Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

As soon as Wang Er's shout fell, the entire arena fell silent.

Lei Heng was the closest and reacted the fastest. Almost as soon as he finished speaking, he twisted his body and kicked Wang Er.

With a muffled thud, Wang Er was caught off guard and was kicked, staggering to the ground and falling into the dust with a scream.

"Men! Tie up all these scoundrels from Wangjia Village!" Lei Heng shouted fiercely, his voice full of bluster and anger.

His subordinates were all more clever than anyone else, and all were afraid of death.

Upon hearing the command, the crowd rushed forward swiftly, instantly pounced on Wang Er and the others, twisted their arms behind their backs, and bound them tightly with hemp rope.

The series of operations were so smooth and fast that it was dazzling, even Zhang Shan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and secretly admire them.

It seems that Lei Heng has practiced this skill a lot in his daily work of catching and killing people; he's incredibly skilled at it.

Lei Heng strode up to Wang Er, glaring down at him with a livid face and a fierce tone: "You damned lowly commoner! You dare disobey the magistrate's orders? That just goes to show how arrogant and domineering you are in Wangjia Village!"

After scolding him, fearing that Wang Er would say something else, he quickly ordered his men, "Gag him, don't let him ramble on!"

The bailiff immediately tore off a piece of rag and shoved it into Wang Er's mouth. Wang Er could only make muffled "ooh" sounds, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness.

After dealing with Wang Er, Lei Heng immediately turned around, his anger vanished instantly, replaced by a fawning smile. He clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed to Zhang Shan, saying...

"My lords, I apologize for any inconvenience caused. It's getting late, and you all need to return home to fish and earn a living. We can't afford to disrupt your livelihoods, can we?"

Zhang Shan watched coldly from the sidelines, knowing full well that Lei Heng was determined not to clash with him.

This suited him perfectly; Liangshan had just established itself and it was not advisable to break ties with the Yuncheng government at this time.

He smiled and returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his tone calm: "Since the commander has said so, then we will go back first and await news of the government's handling of the matter."

Upon hearing this, Lei Heng felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, and his smile became more genuine. He felt completely relaxed.

Thankfully, those bastards finally agreed to leave.

Seeing this, Zhang Shan smiled with a hint of amusement and continued, "When we have time in the future, we will definitely go to Yuncheng County to personally thank the two officers for their kindness."

Lei Heng's heart, which had just relaxed, instantly jumped again.

Lei Heng suppressed his inner turmoil and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, waving his hands repeatedly: "My lords, you're too kind! This is simply our duty, no need for thanks, really no need for thanks!"

Zhu Tong, standing to the side, gripped his broadsword tightly in both hands, his posture upright and his expression still solemn.

He could clearly sense that the fierce and courageous spirit of the Liangshan bandits was far beyond that of ordinary thieves.

If it were ordinary bandits, he would have already charged forward with his knife, but these people in front of him seemed to be the ruthless bandits who had caused chaos in Tokyo and attempted to assassinate Gao Qiu, so he really had no confidence.

If it really came down to a fight, their few dozen men wouldn't even be enough to fill a tooth gap.

Seeing Lei Heng's flustered appearance, Zhang Shan shook his head slightly and said nothing more, only saying calmly, "Let's talk about it another day. Farewell."

After saying that, he turned around and waved, leading his people to retreat slowly and orderly.

The Wangjiacun Wharf, not far away, had already been cleaned up and there was no trace of the fighting.

Dozens of fishing boats were moored on the shore, and the Liangshan brothers were on board. When they saw Zhang Shan and his men coming, they immediately waved to signal them to come and help.

Zhang Shan boarded the first fishing boat, turned to look at Ruan Xiaoer beside him, and asked in a deep voice, "Have things been arranged in the village?"

Ruan Xiaoer nodded quickly, his tone certain: "Yes, everything is settled. The fishmongers have long since dispersed, and the fishermen who helped transport the grain have all been paid and gone home."

After saying that, he leaned closer to Zhang Shan, lowered his voice, and his eyes flickered: "There's something else. That bastard Wang Heng was accidentally killed by the brothers."

Zhang Shan's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded slightly and said in a calm tone, "It's alright, he's dead, so be it. We'll find an opportunity later to go to Jizhou Prefecture and kill Wang Jin as well."

He knew in his heart that he wasn't afraid of thieves stealing from him, but he was afraid of thieves eyeing him.

Wang Jin, as a clerk in Jizhou Prefecture, was by no means a magnanimous person.

Even if he is magnanimous, he would never let this go after it happened, and he would seek revenge against Liangshan sooner or later.

Instead of waiting passively, it's better to take the initiative and eliminate future troubles.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shan's gaze inadvertently drifted towards Yuncheng, and Lei Heng's smooth face suddenly appeared in his mind.

While Zhang Shan and his group left by boat, Lei Heng on the other side still dared not relax.

He stood there, watching the figures of the Liangshan people disappear into the woods, and waited for almost half a day.

As the sun began to set and its afterglow fell on the official road, and everyone's stomachs began to rumble with hunger, he slowly got up and walked toward Wangjia Village.

Upon reaching the village entrance, Lei Heng instructed his men to untie the ropes binding Wang Er and the others.

"Lead the way!" Lei Heng shouted sternly, his tone still fierce.

Wang Er was covered in injuries, hungry and exhausted. He had just been kicked several times, and his whole body ached unbearably. He was also filled with resentment.

He raised his head and glared fiercely at Lei Heng, his eyes filled with resentment.

Seeing this, Lei Heng's temper flared up again, and he kicked him in the knee: "You bastard, how dare you look at your grandpa like that? Lead the way right now, or I'll break your legs!"

Wang Er's knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, wincing in pain. He could only suppress his anger and struggle to his feet, staggering towards the Wang family compound.

Along the way, all the villagers of Wangjia Village stayed indoors and dared not go out.

Some peeked through the cracks in the door, secretly observing Lei Heng and his group; others poked holes in the window paper, revealing pairs of terrified eyes, barely daring to breathe.

Looking at the desolate scene, Wang Er felt increasingly uneasy.

In fact, he had a bad feeling the moment he revealed his identity as a Liangshan bandit.

Now it seems that the premonition has indeed come true; Wang Heng has probably already met with misfortune.

The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became, and his steps became increasingly erratic. He stumbled and almost fell several times before finally reaching the Wang family compound.

What came into view was Wang Heng lying in the middle of the courtyard, covered in blood, his eyes wide open, already lifeless.

Wang Er was so frightened that his liver and gallbladder trembled, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground with a "thud," his whole body shaking.

Wang Heng is dead; his patron is gone.

Lei Heng, who was standing to the side, frowned and looked grim when he saw the corpse in the yard.

Someone has died. This is a real problem. How am I supposed to report this to Magistrate Shi Wenbin when I get back?

He quickly turned to Zhu Tong beside him, his voice filled with panic and pleading: "Brother, this is terrible! Someone's dead! How are we going to explain this to the county magistrate?"

Zhu Tong slowly walked into the courtyard, squatted down, carefully examined Wang Heng's body, his brows furrowed, and spoke slowly, his tone steady:

"Don't panic. First, find out what's going on in the courtyard. See how many people died and what the casualties are. Go back and discuss it with Clerk Song."

Song Jiang, the clerk, is meticulous and well-versed in officialdom. When faced with such a thorny issue, one can only turn to him.

Upon hearing this, Lei Heng's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had grasped a lifeline. He slapped his thigh and loudly ordered his men, "Quick! Tie Wang Er and the others up again!"

Wang Er had barely been freed and hadn't recovered when the constables pounced on him again and tied him up tightly with hemp rope, even tighter than last time.

This time, his face no longer held its former arrogance; only despair and fear remained. His eyes were vacant, and he lay motionless on the ground.

Lei Heng walked up to Wang Er, hands on his hips, raised his voice, and shouted fiercely at his men and villagers, "You bunch of scoundrels, you must have been tempted by the Wang family's wealth, causing internal strife that led to this murder! Take them back and interrogate them thoroughly; we must get to the bottom of this!"

He had been working for many years and had always been a bully who preyed on the weak and feared the strong.