Water Margin: From a White-Robed Scholar to Donning the Yellow Robe

Ximen Qing kicked Wu Dalang in the chest. Wu Dalang was not very strong to begin with, and was kicked so hard that he fell to the ground.

The opponent was skilled in martial arts, and Wu Dalang was no match for him. One kick was enough to knock him down.

Upon seeing Wu Dalang being beaten, Wang Lun shouted, "Bah! Shameless scoundrel! Not only did you seduce someone's wife, but you also beat him up! Everyone, come and judge this! Where is justice in this world?"

He roared, and even more people gathered around.

What Wang Lun needed were witnesses; the more people who saw it, the more it would prove that Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian were indeed having an affair.

Enraged, Ximen Qing swung his fist at Wang Lun.

Wang Lun wasn't very skilled in martial arts to begin with, but after training with Lin Chong for a while, his skills improved somewhat, though he still wouldn't be a match for Ximen Qing.

He exchanged a few blows with Ximen Qing, but realizing he was no match for him, he retreated and shouted, "Ximen Qing, are you still trying to kill people to silence them? There are so many people here, can you kill them all?"

Ximen Qing was even more enraged and was about to pounce on Wang Lun again when a figure flashed and a person rushed out from the crowd. His moves were sharp and ruthless, and he fought with Ximen Qing.

It was Yang Zhi.

As soon as Yang Zhi made his move, Ximen Qing was immediately at a disadvantage, and Wang Lun shouted that he should join the battle.

When Wu Yueniang saw that her husband had been beaten, she immediately shouted, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and attack!"

These were all people sent to Wu Yueniang by her family; they weren't exactly Ximen Qing's confidants. Hearing Wu Yueniang speak, they asked, "Who are you hitting?"

They couldn't tell who Yang Zhi and Wang Lun were.

In that instant, Yang Zhi delivered a whip kick, knocking Ximen Qing to the ground, and then grabbed him with both hands, firmly controlling him.

Wang Lun wasn't about to let him off the hook. He climbed on top of Ximen Qing and unleashed a flurry of punches on his face, leaving Ximen Qing with a bruised and swollen face.

Wu Yueniang cried out, "Save my husband! Beat these two ignorant fools!"

His men then rushed towards Wang Lun and Yang Zhi.

Wu Dalang came to his senses and was kicked in the chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. He saw Wang Lun and the others being beaten but unable to get up, and he cried out in distress, "Ah ah!"

Just then, someone in the back of the crowd shouted: "Get out of the way! What's happening inside?"

Then Zhao Si arrived with more than a dozen yamen runners.

This was all arranged by Wang Lun. On one hand, he arranged for Gongsun Sheng to go to Wu Yueniang and inform her that Ximen Qing was having an affair there. Wu Yueniang had always known that Ximen Qing was a playboy, but when she heard that he was having an affair with a married woman, which was a serious matter that violated the laws of the Song Dynasty, she led her men to catch him in the act.

On the other hand, Wang Lun arranged for Zhao Si to go to the county government office to find Wu Song's men and tell them that Wu Da had been beaten. Those yamen runners had often received favors from Wu Song, so naturally they wanted to get revenge for Wu Da.

The constables pushed through the crowd and were immediately dumbfounded.

On one side was Wu Da, the elder brother of Wu Song, a constable, and on the other side was Ximen Qing, a famous official in the county.

And judging from the situation, the constables knew what had happened without asking any further questions.

The head constable was named Feng Guan. He had a good relationship with Wu Song and was often looked after by him. Upon seeing this situation, he immediately sided with Wu Song and wanted to vent his anger for Wu Dalang.

However, Ximen Qing was a favorite of the county magistrate and was very wealthy and powerful in Yanggu County, so it was not easy to offend him directly.

Just as they were at a loss, Wang Lun cried out, "You must stand up for us! This man seduced a woman from his wife's family, and I caught him in the act. Now he's bringing his wicked servants to kill me to silence me."

He pointed at Wu Dalang and said, "Look, he even hit Wu Da."

Wu Dalang was also stunned. This sudden series of blows made his already not-so-bright mind buzzing. When he heard Wang Lun speak, all he could do was nod.

Upon hearing this, Feng Guan immediately said, "Come on, take them all back and lock them up in jail to await their fate."

Wang Lun nodded in satisfaction; this was the result he wanted.

As Ximen Qing was being held by the yamen runners, he turned to Wu Yueniang and said, "My wife, you must save your husband!"

Family scandals should not be aired in public, but now it has become such a big fuss. Wu Yueniang was humiliated and snorted coldly, saying, "You can go without worry."

Wang Lun, Yang Zhi, and Ximen Qing were all taken away by the yamen runners.

Pan Jinlian had no choice but to help Wu Dalang home.

The onlookers continued to point and whisper for a while before slowly dispersing.

The neighbors had long known about Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian's affair, but they kept quiet. Firstly, Ximen Qing was a formidable figure, someone no one dared to offend. Secondly, Wu Da was a coward; even if they told him, what could he do?

This sudden uproar has brought joy to many. As long as the magistrate handles the matter impartially, Ximen Qing will be sentenced to "two years of penal servitude," which means two years of hard labor.

It might not necessarily reform Ximen Qing, but it could at least make him restrain himself a bit.

There were quite a few people in Yanggu County who were harmed by Ximen Qing.

Wang Lun and the others were brought to the main hall. The magistrate pretended to interrogate them for a few minutes before ordering Wang Lun, Yang Zhi, and Ximen Qing to be locked up.

Wang Lun and Yang Zhi were imprisoned in the same cell, while Ximen Qing's whereabouts were unknown.

Yang Zhi had blue marks on his face. He had made a special alteration before going down the mountain, making his face appear bluish-black. When he entered the already dark prison cell, Yang Zhi blended into the darkness.

Wang Lun couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you laughing at me, brother?" Yang Zhi spoke in the darkness, revealing only his white teeth.

Wang Lun laughed and said, "I'm laughing at you. You punched Ximen Qing in the stomach. That was really hard."

Yang Zhi snorted and said, "If it weren't for your advice, brother, to hold back, that punch would have been too light for a scoundrel like Ximen Qing."

After a pause, Yang Zhi said, "You punched him twice in the eyes, that's pretty ruthless."

Wang Lun sneered, "Who told him to be so blind as to seduce my brother Song's sister-in-law? He's really asking for trouble."

Yang Zhiqi asked, "Brother Song?"

"Songdi is Wu Song, Wu Dalang's younger brother, the second son. You can call him Wu Erlang when you get to know him."

Is he really that amazing?

Yang Zhi was somewhat unconvinced. In terms of martial arts, his skills were also excellent. Although he and Lin Chong had never truly sparred, it was difficult to determine who was better during their exchanges.

He is a true descendant of the Yang family generals, with a profound family tradition of martial arts, far surpassing ordinary martial artists.

"Brother Song's foot fighting skills are very impressive. It's hard to say who is better between him and Zhishen." When Wang Lun read Water Margin in his previous life, he greatly admired Wu Song, especially his drunken boxing, which fascinated him when he was young.

Yang Zhi believed Wang Lun's words. He had witnessed Lu Zhishen's martial arts skills firsthand, having sparred with him frequently at Erlong Mountain. Since Wu Song and Lu Zhishen were evenly matched, Wu Song was undoubtedly a master as well, which explained why Wang Lun had traveled so far to find him.

After a moment of silence, Yang Zhi said, "I wonder where that scoundrel Ximen Qing is locked up."

Wang Lun smiled and said, "Old Yang, Ximen Qing is definitely no longer in jail."

Yang Zhi was startled: "Why?"

"Ximen Qing had powerful backers and was quite wealthy, making him a local tyrant in Qinghe County and Yanggu County. The yamen runners, relying on Wu Song's prestige, dared to arrest him and bring him to the county yamen, but the county magistrate dared not offend him and had already secretly released him."