Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"Humph, why not!"

Bian Xiang also shouted loudly.

The two stared at each other for a long time.

They immediately charged at each other without prior arrangement.

The imperial guard general wielded a gold-plated axe.

Bianxiang, on the other hand, also wielded his mountain-splitting axe.

The two fought for no more than thirty or forty rounds.

The imperial guard commander felt his arm go numb from the force of Bian Xiang's blow.

Immediately, his hand lost its footing, and the golden-handled axe was knocked away.

Just as Bian Xiang was about to chop off the man's head with his axe,

Zhao Yuan hurriedly called out,

"Brother, don't kill him!"

Although Bian Xiang had already decided to kill, fortunately he knew the gravity of the situation.

A massive axe swung down with tremendous force, finally stopping just above the opponent's head.

Seeing their commander in danger, the imperial guards rushed forward to rescue him.

But Bian Xiang stopped him with a shout.

"If he dares to go any further, I'll chop off his head!"

The imperial guards hesitated, unsure of what to do next.

Taking the opportunity, Zhao Yuan stepped forward and asked, "General, are you the vanguard Suo Chao? We don't know how we have offended you, please enlighten us, General?"

"Since you, sir, are a friend of the Gao family, you must be no good either!"

Suo Chao snorted angrily, then glared at Bian Xiang.

"You, a man of such martial skill, do not think of going to the battlefield to kill the enemy and serve your country, but are willing to grovel before that brat Gao Kan and even help him harm the loyal and good. You are truly a disgrace to us warriors!"

"When did I ever help Gao Kan persecute loyal and virtuous people?"

Bianxiang was stunned by the scolding and subconsciously asked a question in return.

"Hmph, you think you can hide it from me?"

Suo Chao said angrily with a dark face: "Lin Chong, the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards in Tokyo, has already had his family destroyed by Gao Qiu. Now, Gao Kan has framed Xu Ning, the instructor of the Golden Spear Class, and ordered him to be exiled to Cangzhou!"

"You soldiers, your mission is to hunt down Xu Ning's family and silence them, isn't that aiding and abetting evil and harming loyal officials?"

Chapter 119 Unparalleled in the world of staffs, number one in martial arts!

"this......"

Suo Chao's words left everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.

Xu Ning, who was standing behind Zhao Yuan, suddenly stepped forward and asked,

"General Suo Chao, do you know Xu Ning?"

“Never seen anything like it before,” Suo Chao said coldly.

"To seek justice for someone you've never met, the general is truly a righteous man."

Xu Ning's expression was complicated: "Actually, I..."

"Cough cough!"

Zhao Yuan suddenly coughed twice in a muffled voice, then spoke to the Imperial Guards brought by Suo Chao.

"All of you, retreat a hundred paces! Then stand still! If we discover any of you making any unusual moves, you can forget about your general's head!"

The imperial guards exchanged glances; Suo Chao was their commander.

If Suo Chao gets into trouble, none of them will have a good outcome.

Left with no other choice, the Imperial Guards had to follow Zhao Yuan's orders and retreat a hundred paces before stopping.

Afterwards, Zhao Yuan ordered Bian Xiang to command his men to form a circle around the outside.

Having completely blocked the gaze of the Imperial Guards, he then nodded to Xu Ning.

"Thank you, brother!"

The golden-sharp gunner first thanked Zhao Yuan, and then spoke to Suo Chao.

"General, I am Xu Ning! My family is in that carriage over there!"

"what?"

Suo Chao was stunned for a moment, then disbelieving.

"What tricks are you trying to pull now! If you're going to kill me, then do it already!"

Xu Ning didn't explain further, but instead picked up the hook-and-sickle spear.

He dismounted and, right in the middle of the open space surrounded by his henchmen, practiced the Xu family's hook-and-sickle spear technique!

Suo Chao was also a member of the Imperial Guard. Although he didn't know Xu Ning, he had witnessed the hook-and-sickle spear technique.

Now that I've seen Xu Ning practice in person, how could I not recognize him!

"Is this the hook-and-sickle spear technique? Why are some parts different from what I've seen before?" Suo Chao asked in confusion.

"What the general has seen is what I taught him in the Imperial Guard,"

Xu Ning smiled and explained, "What I just demonstrated for the general was our Xu family's true ancestral hook-and-sickle spear technique!"

"You...you are really Teacher Xu Ning?" Suo Chao asked in surprise.

"Replace it if it's fake!"

"But... but I just heard from Li Chengdu Supervisor to Liang Zhongshu that Grand Commandant Gao has sent someone to harm the teacher, and also your child's life?"

"If it weren't for these righteous men who saved me, I would have indeed died at the hands of the guards. Even my wife and children were rescued by them from the pursuing troops in Gaokan!"

"Weren't they sent by the Grand Commandant's office to hunt down the teacher?" Suo Chao finally realized.

"You rascal, now you know I didn't aid and abet the wicked or harm the loyal and good, right?" Bian Xiang said irritably.

"It was a misunderstanding on my part! Please forgive me, sir!"

Suo Chao quickly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Forget it, even though you are a general of the imperial court, you are still a true hero!"

Bian Xiang reached out and helped Suo Chao up: "I won't hold that little thing against you!"

Suo Chao then chatted with Xu Ning about the Imperial Guards, and had no further doubts about Xu Ning's identity.

"It's good that the teacher escaped with his life! It's just a pity about Instructor Lin. I heard he went to Liangshan, but I don't know if it's true or not!"

At this point, Suo Chao couldn't help but sigh, "Now that treacherous officials are in power, life is becoming increasingly difficult for us martial artists."

"General Suo, please don't be so sentimental,"

Xu Ning reassured him, "Instructor Lin is also safe and sound; he has indeed joined Liangshan!"

"That's truly a blessing from heaven!"

Suo Chao couldn't help but say something, then looked curiously at Bian Xiang.

"May I ask who this hero is? That axe you wielded just now was truly formidable!"

"My name is Bianxiang, and I am currently..."

Bian Xiang paused here, glanced at Zhao Yuan, and seeing him nod, continued,

"Now we belong to the Liangshan people!"

"Liangshan?"

Suo Chao asked, "I've heard that the new leader of Liangshan is a hero who killed a tiger with a single punch. Is this true or false?"

"Haha, my brother is right here, why don't you just ask him?" Bianxiang laughed.

Suo Chao paused for a moment, recalling the scene just now, and quickly bowed to Zhao Yuan, saying...

"I never expected that you, sir, are the chief of Liangshan. I was very rude just now, please forgive me, Chief Zhao!"

“General, you are also of utmost sincerity, how could I blame you!” Zhao Yuan reached out and helped him up.

After a few more words, Suo Chao asked some questions about Lin Chong.

Suddenly, he looked at Zhao Yuan, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"General, rest assured, my visit to Daming Prefecture this time is not out of any ill intent,"

Zhao Yuan could tell what Suo Chao was worried about just by looking at him.

"Besides, I only have a hundred men here, including the elderly and children. How could I possibly commit such a robbery!"

"Please forgive me, Chief Zhao. I am, after all, the garrison commander of Daming Prefecture, and I cannot help but worry," Suo Chao said apologetically.

"Actually, it wouldn't hurt to tell the general the purpose of my visit to Daming Prefecture,"

Zhao Yuan chuckled and said, "I've heard that the Jade Kirin of Hebei is highly skilled in martial arts, unparalleled in the world with his staff, and is known in the martial arts world as one of the 'Three Wonders of Hebei,' the number one martial artist in the world! I naturally want to see for myself!"

"Does Chief Zhao want to challenge Master Lu?"

Suo Chao was taken aback at first, then said excitedly.

"I've long heard of Chief Zhao's feat of killing the tiger with a single punch, but I've never had the chance to witness his skills. Now that Chief Zhao is challenging that Master Lu, the two of you will be fighting fiercely, which will certainly be a feast for my eyes!"

Knowing that Zhao Yuan and the others had achieved their goal, Suo Chao was completely relieved.

Not only did he clearly state the exact location of Lu Junyi's residence in Daming Prefecture, but he also left Zhao Yuan with an address.

I earnestly request that Zhao Yuan inform him of the time once he decides on the time for his duel with Lu Junyi.

Suo Chao truly lived up to his reputation as a vanguard; he arrived in a flurry of activity, and he left just as quickly.

Watching Suo Chao lead the Imperial Guards away, Xu Ning couldn't help but sigh, "This general is a real man. I hope he won't end up like me and Instructor Lin."

Zhao Yuan, who was standing to the side, suddenly remembered something.

Judging by the time, Yang Zhi, the Blue-Faced Beast, should be exiled to Daming Prefecture soon, right?

According to the regulations of Daming Prefecture, military troops from other areas were not allowed to enter the city.

Bian Xiang and Deng Fei then led their respective troops and set up camp outside the city of Daming.

Pei Xuan, as the military officer, also voluntarily stayed in the camp to supervise military discipline.

The rest of the people followed Zhao Yuan into the city of Daming Prefecture...

Chapter 120 An Encounter at Cuiyun Tower

Daming Prefecture truly lives up to its reputation as a major northern town; once inside the city...

Although the shops in the market cannot compare with those in Bianliang (Kaifeng), the streets are still bustling with people and vehicles.

"This Daming Prefecture is truly prosperous!"

Qiongying, who was visiting for the first time, was overwhelmed by the sights and couldn't help but exclaim.

If Daming Prefecture weren't prosperous, then Liang Zhongshu wouldn't have been able to amass such a famous birthday tribute every year!

Zhao Yuan suddenly thought to himself,

Seeing that Qiongying was having a good time on the street, he asked Shi Qian, who had been to Daming Prefecture before, to take the others to find an inn to stay in, while he accompanied the girl on a stroll.

“Brother, there is a very famous Cuiyun Tower in Daming Prefecture. If you and my wife are tired from walking around, you can go there to rest. I will settle the others and then go to Cuiyun Tower to find you!” Shi Qian said.

"Alright!"

Just as Zhao Yuan nodded, he saw Qiong Ying suddenly return to the carriage and pull Pan Jinlian down from it as well.

"Sister Jinlian, don't stay cooped up in the car, get out and walk around more!"

Although Pan Jinlian was somewhat tempted, her eyes were fixed on Zhao Yuan.

"Now that we've arrived in Daming Prefecture, let's get off and take a look around."

After Zhao Yuan finished speaking with a light laugh, a look of joy finally appeared on Pan Jinlian's face.