Chapter 62: Lin Chong Is Not Struggling, Lin Chong Is Very Adaptable

In the Hall of Loyalty and Justice, two grand armchairs stood side by side at the head of the room. One faced the main entrance directly, while the other was tilted at a thirty-degree angle.

A long table was placed in front of these two armchairs, with another armchair positioned on each of its two sides.

This meant that Cai Fu shared a table with Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and Gongsun Sheng.

Lu Junyi was led by Song Qing to the first table on the lower left, where he sat alongside Lin Chong and Qin Ming.

Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu already had their designated seats, while Cai Qing, Yan Qing, and Jiao Ting were arranged by Song Qing to sit right beside them.

Whether someone had been keeping an eye on Cai Fu or not, Song Jiang arrived shortly after Cai Fu settled in.

Just as Cai Fu had brought a band of brothers along with him, Song Jiang arrived surrounded and flanked by his own faction.

Song Jiang walked alone at the very front.

Half a step behind him on the left was Wu Yong, and half a step behind on the right was Hua Rong.

Following closely behind them were a large contingent including Dai Zong, Lei Heng, Yan Shun, Wang Aihu, and Li Jun.

Normally, Li Ji should have been among them, but unfortunately, he had consumed half a jar of medicated wine in one gulp and was still fast asleep...

The momentum was completely different the moment Song Jiang arrived.

When Cai Fu had arrived, although the Liangshan heroes present all stood up to greet him as brother, the atmosphere hadn't been nearly this fervent.

Song Jiang's arrival felt rather like an idol being greeted by a crowd of devoted fans, with numerous Liangshan heroes enthusiastically swarming around him.

They babbled away as if they had an endless stream of things to say to Song Jiang, to the point where some of the more tongue-tied fellows couldn't even squeeze a word in.

There was simply no comparison; one truly could not compare!

Cai Fu had originally thought that by making a grand entrance, he could instantly establish dominance over Song Jiang and dent his prestige somewhat.

His entrance had indeed made an impact, but the effect was far from pronounced.

Song Jiang at this moment was rather like a top-tier celebrity with an enormous reserve of health, remaining an undisputed superstar even if their recent movies bombed one after another.

However, Cai Fu keenly observed that certain Liangshan heroes had absolutely nothing to say to Song Jiang:

For instance, "The Bearded" Zhu Tong, "The Dragon in the Clouds" Gongsun Sheng, "The Blue-Faced Beast" Yang Zhi, "The Sick Yuchi" Sun Li, "The Heaven-Soaring Eagle" Li Ying, "The Blue-Eyed Tiger" Li Yun, and "The Golden Spear" Xu Ning...

Not only did these men have nothing to say to him, but they hadn't even bothered to crowd around Song Jiang.

To Cai Fu's astonishment, "Panther Head" Lin Chong had actually crowded forward, engaging in cheerful and witty banter with Song Jiang!

Wait a minute!

Cai Fu re-examined Lin Chong, realizing that everything he and Lu Junyi had analyzed earlier seemed to be completely wrong!

Previously, Cai Fu and Lu Junyi had deduced that because Lin Chong had supported Chao Gai in a violent feud to overthrow Wang Lun, he belonged firmly to Chao Gai's inner circle.

With every new emperor came a new court, so Song Jiang surely wouldn't heavily employ Lin Chong, leaving Lin Chong in a very precarious position.

That must have been why Lin Chong had pretended not to know Lu Junyi.

Yet seeing Lin Chong now seamlessly integrated into Song Jiang's faction, Cai Fu realized that Lin Chong's position was far from difficult.

At that instant, Cai Fu suddenly recalled the details from the original text:

After Chao Gai died, Song Jiang led the multitude in mourning every day, having no heart to manage the affairs of the stronghold.

Lin Chong, along with Gongsun Sheng, Wu Yong, and various other chieftains, deliberated and proposed making Song Gongming the master of Liangshan Marsh.

The next day, led by Lin Chong, the assembly formally invited the righteous Song Gongming to take his seat in the Hall of Assembly.

Wu Yong and Lin Chong addressed the gathering, saying: "Listen to our plea, Brother: a state cannot go a single day without a ruler, nor a home a single day without a master.

Today, our former chieftain Chao has ascended to heaven, so how can the affairs of our stronghold remain without a master?

Within the vast domains of the four seas, everyone has heard of your great name. Tomorrow is an auspicious day, and we invite you to become the master of our stronghold. All of us will bow and obey your commands."

In other words, after Chao Gai's death, Lin Chong and Wu Yong were the two people most proactive in elevating Song Jiang to power!

Ironically, both of them had belonged to Chao Gai's inner circle!

Lin Chong and Wu Yong had both obtained precisely what they wanted.

After Song Jiang ascended to power, he took the primary armchair.

At the upper head sat the military strategist Wu Yong, with Gongsun Sheng on the lower side.

On the left flank, Lin Chong headed the line, while on the right flank, Huyan Zhuo took precedence.

Originally, Lin Chong ought to have been in a difficult predicament, but he had once again flexibly and adroitly changed his boss!

In the beginning, Lin Chong recognized Wang Lun as his big brother, holding the fourth armchair.

When Chao Gai arrived, Lin Chong immediately acknowledged Chao Gai as his big brother, killed Wang Lun, and once again sat in the fourth armchair.

Now that Chao Gai was dead, Lin Chong promptly acknowledged Song Jiang as his big brother, and still sat in the fourth armchair.

Though it had always been the fourth armchair, Wang Lun's era featured only five chieftains, and Chao Gai's era had eleven.

Song Jiang's era, however, boasted eighty-eight chieftains. The gold content of the fourth armchair had been steadily rising.

Even when the full roster of one hundred and eight generals was finally complete, Lin Chong still secured the sixth armchair, and his status was as secure as Mount Tai.

Therefore, Lin Chong had truly made a clean break with Lu Junyi...

It made sense; Lin Chong first followed Wang Lun, killed Wang Lun to follow Chao Gai, and after Chao Gai died, followed Song Jiang—he had already changed his boss three times!

He was practically the Water Margin version of "The Servant of Three Masters," giving Lü Bu a run for his money...

Having figured this out, Cai Fu finally understood why Lu Zhishen had maintained practically zero interaction with Lin Chong after ascending Liangshan.

One had to remember that when Lu Zhishen first became sworn brothers with Lin Chong, he had intended to help him deal with Gao Yanei.

When Lin Chong was exiled to Cangzhou, Lu Zhishen escorted him all the way from Tokyo to Cangzhou.

If not for Lu Zhishen, Lin Chong would have long since been murdered by the two bailiffs, Dong Chao and Xue Ba.

Yet the moment Lu Zhishen left, Lin Chong sold him out in a heartbeat.

At that time, Lu Zhishen had brandished his Zen staff, snapped a pine tree in half, and threatened Dong Chao and Xue Ba not to lay a hand on Lin Chong.

Dong Chao and Xue Ba were terrified out of their wits: "What a ferocious monk, snapping a tree in a single stroke!"

Lin Chong had actually chimed in: "What is this worth? At Xiangguo Temple, he even uprooted a weeping willow tree completely."

He might as well have recited Lu Zhishen's ID number right then and there!

Because Lin Chong bore a striking resemblance to Zhang Fei—with his panther-like head, round eyes, swallow-like jaw, tiger-like whiskers, and an eighteen-foot serpent spear—Cai Fu had always looked at him through rose-colored glasses.

He had assumed Lin Chong didn't mean to betray Lu Zhishen, but merely lacked common sense and spoke whatever came to mind.

Now, with those rose-colored glasses shattered into pieces, Cai Fu understood that Lin Chong had indeed betrayed Lu Zhishen!

No wonder Lu Zhishen had virtually zero interaction with Lin Chong after coming to Liangshan, and was only as close as a brother to Wu Song...

And it wasn't just Lu Zhishen; "The Blade-Wielding Ghost" Cao Zheng was Lin Chong's disciple, yet after coming to Liangshan, he also had zero interaction with Lin Chong...

Right, there was also Xu Ning!

Cai Fu remembered that in order to break Huyan Zhuo's chained cavalry, Tang Long had voluntarily sold out his cousin Xu Ning.

At that moment, Lin Chong had asked: "Could it be Xu Ning, the current instructor of the Golden Spear Class?"

Tang Long replied in the affirmative.

Lin Chong remarked: "...This Xu Ning's golden spear technique and hook-scythe spear technique are truly peerless under heaven.

Back in the capital, we frequently met, sparring in martial arts and holding mutual respect and affection for one another.

Only... how can we entice him to come up to the mountain?"

When reading the book, Cai Fu hadn't thought much of it, but pondering it now, Lin Chong and Xu Ning held "mutual respect and affection for one another," yet he was worrying about "how can we entice him to come up to the mountain."

How shallow and unfaithful was he toward his sworn brothers!

Lin Chong despised Lu Yuhao for betraying him, yet what difference was there between Lin Chong and Lu Yuhao?

Originally, Cai Fu had thought that once he went up the mountain, Lin Chong's faction would be securely in his grasp.

After all, Lin Chong was Lu Junyi's junior fellow apprentice, connected through the ties of Zhou Tong; wouldn't it be easy to win him over?

Judging by the present situation, however, he had thought too much of it...

That being said, now that he knew what kind of person Lin Chong was, Cai Fu lost any intention of recruiting him.

What would he do if Lin Chong suddenly quoted to him: "I have drifted through hardship for half my life, regretting only failing to meet a true lord; if you, Sire, do not disdain me..."?

[Thanks to "Dobu Xuxing Fuchenzi" for the tip (666), sending hugs, and please keep reading! Please keep reading! Please keep reading!]