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

Upon hearing that Hu Sanniang had agreed to a "literary duel" with Wu Song, Wang Lun stepped forward, placed a pear on his head, and stood firmly.

To be honest, he was also a little scared. He had originally trusted Wu Song completely, but he was not so sure about this woman.

But now that he knew she was Hu Sanniang, Wang Lun felt relieved.

If the dignified "One-Zhang-Qing" Hu Sanniang couldn't even perform such effortless swordsmanship, how could she possibly sit on the throne of Liangshan?

"Who wants to go first?" Wang Lun asked, looking at the two of them.

Wu Song strode forward and said, "I'll go first."

He drew his sword and gripped it tightly. Although he knew his own swordsmanship, he was still somewhat worried because the strike was aimed at Wang Lun's head.

Just then, a rider came swiftly, a valiant man on horseback, wielding a long spear, looking imposing and awe-inspiring.

Before the horse arrived, the man had already used the momentum on its back to jump up and land steadily beside Hu Sanniang.

"Brother!" Hu Sanniang was overjoyed to have someone to rely on and quickly said, "I can't beat him in a martial arts contest. Now I plan to have a literary contest with him. The one who can cut the pear off his head with a knife without hurting his hair will be the winner."

Hu Sanniang kept it brief.

When Wang Lun heard her call this person "brother," he knew that this person was Hu Cheng, nicknamed "Flying Tiger," and whose martial arts skills were also very impressive.

When he saw that Hu Cheng was carrying a long spear, he was delighted. He was skilled with a spear, and when it came to spearmanship, apart from Lin Chong and Lu Junyi, two masters of both spear and staff, few could rival Yang Zhi.

After all, Yang Zhi was a true descendant of the Yang family generals, and his Yang family spear skills were truly inherited.

Hu Cheng sized up the group and noticed that the leaders were unusual, so he became suspicious and said, "What's the bet? Don't fall for their trap."

"There are no stakes. If I win, they'll give me ten taels of silver. If I lose, I'll let them pass."

With Hu Cheng by her side, Hu Sanniang became bolder and looked at Wu Song with a smile: "Hey, you man, it's not too late for you to admit defeat now."

Wang Lun then interjected, saying, "May I ask if you are Hu Cheng from the Hu Family Village?"

Hu Cheng looked at Wang Lun and, seeing that he was just a scholar in white robes whom he did not recognize, nodded and said, "It's me. Do you know me?"

Wang Lun immediately beamed with joy: "Oh my, who doesn't know the name Flying Tiger Hu Cheng? I've admired him for a long time, and I never expected to meet him here today. And now that I see him, he truly is a young hero, a hero among men."

Wu Song's face stiffened. "I have long admired you," he thought, as if Wang Lun had said the same thing to him.

How many people does he admire?

As the saying goes, flattery will get you everywhere, especially for a young man like Hu Cheng, who is easily pleased by praise. Wang Lun's words immediately made him happy, and he clasped his hands and said, "I really don't deserve to be called a hero among men. I've only learned some basic martial arts."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "May I ask which heroes you are?"

Wang Lun clasped his hands and said, "I am Wang Lun from Liangshan Marsh. This is Wu Song, the tiger-slaying hero from Yanggu County. This is Yang Zhi, the Imperial Guard Commander of Tokyo. This is Gongsun Sheng, the Cloud-Piercing Dragon. These are all leaders of Liangshan Marsh."

Although Hu Cheng and Hu Sanniang did not recognize Wang Lun, they knew he was the leader of Liangshan. They were both surprised to hear that the leader of Liangshan had arrived.

And then I heard about these people: one was Wu Song, the tiger-slaying hero from the neighboring Yanggu County, whose name had recently become legendary, with everyone saying that a hero had killed a tiger on Jingyang Ridge with his bare hands. Another was an officer in the Imperial Guards of Tokyo, whose martial arts skills must be extraordinary. And the last was Gongsun Sheng, a renowned figure in the martial arts world.

Hu Sanniang glanced at Wu Song again and thought to herself, no wonder his martial arts skills are so high. It turns out he is the tiger-slaying Wu Song. He truly lives up to his reputation.

"So it's Chief Wang! Please forgive me for not greeting you sooner." Hu Cheng quickly bowed, becoming even more respectful. Liangshan Marsh was renowned for its power. It was said that it had recently annexed Erlong Mountain and even dared to send troops to attack Jizhou, shocking all the surrounding strongholds.

Wang Lun smiled and said, "No need to be so polite. We were just passing through and unexpectedly met your sister."

He smiled and looked at Hu Sanniang, asking, "Shall we continue the literary contest?"

Hu Sanniang quickly waved her hand: "No, no, since Chief Wang has come here, how dare I draw my sword or spear?"

"No, I just want to see how good Hu Sanniang's swordsmanship is." Wang Lun readily agreed, placing the pear on his head and standing steadily. "Come on, let's quickly settle this, so we can go to Hu Family Village for a drink."

Wu Song laughed heartily. He knew that Wang Lun intended to befriend the Hu Family Village and wanted to test Hu Sanniang's martial arts skills. So he stopped being polite, flipped his wrist, drew his sword, and with a flash of light, split the pear on Wang Lun's head in two, while he himself was unharmed.

It's not difficult to master the art of wielding a knife with ease, but it's very difficult to master the art of wielding heavy objects with ease.

Wu Song's swordsmanship was indeed extremely skillful.

Wang Lun laughed heartily, quite satisfied with Wu Song's martial arts skills. He then placed another pear on his head and said with a smile, "Hu Sanniang, it's your turn."

Having just witnessed Wu Song's swordsmanship, Hu Sanniang knew that her own swordsmanship was no match for Wu Song's, but splitting this pear was not difficult. So she stepped forward, steadied herself, and suddenly swung her sword. In the blink of an eye, the pear was shattered in two.

At that moment, a strand of hair slowly drifted down from Wang Lun's forehead.

Hu Sanniang blushed slightly and said bitterly, "I lost."

Wang Lun laughed heartily: "We're all men and women of the martial world, why take winning and losing so seriously? Hu Sanniang is a skilled martial artist, a true heroine who rivals any man."

Seeing that Wang Lun's words were quite pleasing, Hu Sanniang truly didn't care about losing. She stepped aside, gestured with her hand, and said, "Please, Chief Wang, move into the stronghold. My martial arts are inferior to yours, but surely my drinking capacity is as good as yours?"

Hu Sanniang truly had a remarkable bearing, and even Wu Song couldn't help but glance at her again.

The group followed the Hu siblings, passing through the woods and walking further into the mountains. They then saw a village gate ahead, where two rows of men, armed with long spears and looking very spirited, stood guard.

Wang Lun, the host, rode in the center on horseback, flanked by Hu Cheng and Hu Sanniang, with Yang Zhi and Wu Song following closely behind.

They now possess treasures worth seventy or eighty thousand strings of cash, which would tempt anyone, especially since they are inside the Hu Family Manor. Therefore, they are extremely cautious, their eyes scanning the surroundings with careful vigilance.

Wang Lun, however, was nonchalant and pointed out with a smile, "Your brothers are full of energy and spirit, much better than our Liangshan brothers."

Hu Cheng quickly laughed and said, "Chief, you flatter me. The fact that Liangshan attacked Jizhou under Chief Wang's leadership is enough to prove that Liangshan is already strong and powerful."

Wang Lun smiled faintly. He hadn't expected that the attack on Jizhou would make Liangshan's reputation so great.

The group rode their horses through the gate of the village, and then forward, they saw houses lined up on both sides, just like those in Liangshan, which also housed countless people.

After passing through the winding streets, they arrived at a huge mansion. A group of henchmen were already waiting at the entrance. The one in the lead had half-white hair and beard, and was tall. His face was six-tenths similar to Hu Cheng's, and his figure was seven-tenths similar to Hu Sanniang's.

Wang Lun quickly dismounted and strode forward to greet Chief Hu, clasping his hands in greeting: "Wang Lun greets Chief Hu."