Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

As it got darker, there were fewer and fewer people on the street.

Chen Xizhen stood at the entrance of the alley and looked outside. Seeing that there were no officials on the street, he wrapped his clothes tightly, hugged his arms, and walked out with his head lowered. He identified the direction and walked towards the inn.

Huang County was not very big, and he walked fast, so it took him just a moment to turn the corner and reach the opposite street. He looked back to see that there was no one there, so he stood cautiously against the wall and stuck his head out to look over there.

From the brightly lit area, the sounds of stringed instruments and orchestras could be heard faintly. Servants with iron bars and knives hanging from their waists stood at the door and moved around from time to time. The lanterns above their heads cast a dim light, cutting people's shadows onto the ground.

The middle-aged man tried his best to slow down his breathing, retracted his gaze, thought for a moment, then turned around and walked back.

We need to find a fork in the road that goes to the side of the inn. There are fewer people guarding there, so it is easier to climb in.

he thinks.

……

Ding ding, dong dong——

"Looking back at the chaotic mountains, I see no residents but only the city. Who is here to see me..."

The singer's singing voice was long and clear, with a hint of sadness. Several Song officials and Li Shanqing at the banquet couldn't help but hold their wine glasses and sway their heads slightly as they listened to it.

"Tsk... why is the singing so depressing? It's so unlucky." Shan Jinglong held the empty wine bowl, wiped his mouth, and approached Hua Rong to complain: "It's better to find a few young ladies to sing the Eighteen Models."

"Ahem..." Hua Rong suddenly choked and quickly covered his mouth to make sure no one was paying attention to him. He then glared at Shan Jinglong and whispered, "What nonsense are you talking about? Who has the guts to sing such obscene words at this time of year?"

Shan Jinglong scratched his head and drank another bowl of wine: "I know, but shouldn't the lyrics be more celebratory at this time? It's just a sad song, which makes anyone feel depressed."

"…The first cold night, the dream is not going to come true. The night is still…"

Hua Rong looked at the singing girl who was singing with great concentration, and said to the person beside him: "Don't these people in big headscarves love these tunes? Besides, the lyrics seem to be talking about farewell, which is very suitable for the scene."

In the flickering firelight, Shan Jinglong poured himself a glass of wine, his stomach slightly swollen. "We can accept the invitation, but we don't have much friendship with these Song officials. Who are we going to show off our farewell drama to?"

He curled his lips and drank another bowl of wine.

"It's not for us to see anyway." Hua Rong shook his head. How could he guess the twists and turns in the minds of these turbans? If he knew, he would not have been arguing for a long time for the position of the village chief. He glanced at Shan Jinglong drinking bowl after bowl, and the corner of his mouth twitched: "Drink less, or people will think that we don't even have any wine in Liaodong."

"Don't worry, General. This wine is not as strong as Shaodao. It just tastes too bland in my mouth. Rinse your mouth."

……

The cold wind was howling, and Chen Xizhen hid in the shadows with his face covered, counting numbers silently in his heart. A team of three officers carrying wind-killing lanterns walked past the street while talking, and gradually disappeared around the corner.

He did not dare to go out immediately. He huddled in his hiding place, counted silently, and let out a breath when he saw the patrolmen walking away. Taking advantage of the gap when no one was around, he suddenly moved from stillness, rushed across the street quickly, took a deep breath, climbed on the wall a few times, jumped onto the wall, took two steps, and then quickly lay down on the top of the wall with his face turned inside.

Below, footsteps were heard at one end of the street, and a walking officer came over complaining.

"How long will this take? Damn it, I bet that in the entire Jingdong area, our Huang County is the most humble. This is not the way to flatter someone. You can't use our subordinates to do favors here."

"Say less. I heard that someone in the envoy group is the son of my parents' mentor. You can also say that my parents are my senior brothers. It is only natural for senior brothers to take care of their junior brothers."

"Hehe - Senior and junior brothers... we are just not human beings."

The footsteps are getting farther and farther away.

Chen Xizhen turned his head, looked at the receding figure, hesitated for a moment, and finally stood up and walked along the wall. …

The vocal music was still there, but the singer changed the tune.

Shan Jinglong's cheeks were flushed with wine, and he twisted his body and became a little restless. Hua Rong saw him and asked softly, "What's wrong? Did you drink too much and feel unwell?"

"Nothing." The navy commander blushed as his abdomen made a long "squeak" sound. "It's probably because I mixed the hot ginger soup at the beginning with the wine later. My stomach hurts a little, but it's nothing serious."

Hua Rong glanced at him sideways, turned his head back to listen to the song with a bad temper, Shan Jinglong's expression changed, sweat oozed from his forehead, and he stood up quickly: "I will take my leave for a moment."

Without waiting for anyone to answer, he turned around and walked out of the hall. He stopped halfway and walked forward again after a few breaths.

Some people watching from the front were a little surprised, but in a flash, when the singer sang to the most exciting part, they immediately clapped and cheered, forgetting what had just happened.

……

Click——

Chen Xizhen jumped down from the wall and narrowed his eyes above the black cloth. This was a toilet and there was no one patrolling or guarding it. It was the safest way to enter the inn from here. Just as he was about to take a step forward, his ears moved and he quickly dodged and hid in the shadows.

In the sight, a figure flashed out from the light, took two quick steps and suddenly stopped, stood there for a few breaths with clenched fists, and then walked forward again. He stopped four times at a distance of more than ten feet. Seeing this, Chen Xizhen quickly tightened his abdomen and leaned back, fearing that the person over there might see something.

But the man was getting closer, and he heard the staggered footsteps, and he knew they were not coming towards him. He turned his head slightly, and his eyes suddenly lit up. The man was dressed like a general of the Qi army, which was more in line with his idea. No, he was much better than he had thought when he came.

He seized the opportunity, waited for the man to approach, suddenly jumped out, grabbed the other's head, and slammed it hard against the pillar beside him.

boom--

The Qi general fainted immediately and lay straight on the ground.

Chen Xizhen let out a breath, rubbed his cold hands, and dragged the man to the shadows.

Standing up and looking around to see if anyone was coming, the middle-aged man squatted down and was about to undress the Qi general and put on his clothes. After he had taken off two pieces of clothes, he suddenly smelled a sour, rotten smell coming from below, and his hands that were about to unbutton the other's pants stopped immediately.

A pair of sinister eyes narrowed for a moment, then suddenly widened as he thought of something, and turned the unconscious man to the side.

A smell even stronger than the previous one came, which made the man jump immediately. He took a few steps back and stood still. He first put his fingers to his nose in turn to smell, and then the cloth covering his face shrank towards his nostrils.

He simply pulled off the black cloth, carefully put it under his nose and sniffed it before he felt relieved. But then he felt nauseous again, so he wiped the wall with his hand, looked at the black clothes in his hand, and then looked at the Qi general who was lying on the ground in a white shirt. He threw the clothes on him, put on a black scarf to cover his face, and walked inside without saying a word.

A cold wind blew, and the sleeves of Shan Jinglong's clothes moved, and his wet lower garment became cold.

……

The sounds of a banquet reached his ears, and Chen Xizhen cautiously approached a servant standing in the aisle. When the servant was not paying attention, he hugged him and put his hands around his neck.

click-

The sound of bones cracking was heard in his arms. The man looked around and quickly dragged the person into the darkness. Soon, a middle-aged man in servant's clothes came out.

He straightened his clothes and headed towards the kitchen. (End of this chapter)