Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

The sky was bright.

Today is a perfect day for traveling; there is no wind or snow, and the sky is clear and blue.

Zhu Biao bid farewell to Yue Fei and rode at full speed, covering more than ten miles in no time, and crossed the bend where the night before had been "haunted".

By this time, not only had the dozen or so corpses vanished without a trace, but even the bloodstains had been cleaned up, clearly indicating that the people of Wangjia Village had taken possession of the bodies.

"So, we're just going to leave that village alone?"

Seeing that no one was around, Pang Qiutang leaned closer and asked in a low voice.

"How should we manage it?"

Zhu Biao rolled his eyes.

"Miss Pang, that's hundreds of people from the entire village! Do you take me for Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu? Can I really fight a hundred men single-handedly?"

He had something else he kept to himself: even if they really slaughtered Wangjia Village, it wouldn't matter. This was systemic evil, with officials and bandits in cahoots, rotten to the core.

Today they wipe out Wang Family Village, tomorrow Li Family Village will appear, slaughtering Wang Family Village, then Li Family Village, then Zhao Family Village.

He is truly powerless, at least for now.

"You seem to be in a good mood?"

Pang Qiutang raised an eyebrow.

For the past two days, Zhu Biao had been cold and sparing with his words when he spoke to her, and ever since they parted ways with Yue Fei, the pretty boy's lips had never fallen.

"It's acceptable."

Zhu Biao gave a noncommittal reply, but in fact, he was in an extremely happy mood at that moment.

Besides Yue Fei's promise to lead his horse and hold his stirrups, he also reaped tangible benefits last night, which wouldn't be an exaggeration to say was a windfall.

Let's start with proficiency.

Last night he went on a killing spree, slaughtering ten people in one go. His archery skill increased by 200 points, his knife skill by 50 points, his spear skill by 270 points, and even his horsemanship increased by 65 points.

Just now, he glanced at the skill panel:

Gun skill level 4, proficiency 2695/4000.

Level 4 equestrian skill, proficiency 3161/4000.

Archery skill level 4, proficiency 2353/4000.

Boxing skill level 3, proficiency 1772/2000.

Knife skills level 2, proficiency 955/1000.

Level 2 in duck-riding, proficiency 462/1000.

One night of fierce fighting can be equivalent to half a year of arduous training.

They also made a considerable fortune in terms of wealth, finding 33 taels of gold, 270 taels of silver, and several pieces of fine jade.

And the most valuable of all, fifty-seven travel permits.

With these things, his chances of success in Tokyo would increase even further.

"Before setting fire to Wang's inn, didn't you... didn't you search for any valuables?"

After holding it in for a while, Pang Qiutang suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Um?"

Zhu Biao glanced at her with slight surprise.

Why are you asking this? Do you need money?

Pang Qiutang's face visibly flushed red, and she stammered:

"I, I also contributed last night, so I should get a share, I should get a share too."

"Heh~"

Zhu Biao was amused by her.

"It's not that it can't be done, but you need to explain how it will be used."

"I don't eat vegetarian noodles, and I don't eat chicken butts! Also, I need to buy some useful things."

She blurted out her name, but the more she spoke, the redder her face became, and the softer her voice grew.

"Uh~"

Zhu Biao was embarrassed for the first time in front of her, and instantly understood that the so-called useful things were mostly things related to women.

"Ahem~ How much do you want?"

He cleared his throat and said in a serious tone.

Pang Qiutang immediately retorted:

"I don't want it! I want a share. I want 20%, no, 15%, that's not too much to ask, is it?"

"Hey~"

Zhu Biao's smile deepened, and he pulled a money pouch from his pocket and tossed it to her.

Pang Qiutang reached out and grabbed it, immediately opened it and glanced at it. Her face lit up with joy at first, but then she frowned.

"Only a dozen or so taels?"

"Take it or leave it!"

Zhu Biao flicked the reins and sped away.

Evening, Zuo County.

After paying twenty coins for entering the city and another sixty coins for entering the city for the horse, the two men, with dark faces, led their horses through the gate.

In this damn world, horses are worth three times more than people!

About seventy li south of Zuo County is Baima Ferry. Once you cross the Yellow River, you'll be in the territory of Tokyo.

Upon arriving here, one finds a multitude of wealthy merchants and officials coming and going, not to mention that Zhu Biao's false identity is merely that of an unranked and ungraded head of the Imperial Guard.

Even officials of the sixth or seventh rank who were rushing to take up their posts or returning to the capital to report on their duties still had to pay an entry fee to the city.

"Um, is it okay if I sleep alone tonight?"

As they approached an inn, Pang Qiutang tugged at Zhu Biao and whispered something barely above a whisper.

Zhu Biao was about to frown and reprimand him when he suddenly thought of something and nodded:

"Alright, but you can only stay in a lower-class room, and remember, you are now the stable boy Wu Qi, and you are mute, so you can't speak in the inn."

"Shall I buy something?"

"Go and come back quickly! Be careful, and try to talk as little as possible."

"it is good."

Pang Qiutang's lips curled up slightly, but Zhu Biao, with his sharp eyes, caught it. To be honest, this little vixen does have some charm.

Despite its many faults, the Song Dynasty had one good policy: no curfew. Especially near the capital, Tokyo, the night markets became increasingly lively.

After a night of fighting and a day of non-stop travel, Zhu Biao felt his bones were going to melt, and the wounds on his hands and arms were throbbing with pain.

After having a quick bite to eat at the inn, all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep, but he couldn't; he still had a lot of things to do.

A moment later, Zhu Biao inquired and arrived at an archery club in the west of the city, which was also the only archery club in Zuo County and had an impressive reputation.

Tiger Shooting Archery Club!

"Sir, would you like to choose a bow or buy arrows? We also have all kinds of thumb rings."

The archery club had a shop in the front and a courtyard in the back. As soon as Zhu Biao entered the shop, a capable-looking man in a blue warrior's robe greeted him with a smile.

"Pick a chariot bow made of mulberry wood and ox horn, with a draw weight of one and a half shi (a unit of weight), three huqin (another unit of weight) arrows with goose feathers and willow leaf tips, six whistling arrows, and a small copper thumb ring."

Zhu Biao didn't waste any words and directly stated all his needs.

He wanted to buy Pang Qiutang a bow. Such a skilled archer wasted his time.

"expert!"

The man struggled for a moment, then immediately gave a thumbs up.

"Since you are an expert, sir, I will not offer you a layman's price. The total is thirty taels of silver. If you accept ten coins, it will cost sixty strings of cash. How does that sound?"

"It's overvalued by about three ounces."

Zhu Biao instantly understood, but he was currently wealthy and exhausted, and too lazy to get his teeth screwed in again.

"Alright, send me one more arrow."

The man immediately beamed with joy.

"Sir, you're decisive! Deal! I'll fetch you the bow and arrows right now."

"not busy!"

Zhu Biao waved his hand.

"Do you sell knives in the store?"

He lost his waist knife last night, so he won't be able to use a bow, horse, or spear on his upcoming trip to Tokyo. He needs to acquire a handy close-combat weapon.

Besides bows and arrows, the archery club often sells swords and knives on behalf of blacksmiths, but only finished products are available, not custom-made ones, and there is a markup.

After all, they're middlemen.

"have!"

The man's eyes lit up; he'd found a big customer.

"We have hand-blade, curved sword, broadsword, Tang-style sword, curved sword, and horse-slaying sword."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao also became interested.

"And the curved sword, bring it over for a look."

The curved horizontal sword is a Tang dynasty horizontal sword with a slightly curved blade, which is advantageous for slashing. It is the ancestor of the samurai sword of the Japanese island nation.

"Tsk! I've truly met an expert tonight."

The man clicked his tongue in genuine agreement, then quickly went into the inner room. He returned shortly afterward and handed Zhu Biao a long, sheathed sword.

Clang!

The long sword was drawn from its sheath, shaped like a seedling, with snowflake patterns covering its blade. The edge was gleaming, and the sword felt heavy in the hand, exuding a chilling aura.

"A fine knife!"

Knowing that saying this would likely lead to a higher price, Zhu Biao couldn't help but blurt it out.

Hey~

The man chuckled softly.

"Sir, you are a connoisseur. I won't boast too much. This knife is worth three hundred taels of silver or six hundred strings of cash. No bargaining."

Zhu Biao kept a straight face, but he was cursing inwardly.

"This is fucking expensive! I fought tooth and nail to finally gain some weight, and now it's all gone again in an instant."

Seeing his hesitation, the man took the knife and walked a few steps toward the corner.

"Please take a look, sir!"

As he spoke, he slashed at the wooden puppet standing against the wall.

chap!

The puppet's three layers of armor instantly ripped apart, leaving a smooth, mirror-like cut. The man brandished the undamaged blade in his hand.

"This sword was forged through countless trials, and its blade is even inlaid with meteorite iron. It can truly cut through iron like mud. If a master were to inscribe its name, it could be worth a thousand pieces of gold!"

Hey~

Zhu Biao sighed inwardly. This knife hadn't struck the puppet at all; it had clearly struck his purse.

Even if the man didn't test the knife, he still planned to buy it; the knife was worth three hundred taels.

"Shopkeeper, do you have mulberry wood bows? Something sturdy and durable."

Just as he was about to agree, a muffled voice suddenly rang out from the shop entrance, as if the voice was deliberately lowered, and it was impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

Zhu Biao turned around and saw Pang Qiutang walk in.

The young woman was hanging her head low, her hat brim pulled down low, covering her face, and carrying a small bundle under her arm, looking rather furtive.

It looked like they were about to rob someone.

Seeing that no one answered, she quickly looked up and glanced at them. When she saw Zhu Biao and the archery gang member, her eyes widened and her tongue stammered.

"Blessings, Master?"