Fu saving their lives.

And now, they were returning this favor to Chai Jin.

"Smack!"

Dong Chao struck the back of Chai Jin’s leg with his water-and-fire staff, cursing:

"You beast! You have no sense at all!

"It's so damn hot, yet you still won't walk faster!"

Chai Jin had been pampered all his life, accustomed to the finest food and clothing. Even after joining Mount Liang, whatever he ate and used was of the highest quality.

When had he ever suffered such hardship?

Blame it only on the fact that Chai Jin had been dressed far too lavishly when he was captured:

He wore a dark cyan round-collared robe, fastened at the waist with a mutton-fat jade belt adorned with trinkets; upon his head sat a finch-feather cap, and on his feet were a pair of pearl-studded shoes.

The moment he entered the death row, Chai Jin was stripped down to his bare skin, and even his silk underwear was not spared!

During the escort, it was only a kind-hearted prison guard who took pity on him and slipped a pair of new straw sandals onto his feet.

The straps and cords of the straw sandals were twisted from hemp. How could Chai Jin's delicate jade feet possibly endure such friction?

By the end of the day, his tender feet had long been chafed raw and bleeding by the new straw sandals, causing him to emit soft whimpers of pain.

Yet a soft whimper earned him a strike with the staff, and walking too slowly earned him another. All the way along, Chai Jin's face was bruised and battered...

"Constables, let's rest for a moment..."

Chai Jin truly could not bear it any longer, and pleaded with Dong Chao using polite words.

Dong Chao smiled and asked, "Is there a tip?"

Chai Jin wore an expression of utter misery. "This humble one has already been completely stripped of everything in prison; where on earth would I find a tip..."

"Smack!"

Xue Ba stepped forward and struck him with his staff:

"You motherfucking bastard, if there's no tip, why aren't you walking faster!

"If you anger your grandfather here, I'll make you bite my bird!"

Dong Chao also cursed, "A thieving turtle-dove, poor as a church mouse!"

Tears streamed down Chai Jin's face, and he could only stagger forward a few quick steps to avoid being treated to Dong Chao and Xue Ba's heavy staves...

...

Liquan Mountain.

"Shi Wengong?"

Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu instantly recognized Shi Wengong. In a panic, they raised their sabers and spears against him, warning Cai Fu:

"Brother, be careful! This Shi Wengong is extraordinarily formidable!"

"Stop!"

Cai Fu hurriedly stopped Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu.

He had a lingering feeling that he had forgotten to mention something important, though he couldn't quite recall what it was—ah, it was this matter:

"My two brothers, this is a long story. Blah, blah, blah..."

"I see..."

After learning the truth of the matter, Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu exchanged glances and, with a tacit understanding, bowed deeply to Shi Wengong:

"We were impudent; Brother, please forgive us!"

Since Shi Wengong had not killed Chao Gai and was actually Cai Fu's sworn brother, they naturally had to treat him with courtesy.

Shi Wengong returned the courtesy, and a smile wiped away all past grievances.

"All right, stop bowing back and forth!"

Cai Fu pulled them up. "We are all brothers, let's go drink!"

The international superstar Nicholas Zhao Si once said: There is nothing in this world that cannot be resolved by a small round of drinks!

If there is, then make it two rounds!

Cai Fu arranged a table of wine and food, gathering Lu Junyi, Shi Wengong, Yang Xiong, and Shi Xiu around the same table.

With Cai Qing, Yu Baosi, Jiao Ting, and Yan Qing joining as company drinkers, a single session smoothed everything out.

By the end of the drinking, Shi Wengong had his arm slung around Shi Xiu's shoulders, his face distorted, eyes crooked, and the corners of his mouth twitching:

"Little brother, you have no idea. When your older brother here was young, I suffered terribly. My senior martial brother and second senior martial brother ganged up to bully me!

"If I hadn't been unable to beat the two of them, I would have long since..."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Lu Junyi wrapped an arm around Yang Xiong and slapped the table at Shi Wengong:

"Are you saying I alone couldn't beat you?"

"You two stinky brats!"

Old Master Zhou burst onto the scene, pointing at Shi Wengong:

"You aren't even fully healed yet, don't you know that? Who told you to drink so much?"

Shi Wengong scampered away in a panic.

After berating Shi Wengong, he turned his wrath on Lu Junyi: "As the senior martial brother, instead of setting a good example, you wanted to beat him?"

Lu Junyi fled in disarray.

"And you—"

Old Master Zhou turned his finger toward Cai Fu. Cai Fu wore a bewildered expression:

"Teacher, I am not injured, and I am not drunk..."

"Could the honorable elder be the legendary 'Iron Arm, Shaanxi Hero' Zhou Tong, Senior Zhou?"

Just as Old Master Zhou was about to unleash his fury, Shi Xiu suddenly grew wildly excited and dropped to his knees in a deep bow:

"This humble person heard Elder Brother Shi speak of Senior Zhou's legend of the 'Iron Arm and Golden Saber' today, and I am filled with boundless admiration!

"Since childhood, I have loved martial arts, only regretting that I never met a renowned master!

"Might Senior Zhou be willing to accept this humble person as a disciple?"

Zhou Tong glanced at Cai Fu, who hurriedly introduced him:

"Teacher, this brother Shi Xiu is my good friend.

"He is upright in character and values deep friendships."

Zhou Tong nodded and raised Shi Xiu to his feet with both hands:

"I am advanced in age, and I have already accepted my final closing-door disciple..."

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiu dropped to his knees again:

"This humble person is entirely sincere in seeking instruction. I beg Senior Zhou to take me in!"

When Cai Fu saw Shi Xiu's flushed face, it was obvious he had drunk too much and the alcohol had gone to his head.

Just as Cai Fu wanted to smooth things over, Zhou Tong asked Shi Xiu:

"What kind of martial art do you wish to learn?"

Overjoyed, Shi Xiu blurted out, "This humble person wishes to learn the saber!"

Zhou Tong then pulled Cai Fu forward:

"My saber techniques have all been passed down to this man!

"If you wish to learn, you should beg him instead!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Shi Xiu knocked his head three loud times against the floor before Cai Fu:

"Master is above, please accept your disciple's bow!"

Good grief!

The corners of Cai Fu's mouth twitched imperceptibly twice:

I told you to drink less, but you insisted it tasted good—now you can't even count straight anymore...