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

Zhao Yuan shook his head: "Teachers have never been involved in the martial world, so they don't know that in this world, sometimes a good reputation is more useful than anything else!"

"Alright, everyone, don't worry too much,"

Zhao Yuan chuckled and said, "Besides us, we also have the men of Brother Bian Xiang and Brother Deng Fei on this trip. The latter didn't even know about Yan Qing just now, let alone Lu Junyi's steward!"

"Right now, Liangshan hasn't caused any earth-shattering trouble. Even if Liang Zhongshu hears Li Gu's words, he'll probably just treat me as an ordinary bandit leader and won't take me too seriously!"

"Furthermore, no matter how large Lu Junyi's mansion is, it can only house a hundred or so men at most. What do we have to fear from such a small force!"

"Secondly, when I entered the city earlier, I noticed that Daming Prefecture had been at peace for a long time, and the soldiers guarding the city gate were extremely lax. Not only were there not enough men, but their attitude was also very indifferent."

"As long as we plan things out properly, we are certain that nothing will go wrong tomorrow!"

After reassuring everyone, Zhao Yuan discussed tomorrow's matters with Xu Ning and the others.

The final decision was to first send Xu Niangzi, Pan Jinlian, and other women out of the city.

Then, Bian Xiang and Deng Fei, who were outside the city, each led twenty strong henchmen disguised as commoners to sneak into the city and spend the night separately.

Tonight, Shi Qian cautiously explored the city.

If the government gets involved, as Zhao Yuan predicted,

The next day, Zhao Yuan, Xu Ning, and Qiong Ying went to visit Lu Junyi's residence.

Bian Xiang led a group of henchmen disguised as commoners, and mingled outside Lu Junyi's residence.

Deng Fei led another team to wait near the city gate.

If Zhao Yuan is safe and sound, and Li Gu did not file a complaint with the authorities, then everything is fine.

If there really was an ambush inside Lu Junyi's residence,

Then Shi Qian set fire to Cuiyun Tower, causing chaos in the city.

Bian Xiang led his men into Lu Junyi's residence and rescued Zhao Yuan, Xu Ning, and Qiong Ying.

Deng Fei, Tang Long, and Meng Kang seized the opportunity to take over the city gate and help everyone escape the city!

If Shi Qian discovers tonight that the government has made a major move...

For example, tens of thousands of Imperial Guards were mobilized.

Zhao Yuan and his men, without a doubt, simply ran away!

Chapter 125 Admitting Defeat

The night passed peacefully.

The next morning, Zhao Yuan, Xu Ning, and Qiong Ying went to Lu Junyi's residence as agreed.

On the way, Zhao Yuan saw Shi Qian standing in the crowd.

The man, who had worked hard all night, nodded slightly.

He then squeezed back into the crowd and turned to leave.

Zhao Yuan understood instantly.

As expected, there was indeed an ambush at Lu Junyi's residence, but not many people were deployed.

Xu Ning and Qiong Ying also saw Shi Qian and immediately understood his meaning.

A slight sense of relief appeared on both of their faces.

The three walked along the street and soon arrived at Lu Junyi's residence.

But at the door, he ran into an acquaintance – Suo Chao.

The three of them were all a little surprised that he was here.

It turns out that Zhao Yuan's identity had been exposed, and in order not to implicate Suo Chao,

Zhao Yuan did not inform this eager vanguard about today's challenge.

When Suo Chao saw Zhao Yuan and the other two, he acted as if they were complete strangers and showed no reaction whatsoever.

"Please inform him that Master Zhao from Tokyo has come as promised," Zhao Yuan said to the servant at the Lu family's gate.

Not long after the doorman went in to announce his arrival, a middle-aged man who looked like a steward came out to greet him.

"So you are Master Zhao. I am Li Gu, the steward of the Lu family. My master has been waiting at the mansion for quite some time."

So you were the traitor all along!

A cold smile appeared on Zhao Yuan's lips, and Xu Ning and Qiong Ying, who were standing to the side, also turned their gazes to Li Gu.

Lu Junyi's steward, already feeling guilty, became quite nervous when the three men looked at him.

"Master Zhao, please come in!"

"Butler Li!" Suo Chao suddenly called out.

"Suopaijun, how are you...?"

Li Gu then noticed Suo Chao, and his expression clearly showed surprise.

"I am very grateful for Master Lu's help last time. I have come today to express my gratitude!"

Suo Chao cupped his hands in greeting: "I wonder if you are available today, sir?"

"This, this..."

Li Gu paused for a moment, then remembered that the man before him was a renowned and fierce general from Daming Prefecture. If he were here, wouldn't the chances of capturing the bandits beside him be greatly increased? So he quickly said...

"Convenient, my master has nothing urgent to attend to today, please come in, soldier!"

Suo Chao followed Zhao Yuan and the other two into the Lu family mansion.

Midway, while Li Gu was leading the way,

Suo Chao leaned close to Zhao Yuan and whispered a reminder.

"Be careful, government officials have ambushed the Lu family!"

After saying this, Suo Chao immediately stepped back and continued to pretend to be a stranger.

Zhao Yuan nodded slightly to him, but did not reply.

The group followed Li Gu to the main hall.

Lu Junyi, Yan Qing, and Xu Guanzhong were all waiting there.

Upon seeing Zhao Yuan and his entourage enter, the three people in the main hall rose to greet them.

But upon seeing Suo Chao, all three of them were taken aback.

Yan Qing reacted quickly and hurriedly introduced, "Master, this is Master Zhao!"

“Master Lu, I have heard that your staff skills are unparalleled. I am also somewhat confident in my martial arts, so I have come to ask for your guidance!” Zhao Yuan said, cupping his hands in greeting.

Lu Junyi also appeared unaware of Zhao Yuan's true identity, merely nodding with a slightly arrogant air.

"Since Master Zhao has said so, if I, Lu, were to refuse, wouldn't I be ridiculed by all the heroes of the world! This way, please!"

Suo Chao, standing to the side, bowed and said, "Master Lu, I came today to thank you for your help last time, but I never expected to encounter someone who wants to challenge you! What a fortunate thing! Please allow me to watch the battle from the sidelines!"

"this......"

Lu Junyi was still somewhat unsure of Suo Chao's true intentions.

He was worried that this impetuous man was specially sent by Liang Zhongshu to assist the government officials, and he hesitated.

Li Gu, who was standing nearby, quickly said, "Master, since the Suopai Army has said so, how can we refuse!"

"Alright then, Suopaijun, please come with us!"

Lu Junyi nodded helplessly.

Yan Qing led the way.

The group followed him to the Lu family's training ground.

The entire site was made of rammed earth and covered an area of ​​about four or five acres.

Weapon racks were placed on both sides, displaying a dazzling array of all kinds of weapons, without any omissions!

Lu Junyi was the first to take a cudgel from the weapon rack and walk into the center of the field.

Zhao Yuan, like him, also carried a whistle.

"Master Zhao, please!"

Lu Junyi smiled slightly, displaying the demeanor of a master. No wonder he dared to claim to be the number one martial artist in the world!

As the challenger, Zhao Yuan was entitled to make the first move, so he didn't hold back.

He lightly tapped the ground with his baton, gave a slight salute, and then, with a whistle, headed straight for Lu Junyi.

Lu Junyi caught the blow with his staff held horizontally, and immediately felt a powerful force strike him.

My arms were instantly numb from the shock!

That's some real strength! No wonder he could kill a tiger with one punch!

Lu Junyi felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that if he hesitated any longer,

I'm afraid they won't last more than a few rounds before they are defeated.

········Requesting flowers·· 0

How could someone as proud and arrogant as him accept this!

Lu Junyi quickly put all other trivial matters out of his mind.

They were focused solely on dealing with the challenges at hand!

The two men clashed their batons, making a series of "bang" sounds!

After going back and forth for thirty or fifty rounds, Lu Junyi suddenly shouted,

He raised the baton in his hand and brought it down on Zhao Yuan's head!

Zhao Yuan, however, did not dodge; instead, he also raised his baton.

He swung the bat directly at Lu Junyi from below!

"Crack!"

The two batons broke in two the instant they collided!

"Haha, so happy!"

Lu Junyi laughed loudly: "Continue!"

As he spoke, he picked up a long spear from the weapons rack.

Zhao Yuan also casually picked up a halberd.

0 .... ...

The two men clashed again, their spears and halberds locked.

In less than twenty rounds,

There was another "crack" sound from the training ground.

The wooden shafts of the spear and halberd broke again!

This fierce battle left all the onlookers dumbfounded.

Only Li Gu, who was not skilled in martial arts, could see that Zhao Yuan was formidable.

However, he didn't pay too much attention to it, but instead frequently glanced at the side room next to the training ground.

"Come again!"

This time, it was Zhao Yuan who shouted.

He took a broadsword from the weapon rack.

Lu Junyi, however, still chose the spear.

Zhao Yuan brandished his broadsword, and the flashing blades moved in a continuous stream, sweeping towards Lu Junyi's face!

Yan Qing, standing to the side, was utterly horrified upon seeing this.

Such swordsmanship would be impossible for him to withstand, and he immediately felt worried for his master.