Chapter 99

Only the sound of a painful moan could be heard as Han Bulong, who had been unconscious, slowly regained consciousness. When he realized he was inside the cabin, he exclaimed in fear, "Baozheng! Could it be that Wang Lun won't tolerate us and is driving us ashore!?"

Liu Tang merely snorted coldly and turned his head away, not even sparing a glance at the man. He thought about how he had protected this man on the beach, only to find out that he was a traitor seeking his own glory. At this moment, he truly felt it was not worth it, and he blamed himself for being blind.

Chao Gai, seeing the two of them in such a state, sighed in his heart and said, "Brother Liu Tang, this is not Bao Long's fault! If I hadn't had the idea of taking advantage of the situation that day, Bao Long wouldn't have ended up in the position of betraying his brothers!"

"Baozheng, what is the root cause of this matter? When I was at the manor, I also saw the old and young from the village come to cry and make a fuss. How did these villagers end up on Liangshan?" Gong Sunsheng had not dared to ask about the enmity between Chao Gai and Wang Lun before, but after experiencing so much together, they were no longer a temporary alliance of interests. Since they were now brothers in life and death, there was no need to be reserved.

Chao Gai sighed deeply and did not hide anything. He slowly said, "In the twelfth month of last year, he went down the mountain to avenge his brothers and attacked the manor of the former Baozheng of Xixi Village. At that time, I led a group to ambush him on the way, planning to rob him. However, he had over two to three thousand people, and I originally intended to withdraw. But his scouts discovered us. After a tense standoff, both sides were very restrained and eventually parted ways..."

Hearing this, Liu Tang was shocked, "Brother, you dared to attack a group of two to three thousand people!?" Chao Gai remained silent, only shaking his head. Han Bulong, however, angrily said, "What two to three thousand people? That night, there were at most three to five hundred bandits. The group was mostly villagers seeing them off. It was dark, and we couldn't figure out the situation, so we were deceived! I don't know what tricks he used to make those villagers loyal to him!"

"Stop calling him 'this guy' and 'that guy.' You must be more polite! How can you be so ungrateful!" Liu Tang said angrily.

Gong Sunsheng looked at the embarrassed Han Bulong and recalled what Zhu Fu had said on the beach about Han Bulong's betrayal. He suddenly understood that it was Han Bulong who had provided the information that day, leading to Chao Gai's decision! However, Gong Sunsheng did not want to escalate the conflict and said, "Is Wang Lun planning to come down the mountain to seek revenge on Baozheng?"

Chao Gai shook his head and sighed, "He didn't seek revenge on me. But since I had offended him, I decided to finish him off to prevent him from causing trouble in the future. I planned to ambush him, but he turned the tables and captured us all!"

Gong Sunsheng, hearing Chao Gai's words, noticed that he did not mention Wu Yong or Han Bulong's roles. He felt a deep respect for Chao Gai, who took all the responsibility. He comforted him, "In the world of the江湖 (jianghu), one's actions are often beyond one's control. Baozheng, don't worry! Moreover, from my perspective, Leader Wang doesn't seem to blame you! Otherwise, why would he have given us such a generous gift today?"

"What gift? He's driving us away! It's just that this... this person is concerned about his reputation and doesn't dare to harm us!" Han Bulong interjected. He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Liu Tang's angry glare and awkwardly changed his words.

Seeing Chao Gai's low spirits and Liu Tang's anger, Gong Sunsheng recalled Wang Lun's final words to him. He sighed and sat next to Han Bulong, saying, "Brother Han, you must remember! Leader Wang and Heavenly King Chao Gai have a past. He has safely let us go down the mountain. No matter who you ask, this is an act of kindness. Moreover, he has given us one of his strongholds and released the seven hundred villagers under Baozheng's command to join us. If you keep cursing him, aren't you just showing your weaknesses to others?"

Han Bulong was speechless, and Gong Sunsheng patted his shoulder, looking at everyone, "We eight gathered because of the birthday tribute. Now three brothers are in prison, and Mr. Wu is missing. Only the four of us remain. We have been given a place to live, so let's not have any internal conflicts... " He glanced at Han Bulong and Liu Tang and continued, "If we don't strive to improve on the mountain, won't we make Leader Wang, who gave us the stronghold, look down on us?"

Gong Sunsheng looked at Chao Gai with sincere eyes and said, "Baozheng, this is not the time to be sad. The three of us are counting on you! Think about Leader Wang, who had only three to five hundred troops half a year ago. Look at how prosperous his mountain is now, with dozens of leaders, including heroes like Instructor Lin and Marshal Lu, and over ten thousand troops, including cavalry, infantry, and navy! If this hero can do it, and Baozheng, who has been renowned in the jianghu for twenty years, makes up his mind, why would he be any worse?" He emphasized his words, "I, Gong Sunsheng, was once a hermit, but now, moved by Baozheng's righteousness, I have joined the jianghu and your ranks. What is there for you to be hesitant about? There's no need for grand words; the three of us are willing to do our best to assist you!" He then bowed deeply to Chao Gai.

Liu Tang and Han Bulong, seeing this, also stood up and expressed their support. Chao Gai's eyes welled up, and he returned the bow, saying, "What virtue or ability do I have to deserve such love from Daozhang and the two brothers? I will not let you down and will dedicate my life to you all!"

The four, who had been in a desperate situation and found a way out, hugged each other, crying and laughing for a long time. Suddenly, a rugged man with a sunken face and raised eyebrows, who was known for his quick fists, came down from the deck. The four greeted him, and the man returned the greeting, saying, "Heavenly King, Daozhang, and the two heroes, we are not far from the landing point. A hundred miles north is Erlong Mountain. Please prepare, and I will take you ashore in a small boat!"

The four thanked him, and Chao Gai, feeling particularly guilty, stepped forward and held the man's hand, saying, "Little Brother, it was all my fault, causing trouble for you and your two brothers during the New Year!"

Ruan Xiaoer was puzzled and couldn't remember what had happened, asking, "What are you talking about, Heavenly King?"

Chao Gai lowered his head and sighed, "The two times Wu Xuegu visited you, sigh... in short, it made you and your two brothers lose face in front of Leader Wang. I apologize to the three of you!"

Ruan Xiaoer was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "My brother and I are like brothers. My old mother loves him so much that she is always trying to arrange a marriage for him, even more than for my three biological children. What is there to divide between us? Don't feel guilty, Heavenly King. This matter has already been resolved! We are all men of the jianghu; dwelling on these things would just make us look petty!"

Ruan Xiaoer's words moved everyone. Liu Tang laughed loudly, "That's a true hero! He can indeed be a match for my brother! But now that they are friends, isn't it even better? Little Brother, I like your character. When I have free time, I will come to drink with you. Don't turn me away or look down on me!"

Ruan Xiaoer laughed loudly, "Who would look down on a man who can share life and death with others! When you have free time, just come to the mountain! You don't know that Instructor Lin and Teacher Xu on the mountain are all outstanding men, but they are too refined and restrained. When they drink, they can't even match my brother, a scholar. Marshal Lu, however, has an incredible drinking capacity, and we can't keep up with him. My brother Mo Fei can drink on par with my two brothers, but he went down the mountain to fetch my mother and hasn't returned yet. If you come, you can join us, and it will be perfect!"

The two laughed together, and Chao Gai and Gong Sunsheng watched them with smiles on their faces. Han Bulong, however, remained in a corner, neither speaking nor responding. Ruan Xiaoer chatted with them for a few more minutes, then asked them to leave the cabin. After they were ready, they followed Ruan Xiaoer onto the deck. While waiting to dock, Liu Tang and Ruan Xiaoer discussed the ship, "Little Brother, is this large ship built by the stronghold?"

"Of course! When my brother visited the official Cai in Hebei, he met a hero who used to oversee the construction of the flower stone ships but is now a wanderer. He brought him back. If it weren't for this brother's skills, I would have had to use a fishing boat to send you all ashore!" Ruan Xiaoer laughed.

This conversation sparked Gong Sunsheng's thoughts. He walked to Chao Gai and said, "When I traveled in the jianghu, I heard that there were two heroes on Baodu Mountain in Hedong Road, one named Wen Zhongrong and the other named Cui Ye. If you are interested, you could try to recruit them!"

Chao Gai nodded and sighed, "Seeing the talent in Leader Wang's stronghold, I am anxious that I only have the three of you as my brothers! Not to mention Baodu Mountain, even within Qingzhou, there are several groups. On Taohua Mountain, there are Li Zhong and Zhou Tong, and on Qingfeng Mountain, there are Yan Shun, Wang Ying, and Zheng Tianshou. I have heard of their names when I was a smuggler. Once we are settled, I will follow Leader Wang's example and go down the mountain to invite them to join us!"

Ruan Xiaoer, hearing their conversation, thought, "When drinking with my brother, he mentioned these groups. The two on Baodu Mountain are reliable, but the two on Taohua Mountain are petty, and the ones on Qingfeng Mountain are even worse. I never thought that the famous Heavenly King of Shandong and Hebei, who once had only three heroes following him, would now be in such a difficult situation, to the point of having to seek out groups we look down on. Ah! Fate is unpredictable! If my three brothers hadn't been accepted by the Heavenly King, we wouldn't know where we would be now! Why should I only lament the Heavenly King?"

Ruan Xiaoer sighed and, seeing that everyone was ready to disembark, asked Chao Gai and the others to switch to a small boat. After sending the three ashore, he said, "Heavenly King, my brother has a message for