The Second Volume of Water Margin

  Liu Er, with a heart full of hope, followed Ximen Qing's team for a while and then came to the mansion of the great name to report the news, wanting to find two Cai Jie levels to take revenge on behalf of those who were beaten.

  Who would have thought that the heavily guarded gate was wide open, and people were coming and going freely? Liu Er, who had a bad feeling about this, walked in with Cai Fu and Cai Qing without exchanging a word.

  Just a few steps away from the gate, a bloody aura rushed towards him. Liu Er was slightly startled and was about to step forward when he was stopped by a bailiff: "Who are you? You dare to barge into the heavily guarded prison! Look at you, you're not a good person!"

  "This big brother, I'm a station soldier from the city's outer post, and I know two of the Cai Jie ranks." Liu Er, who was hiding in the grass like a snake, now looked suspicious with his original appearance: "Would you mind helping me pass on a message? Just say that Liu Er is looking for him with something urgent."

  Liu Er had thought that with Cai Jie's name, the guard would not dare to stop him. But unexpectedly, after hearing Liu Er's words, the guard looked him up and down, making Liu Er feel uneasy: "Last night there was an incident in the prison, more than a dozen brothers died, now no one is allowed to enter."

  "That...it's better to call out Cai Jie as well." Liu Er muttered to himself, not knowing what was going on, stretched his neck to look inside, but was blocked by the bailiff.

  "Is it Cai Jie or Cai Qing that you're referring to?" The bailiff sneered, "It doesn't matter anyway. Last night in the prison, two people with the surname Cai died, including a pair of brothers, and even their heads were cut off..."

  "What!" Liu Er was shocked and lost his color when he heard that Cai Fu and Cai Qing were in trouble: "Brother, you can't talk nonsense."

  "Your grandfather is just looking for something to do, what's the point of bothering you? The bloody characters on the wall were written by Lu Junyi!" The bailiff glared at Liu Er with his big eyes and directly kicked him out: "If you don't leave now, I'll have you arrested! You don't look like a good person either!"

  "Let's go, let's go, let's go... I'm leaving now."

  Liu Er walked aimlessly on the street with a lost expression, when someone suddenly appeared from a nearby alley and greeted him with a fist: "Brother, are you coming from the big prison? I have something to ask you."

  Liu Er saw that the man had a broad face, thick lips and bulging golden fish eyes. His build was not short, but his bony physique seemed to weigh less than 100 pounds. He immediately wanted to vent his earlier displeasure on this person: "Old master was walking well on the street, where did you come from, dare to stop old master and ask questions?"

  That man smiled and pulled out a note from his sleeve, flashing it in front of Liu Er's eyes: "If this brother can answer my question, I'll give him ten taels!"

  "Ten taels!" Liu Er, the snake in the grass, swallowed a mouthful of saliva and reached out to grab it: "You're a man with some sense, give the money to Old Master first, and I'll naturally answer your questions."

  That man let Liu Er rob him, and only then pointed to a small alley beside him: "There are many people and ears, let's go there to talk."

  "Alright!" Liu Er put away the crutch and followed the man into the alley, which grew narrower and darker until they were blocked by a wall in front of them. The man finally stopped walking.

  "It was a dead-end alley." Liu Er rubbed the wall and said impatiently, "What's the matter, speak quickly, don't bother Master."

  "Is there a prisoner named Lu Junyi in that prison?" The man asked: "Do you know Cai Jie?"

  "Lu Junyi?" Liu Er shivered and recounted what he had just heard: "Last night, Lu Junyi killed people like flies, even beheading two of the Cai Jie officers..."

  "That person listened for half a moment and said: 'Can such things really happen?'"

  "I've told you everything, the old master has left and is going to have some fun. Liu Er impatiently pulled up his legs and was about to leave, having received ten taels of silver, he would naturally go to the best restaurant in the mansion to spend it, and then go to the best brothel to book a room for the night."

  Liu Er, who was walking with a loud abacus sound, suddenly felt a chill in his back and turned around to see the man holding a sharp knife with fresh blood dripping from it.

  "You..."

  Liu Er guessed the beginning from the grass and snakes, but he never guessed this ending.

  That man stabbed a few more times, then pulled out the sharp knife and wiped the bloodstains on Liu Er's clothes. He searched Liu Er and found the 10-yuan IOU note, wrapped the knife in it and put it in his bosom, sneering: "Is Master Dai Zong's money so easy to take?"

  "This matter is of great importance, I must hurry back to the stronghold and report it to Elder Brother Gongming for his decision." Dai Zong thought for a moment, then emerged from the small alley, swaggering towards the city gate.

  After leaving the city gate, Dai Zong found a secluded spot and took out four metal horses from his bundle. He attached two to each leg and carefully secured them, preparing for his escape.

  Dai Zong occasionally learned this method from a Taoist, tied two Jia Ma on his feet, and could travel 400 miles in one day. If he used four, he could travel 800 miles in one day, earning him the nickname "Flying Legs". In the Jianghu, people gave him the nickname "Divine Step Tai Bao" because of this divine walking method. However, there was one thing - when using this method, he had to eat more vegetarian food, so Dai Zong became thinner and thinner as he ran.

  After Lu Junyi went down the mountain, Song Jiang sent Dai Zong to secretly follow him. Unexpectedly, Dai Zong had a friend in Daming Prefecture and stayed at his house for two nights after seeing Lu Junyi enter the prefecture's government office. This morning, he arrived at Lu's residence to find the doors sealed off, knowing something was amiss, so he went to the prison to gather information, where he ran into Liu Er, a sly and cunning person.

  The divine law is indeed swift and extraordinary. Before two hours had passed, Dai Zong appeared in front of the small hotel at Liangshan Lake, panting heavily as he dismounted his horse.

  A tall and robust man walked out of the hotel, with a majestic appearance, his yellow beard divided into three strands. It was Dai Zong who hastily paid his respects and said: "So it's Director Dai who has returned, you must have had a hard journey, please come in and rest for a while, I'll call for the boat to come."

  "Thanks for your trouble, Brother Zhu." Dai Zong rushed all the way and was really exhausted. Without any courtesy, he entered a small hotel to find a seat and take a rest.

  Zhu Gui ordered his servant to bring some plain wine and dishes, then went to the back pavilion himself, took out a painted bow with a quiver of arrows, strung one on the bow, aimed at the reeds and rushes in the opposite harbor, and shot.

  Before long, three or five small junks came over from the other side of the reeds, rowing a fast boat to the water pavilion. The Divine Chivalrous General Dai Zong had something on his mind, hastily ate two mouthfuls of wine and thanked Zhu Gui, then jumped onto the boat.

  The little rascals all bowed to Dai Zong, saying "Director, you're working hard", Dai Zong waved his hand impatiently: "Set sail, set sail, Gongming brother is still waiting for an answer."

  "This guy must have taken the wrong medicine again, being so polite to him with that kind of face." The little rascal muttered to himself, rowing the boat along the waterway into the dock and mooring it at Jinsha Beach.

  Dai Zong couldn't hear Xiao'er's thoughts, but thinking of Lu Junyi's unknown whereabouts and the unfulfilled task entrusted by Song Jiang, he turned gloomy and pondered how to explain.

  They went up the case, and slowly walked to the Duanjin Pavilion halfway up the mountain. Inside, two big men were drinking wine. On the left was Red-Haired Ghost Liu Tang, and on the right was Black Whirlwind Li Kui. Seeing Dai Zong, they both smiled and said: "This guy is usually so energetic and impulsive, but when he got to the mountain, he's walking slower than a cow!"

  Dai Zong didn't have the heart to care about them and casually asked: "Where is Brother Gongming? I have an urgent matter to report."

  Red-Haired Ghost Liu Tang only cared about drinking wine and didn't bother with him. Black Whirlwind Li Kui, who used to be under Dai Zong's command before he became an outlaw, replied: "He is at the assembly hall with Elder Brother Chai Gai; you can go see him yourself."

  Dai Zong nodded and left on his own, Liu Tang then put down his wine cup and sighed: "The wine brewed in this mountain is so bland that it makes one's mouth feel like a bird has flown out. Those guys are still slowly drinking away, how ridiculous."

  "This wine, of course, must be drunk in big bowls to be called a pleasure!" Li Kui laughed loudly and poured the wine from the bowl into his mouth like water.

  "It's said that Qinghe County produces a good wine, called Jingyang Spring." Liu Tang smiled and said, "That wine is quite potent, sometime we must get a few jars to drink."

  "What did you say!" Song Jiang exclaimed: "I told you to follow Lu Wen, how could something like this happen, why didn't you come report it earlier?"

  Dai Zong naturally wouldn't bring up the fact that he had stayed at Xiang Hao's house for two nights, and stiffened his scalp to reply: "Brother, I was with Lu Yuanwai all day, everything was fine, but then so many things happened in one night, shouldn't I hurry back to report to both of you?"

  "You are the chief scout of Liangshan! How can you not know your limits!" Song Jiang appeared to be furious, scolding Dai Zong on the surface, but secretly gave him a signal, letting him take action and shift the blame.

  Dai Zong's heart was clear as snow, and he hastily turned over and knelt down on the ground. He bowed his hands to Song Jiang and Chao Gai, saying: "Two brothers, please calm your anger, Dai Zong knows he was wrong!"

  "Hey, younger brother, why blame Brother Dài Zōng?" On the side, Tuó Tǎ Tiān Wáng Chǒu Gài stood up and stretched out his hand to support Dài Zōng: "Things have unpredictable winds and clouds, Brother Dài Zōng is alone outside, there will always be times when he can't take care of himself, why must you make things difficult for him?"

  Dai Zong secretly watched Song Jiang, and before receiving a signal, he didn't dare to get up. With a guilty conscience, he only hoped for punishment.

  "This time I'll spare you, but if you offend again, you'll get 40 lashes! Song Jiang's face was originally dark, and now he deliberately made it even darker, almost like the bottom of a pot: "You retreat for now, I'll discuss with my brother and say something later!"

  Dai Zong received Song Jiang's signal, bowed and then stood up and retreated, secretly letting out a big sigh of relief.

  When Dai Zong walked out of the hall, Song Jiang slapped his chair and said angrily: "Brother, you see that Lu Junyi, when we were in the mountain stronghold, we treated him with courtesy, pushing left and right, not wanting to come to my Liangshan; but now he's gone back, and actually done such a thing, killing people! Escaping from prison! I don't know which good fellow on the rivers and lakes rescued him, but it's none of our business in Liangshan!"

  "Brother, since it's like this, why force the issue?" Marshal Tianpeng Chao Gai stood up and paced a few steps in the hall: "At present, our mountain stronghold has several thousand elite soldiers, two or three dozen good generals, relying on the 800-li water barrier, even the government doesn't dare to come and disturb us. I think Lu Junyi's reputation as the number one stick-wielding hero is nothing but that. Brother, where does he go to take refuge? We just need to defend our Liangshan legacy."

  "Brother is absolutely right." Song Jiang nodded repeatedly in front of Chai Ge, showing deep agreement.