Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

afternoon.

Pan Family Old Shop, west of Bianliang City.

"Third brother, are these all for me?"

Pang Qiutang sat sideways on the edge of the bed, her pretty face flushed, her fingers tightly twisting the hem of her clothes as she stole glances at Zhu Biao as he took out pieces of women's clothing from his bundle.

A cross-collar undergarment, a short jacket with a front opening, a long outer garment, a pleated skirt, cotton socks, embroidered boots, and a gauze-trimmed warm hat.

When she saw the light pink tube top embroidered with flower buds and the bright red trousers with a crotch, her face turned as red as if it were about to bleed.

Zhu Biao, however, was completely oblivious. In his view, these were just costumes for acting, not the girl's personal belongings.

"Fifth Sister, I've roughly described your figure to the tailor. Try it on to see if it fits."

Ever since he entered the capital city of Tokyo, he had always called Pang Qiutang "Fifth Sister." Habits are formed over time; otherwise, even a momentary lapse in concentration would be immediately recognized by discerning people.

After saying that, he picked up another large bundle and quickly walked outside.

"Third Brother, are you going out again?"

"I'm not going out, I need to change my clothes too, I'll come find you later."

Before he could finish speaking, he had already left.

Pang Qiutang licked her lips and timidly touched the smooth silk strapless bra, feeling her heart pounding and her cheeks burning.

A moment later, Pang Qiutang transformed into a young woman, dressed in a plain dress and wearing a hood, and walked slowly down the street, blending seamlessly into the crowd.

Behind her, Zhu Biao, hand on his waist knife, followed closely.

At this moment, his appearance changed drastically again. He had a dark face, a thick beard, a shallow scar on his cheek, wore a leather hat, and a coarse gray robe.

Everything has changed from beginning to end, even the knife has been replaced. Even the two thugs who were tailing him wouldn't recognize him.

"Che family!"

When they came across an empty donkey cart with a sidecarriage, Zhu Biao raised his hand to stop it.

He first helped Pang Qiutang into the carriage, then plopped down on the crossbar and greeted the carriage manager.

"South of the city, Kangji Ward."

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up.

"Sir, Kangjifang is quite far, it will cost fifty coins."

"I'll give you half a string of cash, and I'll charter this car for today."

"Okay!"

The old shopkeeper's face immediately broke into a wide smile, and he cheerfully cracked his whip.

Two incense sticks later, the donkey cart stopped in front of Instructor Zhang's house. Zhu Biao jumped off the cart, reached out to help Pang Qiutang down, and said in a rough voice.

"Fifth Sister, you go and pay your respects. I'll wait for you at the blacksmith's shop."

"Well, if you have to wait a long time, have a cup of tea."

Pang Qiutang replied, gracefully moved to the door, and gently knocked on the door knocker. Zhu Biao and the donkey cart headed towards Hu's blacksmith shop across the street.

The two thugs who were still keeping watch in the restaurant diagonally opposite immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why has a young lady suddenly appeared? Should we go over and investigate?"

The man with triangular eyes frowned and asked, staring at Zhu Biao for a few moments before shaking his head.

"What's the big deal? Everyone has relatives and friends. Besides, she's just a young woman. We don't need to pay her any attention. We just need to keep an eye on Madam Lin."

As he spoke, he subconsciously rubbed his buttocks and muttered under his breath:

"Damn it, that instructor Zhang's stick is no joke."

"Who is it!"

At this moment, a strong, slightly aged male voice rang out in the courtyard.

"But Uncle Zhang, I am Su Wu Niang."

"Fifth Sister?"

Instructor Zhang suddenly flung open the courtyard gate, his voice filled with utter astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost, and suddenly rose several octaves in volume.

Su Wu Niang was a real person, originally a close friend of Lin Niangzi.

Four years ago, she accompanied her husband to Daming Prefecture to take up his post. Two years ago, she died in childbirth. Not long after, her husband also died after falling from his horse while drunk.

When she received this devastating news, Madam Lin was heartbroken and cried her heart out.

"It is indeed Fifth Sister. How is Uncle's health?"

Pang Qiutang's voice trembled slightly, sounding nervous, but to outsiders it sounded more like excitement.

While Instructor Zhang was staring at her in a daze, she lowered her voice and said quickly:

"Instructor Lin sent me. Zhang Zhenniang has a plum blossom-shaped birthmark the size of a fingernail on her back."

Upon hearing this, Instructor Zhang's eyes narrowed sharply.

Zhang Zhenniang is Lin Niangzi. Only four people know about the plum blossom mole on her back: Lin Chong, the old couple, and the maid Hongshao.

Her husband passed away long ago, and Hongshao married and moved away to another place half a year ago.

In other words, the only reason Pang Qiutang could reveal this secret is because Lin Chong sent him.

"It really is Fifth Sister! Quick, come in quickly."

"Dad, who is it?"

At this moment, the curtain of the west wing was lifted, and a woman walked out.

She was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a face like a peach blossom, eyebrows like distant mountains, and eyes that seemed to hold a sky full of stars. She wore a simple dark brown dress, which made her skin look even more like solidified cream.

Despite her unparalleled beauty, a hint of sorrow lingered between her brows and eyes.

"Zhenniang!"

Before Lin Niangzi could react, Pang Qiutang rushed to her, hugged her tightly, and whispered in her ear while she was still stunned.

"Madam Lin, Instructor Lin has sent me to fetch you."

"My husband~"

Madam Lin's body stiffened, then she trembled violently, and large tears streamed down her face.

As dusk fell, Madam Lin carefully folded the letter written by Lin Chong, which she had read countless times. She raised her red, swollen eyes and said in a hoarse voice:

"Then, where is that young Master Zhu now?"

Pang Qiutang stood up, snatched the letter from her hand, ignored her astonished gaze, and threw it directly into the brazier.

"Madam Lin, Instructor Lin has now been falsely accused of murder by treacherous people. This letter cannot be kept."

Madam Lin wasn't stupid; after a few moments of stunned silence, she came to her senses and nodded vigorously.

"That's exactly right, thank you for your advice, young lady."

"Su Wuniang, I am Su Wuniang. My husband's surname is not Zhu. He, he is surnamed Wang today."

"Is the surname Wang today?"

Madam Lin raised her eyebrows slightly, keenly grasping the key point in the words.

"Zhenniang, young master is clever. That bastard surnamed Gao is powerful. If he takes you out of the city, he will definitely change his identity and pretend to be someone else."

Before Pang Qiutang could reply, Instructor Zhang spoke up, his face showing approval and a hint of relief.

"Alas, that blockhead son-in-law is truly fortunate; he has met a benefactor."

Madam Lin swallowed hard, her eyes filled with hope, and said in a trembling voice:

"Can I really leave Tokyo and reunite with my husband?"

Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly widened her eyes.

"If I leave the city, Father, what will you do?"

Meanwhile, Zhu Biao was sitting on a bench in front of the blacksmith's shop, drinking wine from a gourd, taking sips here and there.

However, the gourd didn't contain wine at all, but rather oil tea.

He doesn't like drinking to begin with, so how could he possibly let drinking cause trouble at such a critical juncture?

"Damn it! They even have shift changes? Does that mean they're watching us day and night?"

Zhu Biao kept glancing at the restaurant not far away out of the corner of his eye. By this time, the triangular-eyed man and the black-faced man had left, and two new hooligans had arrived.

One was as thin as a monkey, the other as fat as a pig. After silently calculating the time, Zhu Biao's heart sank.

"Could it be a three-shift system, working day and night? That lecherous Gao Yanei is really going all out!"

"Sir, the hidden blade has been modified. Master invites you to come in and take a look. Is there anything else you wish to do?"

A chubby-faced young apprentice ran out of the blacksmith shop. Zhu Biao dusted himself off, stood up, and walked into the shop with expectant eyes.

Lin Chong once casually mentioned that the craftsmanship of this Hu's Blacksmith Shop was extremely high, and the owner was a master craftsman who came from the workshop of the Imperial Household Department.

Zhu Biao had always wanted to modify the hidden blade.

He usually concealed this hidden dart under his left wrist. The switch was a thin rope connected to his middle finger with an iron ring. To fire it, he would clench his fist and raise his hand.

The advantage is that it is well concealed, but the disadvantage is that it is somewhat awkward to use and can easily injure oneself. He wants to change it to wrist-fired.

"How is it, sir?"

Manager Hu was a burly man with a face as dark as the bottom of a pot. He handed a leather wrist guard to Zhu Biao, with a hidden dart already embedded inside.

After putting on the wristbands and getting used to them for a bit, Zhu Biao quickly walked to the corner of the wall, glanced at the puppet, and pressed his wrist down on it.

call out!call out!call out!

In the blink of an eye, three tailless iron arrows shot out in succession, embedding themselves in the puppet's chest and abdomen in a triangular formation.

The rate of fire was at least 50% faster, and the accuracy was nearly 30% better. Zhu Biao squeezed the wrist guard again; it only appeared slightly heavy and was not particularly noticeable.

"Excellent! Excellent! Master Hu's craftsmanship is simply exquisite!"

Master Craftsman Hu, with his exquisite craftsmanship—these two phrases were like two sharp arrows, precisely hitting the spot where Manager Hu felt most uncomfortable.

"Haha! You flatter me, sir. But if you still have the need, just tell me!"

He immediately grinned so wide his eyes disappeared, revealing two rows of bright white teeth, and patted his chest.

Zhu Biao is so cunning; he immediately seized the opportunity to climb up the pole.

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. Master Hu, could you make me another spare hidden dart within three days?"

"what?"

Manager Hu's smile froze.

This hidden arrow is not like a knife, spear, or axe; it is a delicate craft that requires his personal involvement. It takes three days to make, roughly without sleep or rest.

"Master Hu, just name your price, I won't haggle."

"In that case, I will reluctantly agree."

The corners of Manager Hu's mouth, which were about to turn down, turned up again.