Chapter 51: Wu Yong: What a brilliant move of shifting and discharging force!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
Not long after, another large crowd poured out of the tiny back kitchen, outnumbering even the radiant splendor of Wuling...

Cai Fu glanced over and saw many people with extraordinary physical appearances:
There was one man, eight spans tall, with a leopard's head and round eyes, swallow-like jaws and tiger-like whiskers, wielding an eighteen-foot serpent spear.
There was another, with eyes like a falcon, a head like a tiger or leopard, a simian back and a wolfish waist, carrying five flying knives on his back.
There was yet another, with a birthmark the size of a palm on his face and sparse red whiskers on both cheeks.
Then there was one with a full head of red hair, a flat face that was purplish-black, a vermilion birthmark on his temple, and a patch of yellow hair growing right out of the birthmark.
And another, resembling a great black bear, with reddish-yellow eyebrows growing together, bloodshot eyes, and a full head of unkempt hair standing straight up like an iron brush, holding two large battle-axes in his hands.
There was even one who was as lovely as peach blossoms yet as cold as frost, with skin whiter than snow, standing eight spans tall, with a pair of long legs that made Victoria's Secret supermodels look short...

With so many people of extraordinary appearance suddenly appearing, strangely enough, none of them could overshadow a small, dark, and chubby man.
This small, dark, and chubby man was short, dark, and plump, yet he possessed phoenix eyes and sleeping silkworm eyebrows, a high forehead and a square jaw.
How should one describe his aura? It was akin to attending a crosstalk show by a famous troupe: when all the crosstalk performers crowded onto the stage, filling it to the brim, your eyes would still instantly lock onto the master of the troupe.

Cai Fu knew at a glance that this small, dark, and chubby man was no ordinary fellow; barring any accidents, he had to be the "Timely Rain."
Sure enough, as soon as the small, dark, and chubby man made his appearance, Zhu Tong, Lei Heng, and Li Jun all shouted "Elder Brother" to him.
Having shouted "Elder Brother," both Lei Heng and Li Jun grinned savagely at Cai Fu:
Our Elder Brother Song Gongming has arrived!
You're finished!

Yet, to their utter astonishment, the small, dark, and chubby man marched right up to Lu Junyi and executed a sliding kneel!
"Swish—"
The small, dark, and chubby man slid right up in front of Lu Junyi, his face brimming with profound righteousness and his eyes overflowing with chivalrous tenderness:
"Master Lu, Song Jiang merely wished to invite you up the mountain for a righteous gathering, never knowing it would plunge you into a plight of imprisonment...
"The fault lies entirely with Song Jiang, every last bit of it!"

With that, the small, dark, and chubby man looked back at his entourage, and a fellow with a flat face, big ears, and thick lips hurriedly handed him a bundle of thorns.
The small, dark, and chubby man took it in both hands, lifting it high above his head:
"Please punish me, Master Lu!"

Well, what can I say...
Leaving aside Lu Junyi, Song Jiang's tempestuous maneuver stunned even Lei Heng, Li Jun, and the rest of them.
Wu Yong smiled and faded into the background behind the crowd, gently waving his goose-feather fan as he quietly watched Song Jiang's performance.
Lu Junyi instinctively looked back at his external brain:
Big Brother, what on earth should we make of this?

What a formidable small, dark, and chubby man!
Cai Fu had originally built up his momentum, preparing to blast Song Jiang away with a roar as fierce as a tiger crossing a thousand miles...
Unexpectedly, Song Jiang pulled out his ultimate move right off the bat—a sliding kneel followed by "offering thorns to plead for punishment." Who on earth could block such a punch?

Lu Junyi, who had arrived fiercely determined to settle scores, was left completely dumbfounded, having no idea how to counter this...
Even someone invincible in combat wouldn't know how to handle it, so Cai Fu had to rely on himself.
He keenly observed that the moment Song Jiang offered thorns to plead for punishment, all the Liangshan heroes shared a fierce, collective sense of righteous indignation.
Even though it was Song Jiang who had landed Lu Junyi in prison, it suddenly looked as though Lu Junyi had wronged Song Jiang instead!
Especially that great black bear holding two large battle-axes!
His eyes were bloodshot, his hair and whiskers stood on end, and he breathed heavily—"huff, huff, huff"—as if he wanted to swallow Lu Junyi alive!

Cai Fu blinked at Lu Junyi:
Don't just stare at me, say something!
Drawing on the tacit understanding forged from sleeping side by side, Lu Junyi hurriedly and grandly introduced Cai Fu:
"When Lu was trapped in the yamen, it was thanks to Cai Fu, the 'Matchless virtuous' and jailer of the two courts in Daming Prefecture, who risked his life to save me, that my life was preserved!
"Lu has already sworn him in as an elder brother. If the chieftain wishes to plead guilty, you had best consult my elder brother first!"

Brilliant!
The corners of Cai Fu's mouth curled up slightly:
Number Two, oh Number Two, sleeping with me for all these days truly wasn't in vain!
Without Lu Junyi paving the way with those words, Cai Fu would have found it terribly awkward to chime in...

Sure enough, once Lu Junyi finished speaking, Song Jiang's momentum faltered, and when he turned back to Cai Fu, his energy was diminished by a good thirty percent:
"Jailer, blame Song Jiang entirely for his thirst for worthy talent, which led him to adopt such a desperate measure!
"Not only did I plunge Master Lu into imprisonment, but I have also implicated you, Jailer, forcing you to flee across the lakes and rivers!
"The fault lies entirely with Song Jiang. I beg the Jailer to punish me!"

Cai Fu shook his head:
"The chieftain is mistaken!
"I, Cai Fu the 'Matchless Virtuous,' place righteousness above all else and never hesitate to draw my sword against injustice!
"My second brother was framed and cast into prison through a miscarriage of justice; saving him is nothing more than my bounden duty!
"Even if I lost my official post and became an outlaw of the jianghu as a result, Cai Fu does so willingly!
"However, the one who suffered and endured hardships was my second brother, not me!
"If the chieftain wishes to plead guilty, you should look for my second brother instead!"

Hiss—
Song Jiang secretly drew a sharp breath. His momentum faltered yet again, and his voice grew even softer as he turned back to Lu Junyi:
"Master Lu, what the Jailer says is quite right!
"The one who suffered was you, Master Lu, and Song Jiang asks only for your punishment!"

Most of the people present failed to notice anything amiss; they merely felt that Song Jiang's constant kneeling and bowing was rather exhausting to watch.
Wu Yong noticed it.
Wu Yong covered half his face with his goose-feather fan, looking at Cai Fu with a renewed sense of astonishment:
What a marvelous redirection technique!
As the "Wise Star" who fancied himself a "Matchless Zhuge," Wu Yong naturally saw that Song Jiang's heavy blow had been completely deflected.
Wu Yong had seen countless people since coming to Liangshan, and vast though the jianghu was, very few could neutralize one of Song Jiang's moves like this...

"My life belongs to my big brother!"
Lu Junyi waved his hands repeatedly:
"My big brother calls the shots, so the chieftain should ask him!"

Damn you to hell...
Song Jiang's face turned green:
You can't possibly play games like this—have you ever considered the feelings of my kneecaps?
Yet Song Jiang was already trapped in this predicament and could not afford to half-ass it halfway through; he could only turn back to Cai Fu with tearful eyes:
"Jailer..."

"Elder Brother, wait a moment!"
At the crucial juncture, Li Jun stepped forward to rescue the emperor!
Li Jun pointed at the bloody head in Cai Qing's hands and shouted:
"Elder Brother, this 'Matchless Virtuous' who puts 'righteousness above all else' has brutally murdered our brother Li Li!
"Brother Li Li and I have been friends for many years, and he was also a brother from the gathering at Bailong Temple back in the day!
"Now that Brother Li Li has been tragically murdered by this man, are you only concerned with pleading guilty to Master Lu while ignoring a brother's unjust death?"

Why didn't you say so earlier!
Why on earth didn't you mention it sooner?
Song Jiang genuinely had no idea that Li Li was dead; after all, it was just a whistling arrow—how much information could it possibly convey?
At the sight of Li Li's head, Song Jiang's expression shifted drastically. With a cry of anguish, he fell backward and passed out cold...

"Elder Brother! Elder Brother, what has happened to you, Elder Brother!"
Whether genuine or feigned, the Liangshan heroes all panicked and swarmed around Song Jiang.
The great black bear hurriedly dropped to his knees and aggressively pinched the spot beneath Song Jiang's nose using fingers as thick as rolling pins.
With just a single pinch, Song Jiang let out an "Ai-yah" and snapped back to consciousness.
Immediately afterward, Song Jiang began wailing as if in mourning for his parents, beating his chest and crying bitterly:
"Brother Li Li, back in Jiangzhou you risked your lives to save me, and I brought you up to Liangshan simply to secure a bright future for you!
"Who on earth harmed you? Song Jiang hasn't even had the chance to repay your kindness, how could you leave us so soon, wuwuwu..."