Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

Da Da Da~

As noon approached, two riders galloped at a leisurely pace, one in front of the other, on the wide and straight imperial road.

"I underestimated her a bit."

Zhu Biao glanced at Pang Qiutang out of the corner of his eye, thinking to himself.

Since leaving Xiangzhou City, they had not stopped for a moment, and had been traveling for more than two hours straight, covering a distance of thirty or forty miles.

At that moment, he felt a burning sensation in his inner thighs, but the little vixen didn't utter a sound or take a single step.

Not long after, they passed a foot inn and saw people coming and going. Zhu Biao finally pulled on the reins and slowly stopped the horse.

"Sir, are you here for a bite to eat?"

Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, the waiter came running out to greet the guests.

"Yes, feed the horse concentrated feed and give it warm water."

Zhu Biao dismounted and handed the reins to his companion.

"Okay."

The waiter responded.

At this moment, Pang Qiutang dismounted with some difficulty, her legs slightly splayed, and slowly walked towards him.

"Wu Qi, remove the saddles from the horses, carefully wipe their bodies, and watch them eat and drink."

She stiffened, her eyes instantly reddening, but she quickly turned her head away and gave a heavy "Mmm".

Zhu Biao ignored her completely, picked up his satchel, gun holster, and bow case, and went straight inside.

He didn't have any wicked sense of humor about taming people; he was just pressed for time and had to teach Pang Qiutang how to survive on her own as soon as possible.

The inns in the northern part of the Song Dynasty were all the same, offering only a few kinds of food.

Steamed chicken, boiled mutton, steamed flatbread, soup noodles, pickles, coarse tea, and cloudy wine—beef is almost nowhere to be found in the shops along the official road.

Zhu Biao ate a chicken, two pounds of mutton, and six steamed buns before finally filling his stomach.

At this moment, the curtain was lifted, and a cold wind blew in. Pang Qiutang walked in carrying her bundle and luggage. She dragged her legs and walked very slowly, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

Zhu Biao raised his eyelids:

"Shopkeeper, please brew me a pot of hot tea, and cook two bowls of vegetarian soup noodles for this mute servant."

Pang Qiutang looked at the bones scattered on the table, as well as the chicken heads and butts deliberately left on the plate, and clenched her fists tightly.

Call ~

After a few breaths, she let out a long sigh and slowly sat down.

"Not bad, at least he has some brains."

Zhu Biao looked away and smacked his lips.

"Snoring, snoring~"

Pang Qiutang was really hungry. Even though it was just plain noodles in soup, she ate it with relish and didn't even mind the chicken head or the chicken's tail.

Zhu Biao held the map in his hands, sipping his tea intermittently, his thoughts wandering.

Continuing south for over 500 li, crossing the Yellow River, one will reach the territory of Tokyo. If one can meet Lady Lin, one cannot return by the same route.

We also need to avenge Wu Song.

"Where did this penniless wretch come from, daring to default on rent? I'll send you to the authorities!"

Just then, a woman's shouts and curses suddenly came from the backyard, followed by a stubborn, youthful voice arguing:

"Shopkeeper, I'm a local, I certainly won't shortchange you on the room rate. I'll go home and get it as soon as my father's condition improves a bit."

"Is it getting better?"

The woman's voice grew increasingly shrill, like that of a crowing hen.

"Your father can't even get out of bed, and he won't call a doctor or take any medicine. How can he get better? What if he dies in my house? How will I be able to keep my shop open?"

"You~"

The young man's voice faltered.

The woman's voice grew increasingly arrogant and smug as she addressed the waiter:

"You two idiots, what are you standing there for? Quickly throw this sick bastard out, and take his broken bow and rotten gun to pay the rent."

"How dare you!"

The boy suddenly roared.

boom!

The next instant, in the backyard, the door of a guest room collapsed along with the mud wall, and two workers rolled out with the door panel.

"Help! Murder!"

A few breaths later, from the smoke and dust, a fat woman wearing a big red flower in her hair tumbled out, her screams tearing at the eardrums.

"Shut up, you spendthrift woman!"

Just then, the innkeeper, who had been seeing off guests in the front yard, heard the commotion and rushed over, slapping her across the fat face.

Then, he glanced at the collapsed door and the employee lying on the ground, and shouted angrily.

"You owe money and not only refuse to pay, but you also assault people and vandalize houses. In broad daylight, is there no law left?"

"That's not the case!"

At this moment, the boy also came out.

He was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with strong bones, a square face with distinct angles, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and lips pursed into a stubborn curve.

He had his hands empty, and despite the freezing weather, he was only wearing a faded coarse cloth shirt.

"She tried to harm my father first, and even tried to steal my bow and gun."

"You're talking nonsense!"

The fat woman jumped out again, her eyes red with anger after just being slapped.

"You damned thief! You've been owing rent for days, and your father's on his deathbed. Why should I let him die in my house? I'll settle the debt with a bow and gun, what's wrong with that?"

At this point, the onlookers began to chatter noisily.

"He owes money and then beats people up; this kid is really arrogant."

"Yes, our family probably didn't follow the right path either."

"This kid is really strong!"

"His father is sick, and this child is filial, so it's understandable."

"Ha! Just because a family member is sick doesn't mean they can eat and stay for free and beat people up?"

Hearing these comments, a smile appeared in the shopkeeper's eyes.

"Young Master Yue, even if this case goes all the way to Kaifeng Prefecture and is personally tried by Judge Bao, you will still be in the wrong."

He paused, then his tone suddenly turned cold:

"If you don't give an explanation for owing money, assaulting people, or destroying houses, we'll take it to court."

The young man surnamed Yue was clearly not good with words, and he was indeed in the wrong. His face turned red and his whole body trembled slightly as the shopkeeper's words spurred him on.

At this moment, Zhu Biao, who had been silently watching the show, was trembling even more violently than him, his eyes glazed over and his head was glazed, as if he were possessed.

Pang Qiutang noticed his unusual behavior and tugged at him in surprise, but he seemed not to notice.

Oh my god!

The young man from the Yue family, now thirteen or fourteen years old, is from Xiangzhou. He is born with superhuman strength, and a name that will shine for thousands of years is already on the tip of his tongue.

If it wasn't Yue Fei, then who else could it be?

Thirty years of fame and glory are but dust and dirt; eight thousand miles of road are but clouds and moon! My ambition is to feast on the flesh of the barbarians when hungry, and laughingly drink their blood when thirsty!

Looking at the embarrassed and stubborn boy in front of me.

Zhu Biao, who was usually as calm and composed as a mountain, was now in a state of confusion, his mind was buzzing, and he was overwhelmed by inexplicable emotions. His vision even became somewhat blurred.

"What are you going to do?"

After a long while, Yue Fei, whose face was as red as blood, finally managed to utter a single sentence.

"Either you go to court, or you pay compensation!"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

"I know you are from Tangyin and your father is terminally ill. I will not make things difficult for you. You only need to write down the IOU, and I will send someone to your house to collect it."

"How much?"

Yue Fei spoke each word clearly.

The shopkeeper pointed to the two employees who were still lying on the ground pretending to be dead.

"I won't try to cheat you. The rent, plus my employee's medical treatment and house repairs, will amount to twenty strings of cash!"

Snap!

Yue Fei frowned, his jaw tightened, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his lips.

"Young Master Zhu, what's wrong with you?"

At this moment, Pang Qiutang panicked. Forgetting about pretending to be mute, she suddenly tugged at Zhu Biao and whispered a question in his ear.

Zhu Biao shuddered, his gaze sharpened, and he finally came to his senses.

"Get out of my way!"

Before he finished speaking, he spread his hands, pushed through the crowd, and rushed straight towards the shopkeeper. Without saying a word, he kicked him far away.

"You dare!"

Just as the fat woman was about to scream and question him, he slapped her to the ground.

That wasn't all. After taking down the shopkeeper and his wife, he rushed over to the two waiters and kicked each of them with all his might.

"Ouch!"

The two employees who were pretending to be dead, working with the shopkeeper to extort money, suddenly jumped up from the ground with howls.

"You thief, you dare hit me! I'm reporting you to the authorities!"

Zhu Biao's kick to send the shopkeeper flying seemed fierce, but he actually held back. So now, the shopkeeper was clutching his stomach, sitting up, both in pain and furious, his face contorted in anger.

At this moment, Yue Fei was also stunned by this sudden change, his mind went blank, but his eyes uncontrollably burned.

"Wu Qi, bring me my knife!"

Zhu Biao ignored him completely and didn't exchange pleasantries with Yue Fei. He just shouted at Pang Qiutang.

"Huh? Ah!"

Caught off guard, Pang Qiutang was stunned for a moment before she reacted and hurriedly threw the waist knife to him.

Clang!

Zhu Biao took the knife, drew it from its sheath, kicked away the bewildered, dazed fat woman sitting on the ground, and strode towards the shopkeeper.

"Damn you! Those cart drivers, boatmen, innkeepers, and spies, even if innocent, deserve to die! Report this to the authorities, I'm the official!"

He suddenly raised his knife and shouted:

"In broad daylight, how dare you take advantage of someone's vulnerability and extort money from them in public! I'll chop you up, you bastard!"

"don't want!"

The shopkeeper and Yue Fei shouted in unison.

The former was begging for mercy with his liver and gallbladder shattered, while Yue Fei was both shocked and anxious.

Yue Fei hated the shopkeeper, but felt that his crime did not warrant death. Besides, he was also afraid that this stranger might actually cause a death.

Swish!

A cold light suddenly flashed.

"Ah~"

Zhu Biao's blade stopped just three inches from the shopkeeper's neck. The shopkeeper cried out in surprise, his legs trembled, and a foul stench emanated from his crotch.