Do you have the strength to force me to join the Liangshan bandits?

Chapter 223 Why should I, "Sai Xuande," explain my actions to others throughout my life? [2nd Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"laugh--"

Shi Bao flew close to the ground, covering more than ten feet, his chest burning from the friction!

But he didn't feel the pain right away; he was mainly hit in the face and his head was buzzing!

Before he could even regain his senses, he was already being lifted up by two people, one on each side.

"I'm sorry, Brother Shi Bao!"

Wu Song, supporting Shi Bao's arm from the right, said apologetically:

"Once my brother has had some wine, he can't stop his fists and kicks..."

Wu Song is different from Lu Zhishen.

Lu Zhishen loses his senses when he becomes brutal:

I don't care about this or that, just do it!
Wu Song was both clear-headed and brutal.

After defeating Shi Bao, he still remembered that this was a general from his elder brother's fiancée's family.

Given this relationship, you can appease them after the fight; you can't really break off all ties.

"General Shi, are you alright?"

Cai Fu, supporting Shi Bao's arm from the left, said with concern:

"Thank goodness my sixth brother kicked you at the last minute!"
"Otherwise, your head will be smashed to the ground!"

"Well……"

Shi Bao finally regained some consciousness.

Shaking his head, Shi Bao felt something was off:

According to you, I should thank him?
The onlookers burst into laughter again, and Cai Fu turned around and glared at them:
"what's so funny?

"General Shi is a cavalry general and is not skilled in infantry combat!"
"My third and sixth brothers are both 'Kings of Foot Combat'!"
"What's so funny about General Shi losing to my third and sixth brothers in foot combat?"

"Which of you can defeat my third and sixth brothers in foot combat?"

Although Cai Fu was trying to save face for Shi Bao, he was telling the truth.

The onlookers stopped laughing. Not to mention them, even Lu Junyi might not be able to defeat these two in foot combat!
Moreover, Wu Song had been drinking...

After Cai Fu finished speaking, Shi Bao was fully awake.

Right!

Shi Bao slapped his forehead: I'm hooked! I'm hooked!

What's the point of comparing foot combat skills with someone who's just a cavalry general?
Moreover, I am skilled with weapons, but not with fists and feet!

He excels at ambushes but isn't good at head-on combat...

Originally, Shi Bao's mentality had been broken by Wu Song, but after Cai Fu said that, he felt that he could do it again!
With the onlookers no longer roaring with laughter and no longer provoking his emotions, Shi Bao calmed down and gave a carefree chuckle:
“The prince consort is right. I am using my weaknesses to attack his strengths.”

"However, since it's just our own people sparring today, there's no need to take it too seriously."

Don't take it too seriously?

Looking at Shi Bao's swollen cheek, the onlookers must have been holding back their excitement.

Cai Fu was alright, after all, he knew that Shi Bao had fought Guan Sheng one-on-one for more than twenty rounds and then feigned defeat and fled.

This is Shi Bao's toughest record; he fought for at least twenty rounds before Guan Sheng couldn't defeat him.

However, it would be excessive to say that he and Guan Sheng fought for more than twenty rounds without a clear winner.

The original text doesn't say that the fight was even; it clearly states that "the two fought for more than twenty rounds before Shi Bao turned his horse around and fled."

Hua Rong and Qin Ming fought for forty or fifty rounds, and the original novel clearly states that they were "evenly matched".

Although Shi Bao feigned defeat and fled, he did not say that it was "a draw," which proves that he was at a disadvantage after fighting Guan Sheng for more than twenty rounds.

If he had the upper hand, why would he need to feign defeat and retreat?

Isn't it honorable to defeat Guan Sheng head-on?

"Yes, let's go eat!"

Cai Fu pulled Shi Bao down the mountain to go to the Xishan Hotel for drinks.

Since Sun Erniang had died long ago and Zhang Qing had disappeared, Cai Fu handed over his Xishan Hotel to "Living Flash Granny" Wang Dingliu for management.

Thus, Liangshan Marsh had four routes—east, west, south, and north—as its main inns, and Cai Fu occupied two of them.

The Nanshan Inn, managed by "Dryland Crocodile" Zhu Gui, and the Beishan Inn, managed by "Smiling Tiger" Zhu Fu, were still under Song Jiang's control.

Shi Bao was ultimately a clever man, but he had not yet shaken off his江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) habits.

After a few bowls of wine, he became sworn brothers with Lu Zhishen and Wu Song.

Shi Bao used to feel superior and look down on Lu Zhishen because he didn't know how good Lu Zhishen was at fighting.

Now that he knows, he acknowledges Lu Zhishen's strength and has dispelled that slight misunderstanding.

There's no other reason than that the strong are respected!
"Your Highness, I salute you!"

Shi Bao picked up a full bowl of wine, clinked it against Cai Fu's, and drank it all in one gulp.

"No need to be so polite, we're all brothers!"

Cai Fu put his arm around Shi Bao's shoulder and said:
"From now on, you are not allowed to call him Prince Consort, call him Brother!"

Shi Bao: "Brother!"

Shi Bao's calling him "brother" was sincere.

If even Cai Fu's underlings are this ruthless, how ruthless must Cai Fu be?
He didn't even dare to think about it!
Shi Bao had inquired with Wu Song while they were drinking earlier and learned that Cai Fu had a total of six sworn brothers.

Wu Song said that among the "Seven Heroes of Liangshan," he was the least capable in combat.

Shi Bao felt that he had exaggerated.

Even if they were all as good at fighting as Wu Song, Shi Bao felt that they would be able to carve out their own niche!

Liangshan Marsh is unfathomable!

After Shi Bao joined in, the atmosphere at the table became very lively, but Cai Fu felt something was off.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Hu Sanniang and Qiu Qiongying at the next table were both silent and sullen.

They probably heard Shi Bao mention "prince consort"...

Cai Fu did not explain to them—

Why should I, "Sai Xuande," need to explain my actions to others?
The meal was a great success, and Shi Bao got so drunk that he had to be carried to his room to rest.

Cai Fu and the others went back to their own homes and found their own mothers.

Hu Sanniang didn't say anything, but silently returned to her room.

Qiu Qiongying stopped Cai Fu.

Oh oh oh——

The brothers exchanged knowing glances and went home, leaving only Cai Fu and Qiu Qiongying standing in the training ground under the cover of night.

It was actually the open space in front of Cai Fu's row of houses. Because Cai Fu and his brothers often passed on their skills here, and the brothers also frequently sparred here, Cai Fu named it the Martial Arts Training Ground.

Cai Fu drank the wine. Although the alcohol content of the wine in this era was not high, drinking too much of it could still make him drunk.

Frowning as he looked down at the little bean sprout from Hebei, Cai Fu asked her:

"What do you want to do?"

Qiu Qiongying's face was flushed, her big eyes were watery, and she asked Cai Fu with a righteous air:
"Why does that fellow from Jiangnan call you the Imperial Son-in-Law?"

"you ask me?"

Cai Fu walked to the tree trunk, which was about the thickness of a cartwheel, sat down, and casually picked up a blade of grass and put it in his mouth:
"I still want to ask you!"

Qiu Qiongying chased after them, hands on her hips, looking aggressive.

However, standing at the same height as Cai Fu while sitting, his imposing presence immediately diminished.

Qiu Qiongying, though outwardly fierce, said weakly, "What do you want to ask me?"

Cai Fu snorted coldly: "What's this about 'secretly pledging your life to each other'?"

"Ah this..."

Qiu Qiongying blushed instantly, and her hands, which had been on her hips, slid down guiltily.
"I had no choice..."

"You're only betraying me because you have no other choice?"

Cai Fu stared intently at Qiu Qiongying, making her feel guilty and try to avoid his gaze.

"Actually, I have my reasons... Besides, you didn't lose out..."

"I didn't suffer any loss?"

Cai Fu's eyes widened in disbelief:

"I was originally innocent and pure, you know that?"

"It's because of you that you ruined my reputation, and you still have the nerve to say I didn't suffer any loss?"

"Do you want face?"

Qiu Qiongying was speechless and could only repeat one sentence over and over again:
"I have my reasons, I have my reasons..."

Cai Fu sneered: "What's your predicament?"

"My predicament..."

After a two-second pause, Qiu Qiongying hesitated, wanting to speak but then stopping herself, wanting to speak again but then stopping herself, wanting to speak again but then stopping herself, wanting to speak again but then stopping herself...

Cai Fu frowned: "Are you going to talk or not? If you don't, I'm leaving!"

Forced by Cai Fu, Qiu Qiongying had no choice but to speak:

"Actually, Tian Hu is my enemy..."

It turns out that when Qiu Qiongying was ten years old, her parents went to a neighboring county, seventy miles away, to attend her maternal grandfather's funeral, leaving Qiu Qiongying at home.

As a result, her parents encountered a group of thugs on the way, who killed her father and kidnapped her mother.

After becoming an orphan, Qiu Qiongying was taken care of by Ye Qing and his wife, who were the head of the household.

A year later, Tian Hu rebelled, burning, killing, and looting.

Qiu Qiongying and Ye Qing, a married couple, were both kidnapped by Wu Li, Tian Hu's brother-in-law.

Wu Li had no children, but seeing that Qiu Qiongying was beautiful, she adopted her as her daughter.

In order to protect Qiu Qiongying, Ye Qing had no choice but to become Wu Li's steward.

Later, Ye Qing learned by chance that the strongman from back then was Tian Hu, and told Qiu Qiongying.

After Qiu Qiongying learned who her parents' killers were, she cried day and night because she was powerless to avenge them. This led to a fairy appearing in her dream and teaching her martial arts...

Qiu Qiongying told Cai Fu all her secrets in one breath, and by the end she was sobbing uncontrollably.

In fact, Cai Fu already knew, but he had no reason to know so soon, so he listened to her tell him again.

Qiu Qiongying wiped away her tears and said resolutely:

I don't want to go back!

"I don't want to face the enemy who killed my parents every day, but I can't kill him to avenge my parents!"

Thank you for taking care of me all this time!

"I will leave tomorrow and will never be a burden to you again!"

"You can pull it down!"

Cai Fu chuckled: "What if Sun An comes asking me for people again after you leave?"
"Wouldn't that make me a kidnapper?"

Qiu Qiongying was upset, pouting her little mouth, her chubby cheeks puffing out like a steamed bun:
"Well, I was just in a panic at the time, I had no other choice..."

"What...what do you want me to do..."

Cai Fu asked her, "Do you want revenge?"

Qiu Qiongying chattered like a little sparrow:

"I think about it so much! I even dream about it!"

"I have a plan!"

Cai Fu clasped his hands behind his head, leaned back against the rock, and crossed his legs.

"We can kill Tian Hu!"

"real or fake?"

Qiu Qiongying could hardly believe her ears:

"Tian Hu is the King of Jin, how could you kill him?"

"Then forget it!"

Cai Fu said confidently:

"If I say I can kill, then I can kill. Just follow my orders!"

"Well……"

Qiu Qiongying's face turned red:

A man's confident and composed demeanor when undertaking important tasks is the most attractive quality he possesses!
Qiu Qiongying's parents died early, so she couldn't utter any praise like "governing a large country is like cooking a small fish".

All I can say is, "Brother, thank you!" (voice cracks)

Slow!

Qiu Qiongying suddenly thought of an even more important question:
If Cai Fu helps me avenge my parents...

How should I repay Cai Fu?
After much hesitation, Qiu Qiongying finally asked the question, since it was better to clarify some things beforehand.

She has nothing left now...

(End of this chapter)