Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

"Ah~~"

As the large boat gradually sailed away, Liang Siqi, standing on the shore, was so angry that her eyes turned bloodshot, and she roared like a madwoman, tilting her head back.

"Phew~"

At the stern, Zhu Biao's smile faded, and he let out a long sigh.

At this moment, his back was soaked with cold sweat, and a gust of cold wind made him feel bone-chillingly cold.

He already realized that no matter how much he provoked her, this mad dog-like woman wouldn't give up, and his plan would probably have to change again.

In a sense, Liang Siqi and he are the same kind of people: stubborn and never giving up until they achieve their goals.

"Boatmen, don't be afraid. We are not thugs. We have only resorted to this tactic because we have offended powerful people. We will not harm your lives."

A moment later, in the front cabin, Zhu Biao said in a deep voice.

"Yes, yes, thank you for your mercy, sir."

The boatman bowed and scraped, his expression full of fear, his eyes darting around, clearly not believing a single word.

Just now, while Zhu Biao and Liang Siqi were shouting at each other, several bolder boatmen tried to retaliate by taking advantage of their numbers.

As a result, two people were shot down on the spot by Pang Qiutang's swift arrows, one person was injured by Zhu Wu's slash, and another was so scared that he wet himself.

Zhu Biao sighed inwardly, too lazy to explain any further.

"Where is the closest shallow beach on the north bank of the Yellow River that we can land on?"

"Ten, eighteen li away."

The boatman stammered, but answered without hesitation.

"How long will it take to arrive?"

"It will arrive by nightfall."

Zhu Biao asked again:

What is the closest town to Shibalipu?

The boatman was an old boatman who knew the towns along the Yellow River like the back of his hand.

Seeing that Zhu Biao's tone was gentle and seemed to have no ill intentions, I answered even more calmly.

"Three miles to the west is Xinzheng Town, five miles to the east is Sujiazhuang, and if you go north, it will be six and a half miles to Xinxiang County."

Zhu Biao turned his head to look at the sky outside, then suddenly drew his curved sword and held it to Zhu Biao's neck.

His expression changed drastically; he glared at them and said, enunciating each word clearly:

"I must reach Shibalipu before dark, or none of you bastards will survive."

Pfft!

The boat owner was so frightened that his legs went weak and he suddenly knelt on the ground.

"Sir, spare my life! I will do my utmost!"

Two hours later, as dusk was falling, four men and a horse set off on the official road from Shibalipu on the north bank of the Yellow River.

On the riverbank, the double-decker barge was stranded on the riverbank. A large hole had been drilled in the bottom of the boat. The boatman and all the crew members had been drugged and were snoring loudly.

Even more ruthless, Zhu Biao also looted all the money on the ship.

Not only did he get his hundred taels of silver back, but he also made a profit of more than ten taels. In fact, he could have made even more, but copper coins were too heavy, so he never touched them.

The reason Zhu Biao did this was not because he was greedy for money, but to save the lives of the boatmen.

Within three days, they will inevitably be found by Liang Siqi's men. If things don't turn out badly enough, they will be accused of being Zhu Biao's accomplices.

"Young Master, where are we going? North to Xinxiang?"

Ruyi had changed into a dirty men's outfit and was carrying a worn-out hand knife. She deliberately asked in a rough voice.

"No, we'll travel through the night."

Zhu Biao glanced at the sky and pondered for a moment.

"Let's go to Xinzhong Town in the west and see if we can buy a carriage."

As for Sujiazhuang to the east, Zhu Biao had never considered it. Such places, where a single clan or surname gathers together, are extremely xenophobic and often dangerous places.

Getting in is easy, but getting out is difficult.

Anyway, that's how it is in Zhu Family Village. Locals can eat soup noodles for only five coins at the village's restaurants and inns, but outsiders have to pay thirty coins.

No way, you try it!

at the same time.

At Yingze Ferry, two large boats carrying carts weighed anchor and set sail. Just as the boatmen were about to shout auspicious chants, Meng, the Prefect, lashed them across the face with a whip.

In fact, he indirectly saved the boatman's life.

At this moment, Liang Siqi's face was as cold as frost, and her eyes were blazing with fire. If the boatman offended her, it wouldn't be impossible for him to kick her off the boat.

"Miss, I have already sent a message to Hakubajin by flying bird. Don't worry, that dog won't get away."

Liang Siqi remained silent with a tense expression. He then probed further:

"Miss, the night air is chilly, and you haven't eaten all day. Why don't you go back to your cabin?"

"Phew~"

After a long while, her chest heaved deeply, she turned her head, and said softly:

"Supervisor Meng, if you were him, knowing I was chasing you, would you still foolishly walk through Baima Ferry and walk right into my trap?"

"Uh~"

Supervisor Meng froze, speechless.

He was the supervisor of the Imperial City Guard in the capital, a government official in Beijing. He usually dealt with powerful figures, officials, and wealthy merchants. All his ideas and methods were confined within the system.

On the contrary, Liang Siqi, who came from humble beginnings and struggled to survive in her childhood, was familiar with the ways of the underworld and had a broader perspective.

"Resend another order, instructing men to search westward along the coast overnight and find the ship they were on as soon as possible."

After saying that, Liang Siqi turned around and went back to the cabin. She hadn't taken more than a few steps when she collapsed.

She had never practiced martial arts as a child, her skills were mediocre, her horsemanship was average, and she had suffered from too much debt in the past, so her body was not particularly strong.

I've made it this far thanks to sheer willpower.

"Miss!"

Supervisor Meng and several Liang family guards were terrified and rushed over to help her.

If anything were to happen to this young woman, given Liang Shicheng's ruthlessness, they would all die.

Da Da Da~

At this moment, several horsemen slowly approached the shore, led by a lean greyhound.

"what?"

The leader was none other than Master Qin, who was as sharp-eyed as a night owl and happened to see this scene.

"Why is that crazy young lady from the Liang family here too?"

"Master Qin, shall we cross the river tonight?"

A burly, strong man with two iron whips strapped to his back rode up on horseback and asked in a deep voice.

"Giggle~"

Master Qin simply shook his head, letting out a soft, inexplicable hum.

The short, thin man who had been following him closely immediately understood and spoke up for him.

"What's the rush? They can't run away. We've been running around all day. Now, it's time to find a place to stay and rest properly."

"Alright."

Gao Qiu's steward, Gao Lian, was also among them. He cupped his hands in greeting and took over the conversation.

"Master Qin and all the esteemed guests have had a long and arduous journey. I will certainly prepare a feast of fine wine and dishes to reward you all."

"Heh, food and wine alone are not enough; we need a young lady to accompany us."

At this moment, the rat spirit spoke again.

"Tonight, we also need to find a top-quality cauldron for Qin Gongfeng. Remember, the cauldron must be no older than sixteen; it must be a virgin!"

"Uh, Master Qin, this place isn't like Tokyo~"

Gao Lian frowned slightly, hesitating for a moment, when Master Qin suddenly turned his head.

Beneath the hood, a deeply lined old face was revealed, with a pair of narrow eyes, and a faint, eerie green glint in their depths.

In an instant, Gao Lian felt as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake, his whole body chilled and he had difficulty breathing.

"Alright, alright, I promise to help Qin Gongfeng get this done."

He hurriedly changed his words, and upon hearing this, Master Qin snorted coldly and turned his head away.

Crunch, crunch~

In the pitch-black night, on the bumpy, uneven official road, an open donkey cart was moving slowly.

lol~

Pang Qiutang and Ruyi were wearing fur robes, wrapped in two quilts, and huddled together, still shivering from the cold.

Xinzheng Town is small and poor. It took a lot of effort to scrape together this donkey cart. The donkey is older than Zhu, and the cart is older than his father. It looks like it might fall apart at any moment.

Henan and Hebei are separated by only a river, but the temperature is worlds apart. The night wind is like a knife, and it's warmer to walk than to sit on an open donkey cart.

After a while, Pang Qiutang couldn't take it anymore. She suddenly jumped off the donkey cart, bounced a few times on the spot, and jogged to catch up with Zhu Biao, who was clearing the way.

"Third Brother, why are we heading west? Shouldn't we be heading north to Xiangzhou?"

What do you think?

Zhu Biao dismounted, swallowed the dried meat in his mouth, and instead of answering, asked a question.

"Hmm~"

She frowned and thought for a moment.

"To get rid of that crazy girl, shouldn't we head north as soon as possible? You said the farther away from Tokyo, the safer we are."

"That young lady wields great power; she can even command the Imperial City Guard."

Ruyi also came over.

"Both Yanjin Ferry to the north and Baima Ferry to the east are heavily guarded by the imperial army. The only way is to go west into Jin and then turn to Xiangzhou."

Zhu Biao was speechless:

"Ruyi is truly amazing, you're practically a living map! I almost forgot to ask you earlier, how do you know so much about mountains and rivers?"

"My grandfather was a geomancer in the Imperial Observatory, so I have some knowledge of geomancy."

"It turns out this is due to a family tradition of scholarship; I've truly struck gold!"

Zhu Biao slapped his thigh excitedly.

"Ruyi is unworthy of your high praise, my lord."

Ruyi spoke modestly, but her chest visibly puffed out, and she glanced at Pang Qiutang intentionally or unintentionally.

"Hmph! What's so great about it!"

Pang Qiutang instantly bristled.

"My Pang family's archery skills are also unparalleled! Just now, if I hadn't intimidated those boatmen, would you still be so carefree?"

hiss!

Zhu Biao suddenly felt a soreness in his teeth.

Are these two young ladies fighting over a man?

However, there was also Hu Sanniang in the family, that woman was a real tigress.