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

Chapter 499 Lin Chong: I'm a real tough guy for not crying! [1st Update]

"Come on, brothers!"

Li Tianrun picked up a full bowl of wine, beaming, and said:

"Of the four assassins who attempted to assassinate the Prince of Nan'an, one was executed and the other three were captured alive!"

"We've really shown the might of the South this time!"
"I toast my brothers!"

"brother!"

Shi Bao grabbed Li Tianrun's arm: "You're injured, so it's best if you don't drink alcohol!"

"Just one bowl! Just one bowl!"

Li Tianrun was in high spirits and clinked his wine bowl with each of them:

"Let's get this straight, nobody's allowed to get drunk!"
"We also have to guard the prisoners; these prisoners aren't made of clay!"

Everyone agreed that it was worth it, so everyone except Shi Bao and Pang Wanchun drank a bowl of wine.

After a bowl of wine, the atmosphere became lively, and Li Tianrun raised another bowl of wine to toast Shi Bao:
"Brother, I misunderstood you before!"

"Thanks to you for saving me today, otherwise I would already be..."

"I won't say more, it's all in the wine!"

"Hey! Didn't you say it was just one bowl..."

Shi Bao quickly stopped Li Tianrun, but Li Tianrun shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum.
"I know, I know, but I'm sorry for what happened, so I have to drink this!"

"Brother, you have internal injuries, don't force yourself!"
"I did it, you can do whatever you want!"

After he said that, Shi Bao had nothing to say and could only drink a bowl with him.

Li Tianrun then turned to Pang Wanchun: "Brother, I owe you a great debt of gratitude for that arrow you shot today, otherwise I would be dead!"

I must offer you this bowl of wine!
"If you ever need anything in the future, just say the word, and Li Tianrun will go through fire and water for you!"
"You're injured too, so drink less, just a little bit is fine!"

"I'll do it, you can do whatever you want!"

"Ton ton ton ton..."

Shi Bao couldn't do anything about it. He had told him to drink less, but he kept drinking bowl after bowl.

However, Li Tianrun was indeed a straightforward person; after a bowl of wine, the past was the past.

Pang Wanchun was a straightforward man; when he said he would just say "just a little something," he meant it. He actually picked up the wine bowl, touched his lips to it, and then put it down.

Li Tianrun didn't take it to heart; he had already conveyed his meaning.

After letting Pang Wanchun go, Li Tianrun then approached Zheng Mojun:
"Grand Commandant, we owe our success to you this time!"

"Without you, all of us brothers would be in grave danger, let alone capturing all the assassins!"
"Grand Commandant, it's you!"

Li Tianrun gave a thumbs up, and Zheng Mojun, who had been uninterested, smiled after being praised.

"Ton ton ton ton..."

Li Tianrun and Zheng Mojun had just finished a bowl of wine and were wondering what to say about the next bowl when suddenly the closed hotel door was pushed open.

A howling wind swept in, causing everyone from the South to shiver involuntarily.

It's late November, and it's already cold in the north. You can't sleep at night without a quilt.

Zheng Mojun, Li Tianrun, and the others simultaneously cast dissatisfied glances toward the hotel entrance.

First to walk in was a pale-faced young man in a white robe, then another pale-faced young man in a white robe, then another pale-faced young man in a white robe, and yet another pale-faced young man in a white robe...

Even the unattractive Li Tianrun lost his self-confidence:
Seriously, are all the people in the martial arts world this good-looking these days?

Fortunately, there were only four pretty boys. The next one to enter was a giant man nine feet tall, tall, strong, and imposing!

Following him was a burly man, tall and strong, with lion-like eyebrows and tiger-like eyes, exuding an imposing aura even without anger!
Upon seeing this burly man, Shi Bao and Pang Wanchun couldn't help but stand up and bow down in respect!
Shi Bao: "Brother!"

Pang Wanchun: "Aba aba!"

Li Tianrun quickly stood up and bowed: "This humble general greets the Duke of Zhenguo!" Zheng Mojun's eyes lit up: "Isn't this a coincidence? Isn't this a coincidence?"

"We've actually met here in this desolate wilderness!"

This burly man was Cai Fu, who was traveling from Shandong to Gaizhou. He had also missed his stop and was now seeking lodging here.

Upon seeing them, Cai Fu chuckled and slammed the hotel door shut behind him.

What a coincidence!

Li Tianrun called the shopkeeper to bring a few more sets of bowls and chopsticks, while Cai Fu introduced his companions to them:

The nine-foot-tall giant was Lu Junyi, and the four pretty boys were Yang Zaixing, Yu Hualong, Zhang Kui, and Hua Rong.

The tall, fierce-looking shopkeeper came to refill the bowls and chopsticks. Cai Fu glanced at him but said nothing.

Lu Junyi reached out and patted the shopkeeper on the shoulder, but the shopkeeper remained unmoved.
Lu Junyi praised him, saying, "What a fine man!"
"With such an iron will, why not go to Shandong and serve the King of Qi as a general?"

"You flatter me, sir..."

The shopkeeper chuckled, glanced at Lu Junyi and then at Cai Fu, before turning and going back to the kitchen.

"Grand Commandant, why are you here?"

Cai Fu glanced at Li Tianrun, Shi Bao, and Pang Wanchun:

"Baozi, Xiaochun, Datian, are you injured?"
"Are you alright? I have a secret medicine for wounds made by a divine physician, the most effective one!"

Li Tianrun, Shi Bao, and Pang Wanchun all thanked Cai Fu, and Zheng Mojun then explained the whole story.

Shi Bao and Li Tianrun supplemented his explanation where it was not detailed enough.

Even the initial misunderstanding about Cai Fu wasn't hidden, and Li Tianrun even punished himself with a bowl of rice for it:
"Duke Zhenguo, this matter was all due to my being blinded by lard!"
"This humble general apologizes to you; please drink this first as a sign of respect!"

Li Tianrun was about to act when Cai Fu stopped him.
"You are injured and cannot drink alcohol."

"Once the injury heals, let's have a good, unbridled meal."

Li Tianrun instinctively tried to break free, but Cai Fu's large hand seemed to have the strength of a thousand pounds, and he couldn't break free at all.

Li Tianrun was stunned. Only then did he realize that Cai Fu was also unfathomable...

"Brother, wait a moment, I have a surprise for you!"

Shi Bao went upstairs and grabbed Lin Chong, who was bound hand and foot, from the guest room:

"Come on, someone's here to rescue you!"

Someone save me?

Lin Chong could hardly believe his ears:

Now that I have broken ties with Song Jiang, who in this world will save me?
When Lin Chong followed Shi Bao downstairs and saw that it was Cai Fu, his face turned green with shock.
"Cheers, cheers, cheers..."

"What's wrong?"

Shi Bao was about to use his wind-splitting blade to cut the ropes for him, but Lin Chong's reaction made him stop:
"Didn't you say you were an undercover agent sent by King Qi to serve under Song Jiang?"
"Didn't you say you were one of the King of Qi's men?"

"Why do you look unhappy even though the King of Qi is right in front of you?"

Happy?
It felt as if a million alpacas were galloping through Lin Chong's mind:

I'm a real tough guy for not crying!

Lu Junyi, Hua Rong, and the others who knew the truth all laughed. Cai Fu asked Lin Chong with a smile:
"Dalinzi, what military intelligence have you gathered while you were working under Song Jiang?"

"Come on, tell me about it!"

Lin Chong was almost in tears. Seeing that Lin Chong's expression was not right, Shi Bao immediately put a knife to his neck and asked fiercely:

"Are you lying to us? You're not one of King Qi's men at all?"

A person must rely on themselves... damn it!
Lin Chong realized he was narrowing the road he was taking; the main road to heaven had been turned into a winding, narrow path by his own efforts...

(End of this chapter)