Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

Zhengzhou is 170 li east of Bianliang.

Zhu Biao and his men traveled day and night, with no rest for the people or the mules and horses. In just one day and one night, they were able to vaguely see the city of Zhengzhou.

The price was that the two strong, young blue mules, as soon as they stopped, knelt down and refused to get up, spitting blood and foam from their mouths, clearly on their deathbed.

"Sigh~"

Zhu Wu sighed.

"Thank you for your hard work. Rest in peace. You will surely be reborn as a donkey in your next life and leave behind an heir."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he swiftly and cleanly delivered the blows with two quick cuts.

"Let's go."

Zhu Biao looked away and tugged at the reins.

However, Charcoal Head didn't move. Instead, he snorted loudly, turned his head, and looked at the mule, who was convulsing all over.

The little guy is upset because he feels sorry for his own kind.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Would I possibly harm you?"

Zhu Biao was both annoyed and amused, so he patted its big head.

"If we weren't worried about you getting tired, everyone would have squeezed onto the mule cart, and maybe they wouldn't have died from exhaustion."

Snore~

Charcoal seemed to understand, and nuzzled against him affectionately, but Zhu Biao pushed it away in annoyance.

"Go away, don't give me that."

"Good boy, I'll buy you eggs later."

Pang Qiutang came over and smoothed things over, and Tantou was immediately happy, wagging his tail at her.

"Third Brother, shall we go into town?"

Zhu Biao shook his head:

"No, let's go straight to the dock. I feel uneasy staying in this Henan region."

Last night, he boasted shamelessly, saying he was fearless of pursuers and would kill them one by one, but in reality, he was apprehensive.

Gao Qiu, Zhu Mian's adopted son, and Liang Shicheng's adopted daughter.

The people he offended in Tokyo were all incredibly powerful and influential, and what he did wasn't entirely foolproof; it could only buy him time.

It's unlikely that a large army will pursue them, but it's hard to guarantee that these guys don't have some capable individuals under their command, or that they might send out a small team of elite cavalry to hunt them down.

The farther away from Bianliang, the safer it is, and the more freely you can act.

From Yingze Ferry in northwest Zhengzhou, one can take a boat north along the Yellow River to Baimajin, a journey that takes only two days and one night, several times faster than by land.

"Set sail! May the wind and current be favorable!"

In the afternoon, accompanied by loud shouts, a large ship named Shun'an slowly left the shore.

This is a double-decker boat with thirteen crew members. It can carry over a hundred passengers and seven or eight livestock wagons.

Zhu Biao, in his boundless generosity, chartered the entire ship, spending a staggering 100 taels of silver.

His heart ached terribly, but he didn't even blink, nor did he try to bargain with the boatman.

Because the boat is light and has a shallow draft, it was about 30% faster than usual, arriving several hours earlier than expected.

"Hoo~"

However, the boat was light and rocked violently. Before long, Zhu Wu became seasick and vomited violently while leaning against the side of the boat.

Pang Qiutang was meticulous and, disregarding the disgust, found two ropes and tied them tightly around his waist and legs.

Judging by his appearance, this guy is going to vomit for quite a while.

Inside the cabin, Zhu Biao was also pale-faced, his lips tightly pressed together, and he had not written anything on the map laid out in front of him for a long time.

He was from the north and although he was good at swimming, he was not used to boats and was feeling seasick, but he could barely hold back from vomiting.

"My lord, have some ginger tea."

Ruyi drifted in from outside, placed a bowl of hot soup on the table, and said gently.

"How about you dictate this map, and I'll write it down for you?"

Coincidentally, both she and Pang Qiutang were from the south, so they didn't get seasick at all, and even walked more steadily than on land.

"Ruyi, can you draw maps?"

Zhu Biao raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback.

Ruyi comes from a scholarly family, so it's not surprising that she can write and paint. However, maps are not the same as calligraphy and painting; this kind of thing is quite niche, and only military officials would be interested in it.

"I've seen you paint it a few times, so I'm quite confident. You can give it a try."

Ruyi replied modestly, but her eyes revealed a deep confidence.

"Okay, you draw it."

Zhu Biao was delighted. He immediately handed her the calligraphy brush, made way for her, and then picked up the ginger tea and drank two mouthfuls.

"My lord, is my drawing accurate?"

After a moment, Ruyi finished the last stroke, then wrote "Yingze Ferry" in tiny characters, blew on the ink stains, and asked with a smile.

Zhu Biao feigned anger:

"How audacious! If you possess such methods, why did you watch me make a fool of myself before?"

Ruyi's paintings are far superior to his, and his calligraphy is also beautiful. I estimate that even the maps of the military headquarters and the imperial palace are of this standard.

Ruyi chuckled lightly, a hint of cunning in her eyes.

"Please calm down, my lord. I have never drawn this before."

"snort!"

Zhu Biao said with a stern face.

"After you cross the Yellow River, you will be punished by having to redraw this entire map."

"Yes, I accept the punishment."

The smile in Ruyi's eyes deepened, like shimmering waves.

"Third Brother! I cooked some eggs for Charcoal Head, do you want some?"

At this moment, Pang Qiutang rushed in, carrying several eggs in her hands. Just as Zhu Biao was about to reply, a whistling sound rang out from outside.

huh~

Immediately following was a series of muffled thunderous hoofbeats; judging from the noise, there were at least thirty to fifty riders.

Zhu Biao quickly darted to the window and stared intently at it.

Just a few hundred paces from the shore, dust billowed as more than twenty elite riders, each with two horses, galloped at breakneck speed. The leader was a slender man.

Although he couldn't see clearly, Zhu Biao's heart sank.

No need to guess, it must be that crazy little brat Liang Siqi.

"Qiutang, catch the bow!"

After a brief pause, Zhu Biao quickly walked to the corner of the cabin, drew his spear and bow, and tossed Pang Qiutang's riding bow and Hu Lu to her.

Pang Qiutang took the eggs subconsciously, somewhat bewildered, and dropped them all over the ground.

"Third Brother, it's too far, we can't shoot it!"

Zhu Biao rebuked:

"What are you shooting at? Quickly get to the foreboard and block the boatmen! Under no circumstances can we let them stop and dock!"

"Huh? Ah!"

Pang Qiutang finally came to her senses, turned around and ran out of the cabin.

"Close the door tightly. Do not open the door until you hear me."

Zhu Biao then shoved a sheathed dagger into Ruyi's hand. Before she could even reply, he had already darted away like a cheetah.

chap!

At the ship's side, he cut the hemp rope binding Zhu Wu's body with a single stroke.

"Stop fucking throwing up, go help in the front cabin!"

"Here you go!"

Zhu Wuhan, however, only knew the difference between light and heavy, and he was ruthless enough.

After being untied, he suddenly drew his waist knife and, without hesitation, slashed his own arm, his face contorted in pain.

However, he suppressed his dizziness and nausea despite the excruciating pain, picked up his knife, and strode towards the front cabin.

After this short delay, Liang Siqi's twenty-odd riders had caught up to within two hundred paces, and their faces were clearly visible to each other.

"Hahaha!"

Liang Siqi pulled off her mask and laughed heartily.

"You little thief! You can't get away!"

"You little wench! Don't waste your energy, you can't catch me!"

When the moment came, Zhu Biao stopped hiding his intentions and simply focused his energy, shouting loudly.

He had a pretty good idea that something must have gone wrong with the extortion scheme outside the city. This little vixen wasn't stupid; she must have connected him to Zhou Maolin.

However, he still underestimated the madness of this little vixen.

Judging by the time, she must have rushed here as soon as the city gates of Bianliang opened today.

Damn it! Running over two hundred miles in three hours, this crazy little woman is even more determined than him.

"Stop your nonsense, you little thief! Even if you chase me to the ends of the earth, I won't let you go!"

Liang Siqi turned pale with anger and pointed at him, shouting angrily.

"Imperial City Guard Investigation! Stop the ship immediately! Dock!"

Beside her, Supervisor Meng fired another whistling arrow into the air, but the large boat showed no sign of slowing down to dock.

In the fore cabin, the boatman and a group of boatmen were held at gunpoint by Pang Qiutang and Zhu Wu.

To establish his authority, Pang Qiutang even shot and wounded a boatman who was shouting that he wanted the boat to stop and dock.

"The horizon? That's just empty boasting!"

Zhu Biao mocked:

"You little rascal, if you can chase me for another incense stick's time, I'll be convinced."

At this point, the horses ridden by Liang Siqi and her companions were foaming at the mouth, clearly nearing their limit, and the horses could not catch up with the boat.

Even if they turned back to the ferry to find a boat, they couldn't catch up.

Including the round trip, finding a boat, resting, and boarding, it took at least two hours. Zhu Biao and his men had already traveled more than a hundred miles and could even find a place to go ashore at will.

There are many more places to go north than just Baimajin; the shallow beaches and wild crossings along the coast are as numerous as hairs on a cow.

At that moment, a horse suddenly knelt down, slamming the knight to its knees and nearly tripping the knight behind it.

Supervisor Meng turned around and glanced at him, his face turning as black as ink. He said in a deep voice.

"Miss, we can't chase after them anymore."

Liang Siqi pursed her lips tightly, remained silent, and only cracked her riding whip forcefully.

"Miss, this thief must be heading north. I can send a message to Baimajin by carrier pigeon. Don't worry, he can't escape."

Supervisor Meng tried to persuade her again, and Liang Siqi gritted her teeth, finally slowing down her horse. She glared at him resentfully before turning to Zhu Biao.

"You little thief! Dare to leave your real name?"

Zhu Biao laughed, puffed out his chest, put his hands on his hips, and spoke with a thunderous eloquence:

"What's there to be afraid of, you little rascal? Listen carefully, my surname is Qin, and my given name is Die!"

"Qin Die! You give me this!"

Liang Siqi's harsh words came to an abrupt halt, and her pretty face suddenly turned crimson.

"You son of a bitch, how dare you bully me?"

"Hahaha!"

Zhu Biao laughed loudly.

"My dear daughter, Daddy's leaving now. Go home and nurse!"