Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 543 Young Prisoner
Zhang, the military officer, was speaking when his stomach churned and he vomited a large mouthful of alcohol – he had drunk too quickly and his usual alcohol tolerance had been reduced by 70-80%.

Xiao Feng laughed heartily and patted Zhang Tixia on the shoulder: "Brother, you have a good capacity for alcohol. One's character is revealed in one's drinking. You are a rare hero. This place of power and bribery is not a place for heroes to make friends. Come with me, let's find another place to properly build our friendship!"

After saying this, Xiao Feng took out a piece of silver from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and went downstairs laughing.

Overjoyed, Zhang Tixia hurriedly took the money and went downstairs.

Xiao Feng deliberately slowed down his pace, so even though Zhang Tixia was half-drunk and half-awake, he could barely keep up.

The two arrived at the outskirts of the city and had a long talk. They both felt that the other was a generous and brave man. Zhang Tixia was even more regretful for his previous misunderstanding of Xiao Feng and repeatedly clasped his hands in apology.

Zhang, the military commander, said, “Over the years, I, Old Zhang, have seen all sorts of officials, big and small. Which one of them hasn’t engaged in all sorts of sordid dealings involving power and money? Recently, I heard that the higher-ups have sent another imperial envoy with considerable influence, supposedly a relative of the emperor, on a clandestine visit. Humph, what clandestine visit? I’ve seen this kind of trick countless times over the years. In the end, it always starts strong but ends weak, with officials protecting each other.”

"I heard that a big shot had arrived, looking like a member of the royal family, swaggering around in the restaurant owned by that corrupt official's brother-in-law. I, Old Zhang, had been holding back my anger for a long time, and I figured it was some kind of corrupt imperial envoy. So, I decided to take advantage of the alcohol I had at noon to make a scene and vent my anger. But I never expected to run into Brother Xiao."

As the story progressed, Zhang Tixia smiled sheepishly, while Xiao Feng laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "It seems that we became friends after our initial misunderstanding."

Zhang, the military officer, seemed to remember something and asked, "Brother Xiao, why did you think of going to that shady inn to drink your sorrows away? That's no good place."

After a moment's thought, Xiao Feng explained the whole story to Zhang Tixia.

Upon hearing this, Zhang, the military officer, was both shocked and furious: "What a shameless, corrupt official! How dare he bully people like this! If it weren't for my wife, children, and elderly parents, I would have already chopped off this corrupt official's head and hung it on the city gate tower!"

Then he exclaimed in surprise, "How strange! The other day I discovered a small group of Song cavalry killed in Heartbreak Gorge. It turns out it was Brother Xiao's doing. Brother Xiao is truly a god among men, so brave and valiant!"

Xiao Feng said, "Brother Zhang is a Han Chinese, why don't you go south and join the Song Dynasty?"

Zhang Tixia sneered, "The Great Song? When we Han people of Yanyun were separated from the Central Plains, there was no Great Song. Since the establishment of the Liao Dynasty, the Han people have lived here for more than a hundred years and are used to it. Besides, Brother Xiao, you saw it too. When the Song cavalry crossed the border to raid, kill, and burn, did they distinguish between Han people and Khitan people?"

"For ordinary people, a good life means having two more liters of rice in the pot and two more bundles of firewood in the stove. What about the emperors of the Liao and the emperors of the Song? They're all just wolves that eat sheep, the only difference being whether they spit out the bones or not. From north to south, they're all the same. What wolf in this world doesn't eat sheep?"

Xiao Feng remained silent for a while, then Zhang Tixia coughed and said, "From what Brother Xiao is saying, you want to find a way to save those shepherds?"

Xiao Feng said, "That's right. If it were up to my temper, this prefect is so harmful that he should be killed with one blow. But in order to avoid alerting him and delaying the rescue, I hesitated and thought I would observe the situation first before trying to save him."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tixia patted his chest and said, "Leave this to me, Old Zhang. As the Infantry Commander of this prefecture, I have no trouble getting in and out of the prison. I'll set off right now and give you the news this afternoon."

Xiao Feng was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Then thank you very much, Commander Zhang. Also, please get me another set of soldiers' clothes so I can sneak into the state jail tonight to rescue people."

Zhang Tixia gave him a thumbs up and said, "What courage! What a hero! Don't worry, I, Zhang, will take care of everything!" That night, with Zhang Tixia's help, Xiao Feng changed into a soldier's uniform and followed Zhang Tixia into the state prison.

Xiao Feng followed Zhang Tixia through corridors and alleys until they arrived at the prison gate where several Khitan herdsmen were imprisoned.

Zhang, the military officer, took out his waist token and said, "By order of the prefect, bring these stubborn Song spies to the execution ground for a public execution."

The jailer guarding the gate was used to this kind of thing and opened the cell door without asking any questions.

Xiao Feng had smeared his face with coal beforehand and pulled down the brim of his hat to cover half of his face, so he was not recognized.

Zhang Tixia led the group toward the execution ground. Several shepherds, unaware of what was going on, were trembling with fear when a small squad of soldiers escorted a prisoner over and said, "Zhang Tixia, are you taking these prisoners to the execution ground? Why don't you take this caravan along the way and get rid of it too, so we don't have to make another trip?"

Xiao Feng glanced at him and saw that the prisoner had a hairstyle like that of a Central Plains person, a fair complexion, and bright eyes. Although he was imprisoned, his clothes were clean, and even when he heard that he was to be taken away for execution, he did not show any panic.

Xiao Feng thought to himself: This man has a good demeanor; he's quite a hero.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tixia laughed and said, "Leave it to me, Old Zhang. It's just a matter of passing by."

So Zhang Tixia and Xiao Feng led the group of prisoners to the inner city wall. Although it was night, the executioners and others were still waiting.

Xiao Feng took a deep breath, his body transforming into a whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight executioners and guards were immobilized by Xiao Feng's acupoints, without even having a chance to utter a sound.

The group was stunned. They saw Xiao Feng slash out with his palms and cut the ropes binding the prisoners in a few strokes. After a slight hesitation, he also cut the chains binding the fair-skinned young prisoner.

The man was taken aback and was about to thank him when he heard Xiao Feng say, "Follow Commander Zhang and get out of the city quickly, or things will change."

So the group changed their clothes and, led by Zhang Tixia, left the city under the pretext of having business to attend to. Only then did Xiao Feng reveal his face and meet everyone.

Xiao Feng thanked Zhang Tixia and was about to leave with his group when he saw the young prisoner whom Xiao Feng had rescued following behind them, not leaving.

Xiao Feng frowned slightly and said, "My friend, now that you're out of trouble, why not leave quickly?"

The young man knelt down with a thud and said, "Please, brave warrior, lend me your strength to eliminate this traitor who colludes with corrupt officials and harms the people. Yelü Jun will be eternally grateful."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng was slightly surprised: "Are you a member of the Liao royal family?"