Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

Chapter 93 Disbelief

Zhang Shan and his group successfully entered Jizhou City.

The city gates were wide open, and the soldiers guarding the city leaned lazily against the wall, their spears propped up at an angle on the ground, not even bothering to lift their eyelids.

People carrying loads on shoulder poles and driving donkey carts crowded in, and the guards didn't really check them; they would just glance at them and let them pass.

Jizhou, a magical city.

In modern times, it would be roughly the location of Tianjin.

The streets and alleys in the city are not wide, but the shops on both sides are one after another.

Cloth shops, grain shops, teahouses, and taverns—their signs fluttered in the wind, and shop assistants stood at the door shouting, each one louder than the last.

Shi Qian walked beside Zhang Shan, familiar with the streets and alleys of the city.

As he walked, he pointed things out to Zhang Shan in a low voice, telling him which alley led to which place and what each market sold.

Shi Qian was speaking when his voice suddenly stopped.

His steps didn't stop, and his expression didn't change, but his pupils contracted slightly.

He turned slightly to the side and whispered to Zhang Shan, "Brother, someone is following us."

Zhang Shan's expression remained unchanged, his steps didn't change, and he didn't even shift his gaze.

He continued walking forward, facing ahead, his lips barely moving: "Who are they? Approximately how many?"

"One or two people seemed to have caught up with us right at the city gate," Shi Qian said in a low voice.

Zhang Shan nodded slightly.

He led the group into a bustling street, found a hotel that looked fairly clean, and booked a few rooms to stay in.

Across from the hotel was a butcher shop, with half a pork carcass on the cutting board and a knife stuck in the side.

Zhang Shan stood at the second-floor window, peering across the street at the butcher shop.

He didn't know whether Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong had actually met yet.

If you've already met them, things might get a little complicated. They can't just give up a good life to be with you, can they?

But if you don't know them yet, it's troublesome to find them.

In short, there are some problems on both sides.

Meanwhile, on Shi Qian's side...

He slipped out of the hotel through a side door, circled along the wall, and silently crept up behind the person who was watching him.

The man was dressed in ordinary clothes and had an ordinary appearance; he was completely inconspicuous in the crowd.

Seeing that Zhang Shan and his party had checked into the hotel, he squatted for a moment on the opposite street corner, then swayed and walked slowly toward the city gate.

Shi Qian followed far behind. The man wasn't walking fast, so Shi Qian wasn't in a hurry either. He would blend into the crowd one moment and dart behind the vendors the next, always keeping a distance of about ten steps, so that he wouldn't lose him or be discovered.

When they reached the city gate, the man stopped and approached a guard.

The garrison soldier was wearing a worn-out uniform, with a knife at his waist, hands on his hips, and chin slightly raised; he looked like a minor leader.

Shi Qian's heart skipped a beat.

He thought for a moment, then instead of going back to find Zhang Shan, he pretended to be a passerby and walked past the two of them.

The wind carried over their conversation, intermittently, with only a few words audible: "—They moved into the butcher shop opposite Yang Xiong's father-in-law's house—"

"—The goods on the vehicle were well hidden—"

"—They're on high alert—"

After Shi Qian walked over, he didn't stop, but his brows were already furrowed.

He travels around the country all year round, and has seen all kinds of situations.

Judging from this, they were probably being watched, and the guards were likely part of a group.

They know everything about the goods, the number of people, and their whereabouts.

He turned and went to the butcher shop.

The old man in the shop was sharpening his knife. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, squinted, and sized up Shi Qian.

Shi Qian leaned closer and asked with a grin, "Old man, that gatekeeper looks familiar to me today, but I can't quite place where I've seen him before. Do you recognize him?"

The old man was quite old, his face was full of wrinkles, and his eyes were drooping. Seeing that Shi Qian was asking politely, he clicked his tongue and said slowly, "That's Zhang Bao who kicks and kills sheep. He relies on being a local to gather more than a dozen hooligans and runs rampant all day long. Nobody dares to mess with him."

Upon hearing this, Shi Qian snorted, "Kicking a sheep to death is nothing to brag about!"

He turned back to the inn, walked through the lobby, and climbed the wooden stairs to the second floor.

Jiao Ting stood guard at the top of the stairs, like a door god, with his arms crossed and his eyes coldly staring at the stairs.

Seeing Jiao Ting's appearance, Shi Qian felt somewhat intimidated, as he had seen Jiao Ting and Zhang Shan spar.

He couldn't last more than three rounds against him before being captured.

Shi Qian bowed slightly to Jiao Ting and asked, "Is my brother inside?"

Jiao Ting nodded, stepped aside, and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Zhang Shan's voice came from inside.

Shi Qian pushed open the door and went in, telling them everything he had found out.

He paused at the end, then added, "Brother, I also recognize Yang Xiong, the prison warden of Jizhou, known in the martial arts world as 'Sick Guan Suo'."

Zhang Shan, who had been looking somewhat annoyed, suddenly laughed upon hearing this.

The smile came suddenly, and Shi Qian was taken aback. He thought it was a laugh at his boasting, and his face flushed slightly. He quickly added, "Brother, I really know Yang Xiong! I had a case with him in the yamen before."

"Yeah, I know." Zhang Shan waved his hand, his smile still lingering. "I was just thinking about something else and suddenly felt like laughing. It's none of your business."

He didn't explain further.

But deep down, I found it laughable, Yang Xiong?

That's the illness of Guan Suo and Yang Xiong?

Shi Qian probably doesn't know that the prison guard Yang he's talking about is also someone who's been bullied.

Zhang Shan wasn't afraid at all when he learned of this news. He himself had come from a rough background and knew all too well the methods of these local bullies.

"Brother Shiqian," Zhang Shan said, his smile fading and his expression turning serious, "We don't know how long we'll be here, so we'll split up. You go first and try to find connections, see if you can get in touch with any big merchants or high-ranking officials in Liao. Any channel will do, as long as you can make contact."

He doesn't have much time to waste.

The matter in Jizhou needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, and then we should head back immediately.

He was always thinking about Lu Zhishen, wondering how his elder brother was doing now.

While Zhang Shan was making careful moves in Jizhou City, Lu Zhishen was experiencing a completely different situation.

Lu Zhishen hurried along the way, and the hooves of his horses were almost worn out.

They set off from Liangshan, bypassed the Tokyo region to the north, and headed towards Mengzhou.

After traveling for more than half a month, they finally arrived at the territory of Happy Forest in Mengzhou.

Kuaihuolin, a bustling area outside Mengzhou City, is lined with restaurants and gambling dens, and is the most notorious den of iniquity within a hundred miles.

The feud between Jiang Menshen and Shi En took place here.

Lu Zhishen sat on his horse, looking somewhat depressed.

He only took a dozen or so bottles of "Hero Wine" with him when he left home.

He endured it on the first and second days.

After all, they had drunk their fill on Liangshan Mountain before setting off, and they still had some food in their stomachs.

It wouldn't work on the third day.

"Since I brought so many, drinking one bottle won't hurt!"

I uncorked the bottle and tilted my head back to take a swig.

Another day has passed.

"There's still so much left." Lu Zhishen counted on his fingers, "Shi Jin, Zhu Wu, Chen Da, and Yang Chun, those four can't drink that much. I'll drink another bottle, and the rest will be enough."

So he drank another bottle.

A few days later.

Of the dozen or so bottles of liquor, only a few remain.

"Well, keeping one bottle is enough, just to taste it. We'll have more when we get to Liangshan anyway!"

Song Wan watched from the side, grinning from ear to ear.

He had tried to persuade Song Wan a few days earlier, but Lu Zhishen's expression changed immediately upon hearing it. His eyes, like copper bells, glared at Song Wan, scaring him into silence.

But as the wine dwindled, if they continued drinking like this, they feared they wouldn't last until Shaohua Mountain before the wine ran out.

Song Wan racked his brains and finally came up with an idea.

He reined in his horse and rode alongside Lu Zhishen, shouting, "Officer, there's a place ahead called Happy Forest. It's full of taverns and good wine. Let's go there and have a good drink!"

Upon hearing the words "good wine," Lu Zhishen's eyes lit up, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! Let's go!"

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