Chapter 143

"Brother Xiao Wu, please deliver this letter to that Liang Shan leader, Wang Lun."

Zhang Jie took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Ruan Xiao Wu.

"Brothers, please wait a moment; Xiao Wu will be back soon!"

Although he did not understand Zhang Jie's meaning, Ruan Xiao Wu still resolutely accepted this arduous mission.

Making a living in this eight-hundred-li water expanse, although he did not know what it meant to "seek wealth in danger,"

he understood that the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish!

The more difficult the task was at this moment, the more he would be valued by Zhang Jie after completing it.

As for the possible danger?

Having spent decades coming and going through wind and rain, he had long been accustomed to this kind of life.

"Brother Xiao Wu, go ahead; when you return, we will not stop until we are drunk!"

Lu Zhishen raised his wine cup and invited him enthusiastically.

Ruan Xiao Wu left the tavern and headed straight for the small pier where the fishing boats were docked at the head of Shi Jie Village.

"Brother Xiao Wu, why are you in such a hurry?"

Someone familiar asked.

"I am going to the depths of the water expanse to do a great thing!"

The gloomy look on Ruan Xiao Wu's face vanished, and he became high-spirited.

After speaking, without waiting for his acquaintance to continue asking, he jumped onto his small boat,

untied the cable, pushed off with the oar, and rowed into the water expanse.

"Brother Xiao Wu..."

The acquaintance watched Ruan Xiao Wu's gradually shrinking figure, his worry overflowing in his expression.

Those depths of the water expanse were home to bandits who killed without blinking!

Wasn't this like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth, with more bad luck than good?

"No, I have to go find Brother Er and Brother Qi!"

The acquaintance stamped his foot, feeling he could not let Ruan Xiao Wu go to his death,

and immediately turned to run to the homes of the other two of the three Ruan brothers, Ruan Xiao Er and Ruan Xiao Qi.

Meanwhile, Ruan Xiao Wu, relying on the good skills he had practiced growing up by the side of this water expanse,

headed straight for Liang Shan, located in the center of the water expanse.

"Who dares to approach my Liang Shan?"

As soon as Ruan Xiao Wu approached a waterway a few miles outside of Liang Shan,

two small boats suddenly sailed out from the reed clusters, blocking his front and back.

There were also several men on the boats carrying swords and spears, watching him vigilantly.

Ruan Xiao Wu, with his keen perception, also noticed other small boats in several reed clusters,

and the archers on the boats were aiming their bows and arrows at his vital points.

Although they were not military-grade powerful bows, but hunting bows for killing birds and beasts, on this water where one could not wear heavy armor,

such lightweight, easy-to-carry, and easy-to-use hunting bows were excellent sharp weapons.

'These bandits are quite elite!'

Ruan Xiao Wu finally understood why the county yamen clearly knew that bandits were gathered on Liang Shan but never mentioned suppressing them:

This was no longer an enemy that the local garrison could solve.

After all, those garrisons had long since forgotten how to fight in the field, but were extremely skilled at setting up checkpoints to collect taxes and extorting people.

If one wanted to wipe out Liang Shan, one had to report it to the higher-ups and have the prefecture mobilize elite troops.

But to have superiors send troops, didn't that mean the local lords were governing poorly?

Therefore, as long as Liang Shan did not commit any major cases or serious crimes,

the county yamen would turn a blind eye to their existence.

After a moment of thought, Ruan Xiao Wu immediately held high the letter Zhang Jie had given him and said loudly:

"My brother has a letter to deliver to your leader, Wang Lun; lead the way quickly!

If you delay your leader's important business, can you bear the responsibility?"

"What should we do?"

"Should we drive him away like before?"

"But he is delivering a letter to the leader.

If we delay the leader's important business, we can't bear the responsibility!"

A crowd of Liang Shan underlings discussed it among themselves.

Finally, a small leader made up his mind:

"It ultimately concerns the leader; take him in; I doubt he can turn the world upside down by himself!"

A group of underlings guarding the waterway then split off two small boats to escort Ruan Xiao Wu to the Liang Shan stronghold.

In the Liang Shan stronghold, in the room belonging to the leader, Wang Lun, dressed in white

and dressed like a scholar, looked at the yellowed books on the bookshelf, his eyes slightly red:

"Think of me, Wang Lun, also a dignified scholar; how did I end up becoming a bandit?"

Stroking the books that were once so familiar but now felt strange, Wang Lun fell into self-pity.

Knock, knock.

"Leader, someone from outside the water expanse has a letter for you."

Suddenly, the sound of knocking and reporting came from outside the door.

"How can someone be sending a letter to me?"

Wang Lun raised his head abruptly, intense suspicion filling his heart.

His parents had long since passed away, and the few relatives he had had not been in contact for many years.

If it weren't for being all alone and forced by life, who would want to become a bandit?

However, after thinking about it for a moment, Wang Lun still did not have the person delivering the letter driven away.

He came to the first chair in the Liang Shan meeting hall and sat down,

looking down at Ruan Xiao Wu from above, and asked in a deep voice:

"Are you the one delivering the letter?"

Ruan Xiao Wu cupped his hands neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Exactly."

Wang Lun asked again: "Who told you to send the letter to me?"

Ruan Xiao Wu took out the letter Zhang Jie had given him:

"My brother said everything is in the letter."

This aroused Wang Lun's curiosity, and he ordered those around him:

"Present the letter to this leader."

Immediately, an underling sent the letter to Wang Lun.

Rip.

Wang Lun tore open the envelope, took out the letter, and spread out the paper.

After glancing at it a few times, he became inexplicably excited, stood up from his seat,

and ran to Ruan Xiao Wu in two or three steps, asking excitedly:

"Is the owner of the letter really waiting for me in Shi Jie Village?!"

Although he did not know what content could make Wang Lun, this Liang Shan leader, so excited,

Ruan Xiao Wu still affirmed solemnly:

"My brother is waiting for Leader Wang at the tavern in Shi Jie Village."

Wang Lun, having received an affirmative answer, was even more excited; he grabbed Ruan Xiao Wu and said impatiently:

"Take me there quickly!"

"Leader, this is likely a trap by the imperial court; you must not go!"

At this moment, the second-in-command of Liang Shan, "Touching the Sky" Du Qian, also arrived upon hearing the news.

"Even if it is a trap, I, Wang Lun, accept it!"

Wang Lun remained excited, not caring at all about the possible trap.

"Very well!

In that case, I will take some men to follow behind you, Leader;

even if this is really a trap by the county yamen, we won't be without the power to fight back!"

Seeing that Wang Lun was as determined as a turtle eating a weight—completely set on it—Du Qian could only provide him with protection.

He, Song Wan, and Zhu Gui were all people with well-developed limbs and simple minds.

It was fine to let them fight and kill, but they knew nothing about planning and strategizing.

They could not afford to lose Wang Lun, who served as their brain.

"That will do."

Wang Lun thought about it and did not refuse.

And while Wang Lun was rushing to the tavern in Shi Jie Village,

Ruan Xiao Er and Ruan Xiao Qi also gathered a group of people and arrived outside the tavern.

These people held weapons such as hoes and fish forks, each one looking aggressive.

Walking in the front, with a face full of strange flesh, bulging eyes, yellow whiskers on his cheeks, black spots on his body, and a ferocious appearance,

Ruan Xiao Qi, who had the look of a "Living Yama," was full of anger and raged:

"If my fifth brother has any mishaps, I will definitely make the person who bewitched him be buried with him!"

Also looking fierce, with a sunken face, raised eyebrows, a wide mouth, and yellow hair on his chest, and board-like ribs on his back,

Ruan Xiao Er, who had the power of the "Earth-Standing Tai Sui," was very calm:

"Xiao Qi, don't be too excited."

The impulsive Ruan Xiao Qi said excitedly:

"Fifth brother has been tricked into going to Liang Shan to die; how can you ask me not to be excited?"

Ruan Xiao Er was not blinded by anger; he analyzed rationally:

"Xiao Wu is not the kind of person who can't tell good from bad!

Since he chose to take the risk to enter Liang Shan, he must have his reasons.

What we need to do now is to go and see if the person he chose is reliable,

instead of fighting and killing the moment we meet!"

"This Ruan Xiao Er is truly calm and has the bearing of a great general!"

Zhang Jie, in the tavern, said with great appreciation.

For a general, temperament is the most important thing.

One who has thunder in his chest but a face like a calm lake can be worshipped as a top general.

As a general, one must maintain a calm and rational mind at all times,

so that one can lead a large army with proper advances and retreats, not just going all-in or shrinking back when one's head gets hot.

At the same time, he also appreciated the straightforward Ruan Xiao Qi:

Among the three Ruan heroes, Ruan Xiao Qi was the most straightforward, daring to act, unconstrained by etiquette, and had the strongest spirit of resistance.

Jin Shengtan rated him as the "first quick-witted person among the one hundred and eight."

"Brother Wu Er, go and welcome them in."

Zhang Jie ordered.

"Understood."

Wu Song stood up and walked outside.

"We must make those outsiders give us an explanation!"

"Otherwise, we'll make them pay!"

Outside the tavern, more and more people gathered, and their words became increasingly intense.

Even Ruan Xiao Qi, the initiator of the gathering, felt some regret seeing this,

but unfortunately, before the words are spoken, the person is the master of the words; once the words are spoken, the person is the slave of the words.

Once a crowd becomes excited, it is difficult to calm them down by individual effort alone;

they must either achieve their goal or be forcibly suppressed.

Creak.

"Who wants us to give them an explanation?

And wants to make us pay?"

Wu Song walked out of the tavern and scanned the crowd coldly.

Looking at Wu Song's height, which was level with the door frame, and his robust physique, which was thicker than a pillar,

the excited crowd felt as if they had been splashed with a basin of cold water.

With those arms thicker than their thighs,

and fists the size of bowls, if he punched them, they would really die!

Looking at the mighty and robust Wu Song,

Ruan Xiao Er somewhat understood why his fifth brother would risk such danger for someone he had only met once:

Could a person who could get such a hero to serve him be an ordinary person?

"Wang Lun is here!"

Suddenly, a terrified voice came from outside the crowd.

"What?

The legendary Liang Shan leader who eats people without spitting out the bones is here?"

The crowd was in an uproar.

Wang Lun was terrifying around the water expanse, a terrifying bandit who could stop children from crying at night!

Wu Song, leaning against the doorpost, looked toward the commotion and saw Ruan Xiao Wu bringing a middle-aged man dressed in white

and dressed like a scholar toward the tavern.

And the crowd, which had been very excited, upon seeing the middle-aged man in white,

immediately acted as if they had seen a flood or a wild beast, not daring to block his path,

and like waves encountering a reef, they scattered and made way.

Clearly, this leader of the Liang Shan stronghold was extremely famous around the Liang Shan water expanse,

and these villagers of Shi Jie Village did not dare to pull his tiger whiskers at all.