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

Chapter 627 Lu Zhishen: Ignorance doesn't make me stupid! [2nd update]

"All right!"

Yang Yao smacked his lips, still savoring the moment, and looked at the bandit soldier:

"What did you say?"

"boom--"

A group of bandits were sent flying as if they had been hit by a running elephant!

Then a huge, fat monk, eight feet tall and with a waist of eight feet, barged in!

The fat monk glared at him and demanded in a stern voice:
Which one is Yang Yao?

The soldier who came in to report glanced at the fat monk and then at Yang Yao:
Now you're willing to listen to me?
late!

The bandit drew his sword with a clang, pointed it at Yang Yao, and said to the fat monk:
"That's Yang Yao! Come with me!"

The bandit, brandishing his saber, was the first to charge at Yang Yao, only to be met with a beautiful woman rushing towards him!

Yang Yao shoved the beauty in his arms toward the bandits, and then pushed another beauty toward Lu Zhishen:
"Catch it!"

Lu Zhishen dodged the beauty in a flash, and when he looked again, Yang Yao had vanished into thin air, along with the dragon throne!

What about people?

Lu Zhishen rushed forward to take a look and found that there was a trap where Yang Yao was sitting!

Yang Yao pushed the beauty toward Lu Zhishen to hinder his progress and buy time for the mechanism to be activated.

"Kakaka..."

The floor closed automatically, and Lu Zhishen swung his 108-pound crescent shovel and slammed it hard onto the floor!

"boom--"

The floor was smashed into pieces, revealing a dark hole underneath!
Lu Zhishen instinctively wanted to jump down, but was grabbed from behind.

Lu Zhishen turned around and saw that it was Li Zhu.

Li Zhu shook his head, grabbed the messenger soldier, and threw him down.

"Ahhh-"

After the bandits fell, a series of shrill screams followed the sound of the mechanism clicking!
Li Zhu grabbed the candlestick next to him and threw it down, only to see that the bandit soldier had been riddled with spears and turned into a hedgehog...

Lu Zhishen glanced gratefully at Li Zhu before jumping down and landing safely, then looked around.

By the flickering light of the candlestick, Lu Zhishen could see a passage to the side, but he didn't know where it led.

There was a candlestick every so often on the walls of the passage, and Lu Zhishen followed the passage all the way.

The passage led all the way to the lake. When Lu Zhishen came out of the cave, he saw a stake by the lake.

A hemp rope was tied to the stake, but it had been cut with a knife, indicating that the moored boat had already gone far away.

"Hey!"

Lu Zhishen was so angry he stomped his feet. He was just a hair's breadth away from being saved by that beautiful woman...

……

"Wow--"

A bucket of cold water was poured over Qu Yuan's head.

Qu Yuan suddenly awoke with a start and instinctively tried to jump up.

Instead of escaping, he was already tied up while he was asleep...

"Who did it?"

Qu Yuan was both surprised and angry. Looking around, he realized something was wrong. How did he end up being tied up in the main hall?
The main hall was littered with corpses, and the air was thick with the stench of blood...

Wang Zuo, with his backside exposed, lay sprawled on the stretcher, looking at him smugly. Qu Yuan's expression changed:
"Wang Zuo, have you truly betrayed your master for personal gain?"

"fart!"

Wang Zuo's expression changed drastically:

"A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a wise minister chooses a good lord to serve!"

"Yang Yao, that incompetent ruler, does he even deserve to be my lord?"

"I, Wang Zuo, have already done my duty by traveling a thousand miles back from the State of Qi, yet he has thrown me into a water dungeon!"
"He doesn't trust me, yet he wants to use me. Why should I risk my life for such a foolish ruler?"
"Lord Qu Yuan, you do have some wisdom. Now that Yang Yao has abandoned you, why don't you also join the King of Qi?"
"King Qi is a benevolent and righteous ruler. Following him will make your rebellion worthwhile, given your vast knowledge!"

Qu Yuan sighed: "I can surrender to the King of Qi, but first tell me how you took Dongting Lake."

"My plan, even if not flawless, was impeccable. How could it have ended up like this?"

Do you remember that painting?

Wang Zuo reached out his hand, and Wang De went to Yang Yao's table to take it and handed it to him. Qu Yuan's expression changed: "Could there be another secret in this painting?"

"No."

Wang Zuo shook his head:

"Actually, the content of this painting is not important."

"The Grand Commander has already had Wang De convey the important message."

It turns out that Lu Zhishen handed the reply to Wang De, and the key points were the few sentences he gave afterward.

"Oh!"

Qu Yuan suddenly realized the truth, his blood rushed to his head, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Isn't he illiterate?"

"What's wrong with not being able to read?"

Lu Zhishen happened to jump up from the secret passage and retorted unhappily:

"Not being literate doesn't mean you're stupid!"

"Ah this..."

Qu Yuan was dumbfounded: What he said makes so much sense, I have no reply!

"Who says paintings aren't important? My painting speaks for itself!"

Lu Zhishen opened the painting and showed it to Qu Yuan:
"I am a monk, and I am facing you because I want to see you!"
"Holding three with your left hand means it's the third watch of the night!"

"The right hand makes a sign, meaning it will happen tonight!"
"The crescent moon in the back refers to Crescent Bay!"

"This painting means that I will meet you at Crescent Bay at midnight tonight!"

"Ah this..."

Wang Zuo was dumbfounded: There was such a deeper meaning? I was so naive...

Qu Yuan was utterly speechless. He, a cultured man, was indeed unable to fathom the thinking of an illiterate man!

After Lu Zhishen gave Qu Yuan a brief explanation, he asked Qu Yuan:
Do you know about this secret passage?

Qu Yuan nodded: "I understand."

Lu Zhishen glared at him and demanded, "Do you know where Yang Yao went after he left through the secret passage?"

Qu Yuan looked at the ropes binding him and said, "The ropes are too tight, so tight that I forgot about them."

"Humph!"

Lu Zhishen casually drew his dagger from his waist and slashed at the rope binding Qu Yuan!
"Shh-"

The ropes binding Qu Yuan broke, but the blade didn't even tear his clothes.

Lu Zhishen asked again, "Do you remember now?"

Qu Yuan flexed his wrists a couple of times, then suddenly picked up a knife from the ground and held it to his own neck:
"Your Majesty, I have done my duty—"

"when--"

A flash of cold light, as fast as lightning, blocked his knife with lightning speed!

Qu Yuan stared at Li Zhu in disbelief: When did you get here?

Li Zhu snorted coldly: "Want to die? It's not that easy."

"Tied!"

A group of Qi soldiers quickly tied Qu Yuan up again.

At this moment, Feng Tai brought in a burly man, who bowed deeply to Lu Zhishen upon seeing him.
"This humble man, Yan Qi, pays his respects to the Grand Commander!"

Wang Zuo introduced from the side: "Grand Commander, Yan Qi is the garrison commander of Xiermu Village, and he and I are close friends!"
"He is also willing to pledge allegiance to the King of Qi, and some of his men are among those who will be meeting the Grand Commander tonight!"

It turned out that Wang Zuo had received a message from Wang De and, despite his exhaustion, went to Yue Sha Bay to see Lu Zhishen in the middle of the night.

Having made an appointment with Lu Zhishen in person, Wang Zuo returned to Dongermu Village to gather manpower and boats to prepare to meet Lu Zhishen.

Just then, his good friend Yan Qi came from Xiermu Village to visit him and check on his injuries.

Wang Zuo then told Yan Qi about the matter. Yan Qi also admired Cai Fu, so he agreed to help Wang Zuo succeed.

Yan Qi said to Lu Zhishen, "I've long believed that Yang Yao is no man destined for greatness!"
"I have long heard of King Qi's unparalleled benevolence and righteousness, and his respect for the virtuous and talented. I am eager to befriend him, but I regret that I have no way to do so!"

"If you could help me, I would be extremely fortunate!"

(End of this chapter)