Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

"Kid, I admit, you've got guts!"

Outside the roadside inn, Dong Ping, holding two pistols, hid behind a tree at the last bend of the path and shouted loudly.

"Ha! Whether I have guts or not, let your mother come and try it out."

Zhu Biao might be intimidated by a direct confrontation with Dong Ping, but when it comes to verbal sparring and psychological warfare, he's anything but afraid.

Dong Ping was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged, and he forced back his anger, saying:

"Stop talking nonsense! Kid, if you're willing to show me the way, I'll leave after I've seen it and won't make things difficult for you anymore."

"Bullshit! Do you think I'm stupid? Looking at the travel permit, you're just planning to get revenge later!"

At the main entrance of the roadside shop, Zhu Biao stood with his legs apart.

He had a sword at his waist, a bow in his hand, several arrows stuck in front of him, and a spear leaning against the fence, assuming a posture of defending the gate to the death.

He had plenty of travel permits, but he would never agree to Dong Ping's proposal; the man only wanted to gradually undermine his will to resist.

They have no personal grudge, yet they are destined to fight to the death.

"Damn it!"

Dong Ping cursed and tightened his grip on the iron twin pistols, feeling somewhat apprehensive.

Although he was confident in his martial arts skills, he was currently unarmored and unwilling to withstand the archers' arrow charge, even if it was two of them.

He had sharp eyes and had already spotted Pang Qiutang hiding on the roof.

However, the situation was such that the arrow was already on the bowstring and had no choice but to be released.

Given Zhu Biao's uprightness, bravery, and cunning, if he doesn't die today, he is very likely to expose his shameful deeds to Dongping Prefecture later.

He came from the Western Army and repeatedly made military achievements, but was not promoted.

This position as military commander was something he had painstakingly climbed to, having spent all his family's savings to buy the official post; he couldn't afford to lose it.

The next moment, he gritted his teeth, turned his head and said coldly.

"Dong Quan, you go first!"

His attendant was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes.

"Take care, my lord."

He bowed to Dong Ping, slung his saddlebag over his shoulder to protect his chest, drew his waist knife, and charged towards Zhu Biao.

call out!call out!

He had just slipped out of the path when two piercing arrow whistles rang out simultaneously.

Clang!

Chang Sui exerted all his strength and cleaved away the arrow that Zhu Biao had shot at his chest with his sword.

puff!

However, he didn't notice that Pang Qiutang on the roof had been impaled on the forehead by an arrow, and his vision suddenly went black as he staggered backward.

However, he did not fall to the ground.

A large hand suddenly reached out from behind, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and used him as a human shield, pushing him forward.

call out!call out!

Two more arrows whistled.

The arrow that Zhu Biao shot grazed Dong Quan's face and missed Dong Ping's hair bun.

puff!

Pang Qiutang's arrow pierced Dong Quan's throat with perfect accuracy, and then wounded Dong Ping's palm.

No wonder she's Pang Wanchun's younger sister.

His eyesight, accuracy, and reaction time are all top-notch. If the force had been greater, that arrow would have been enough to cripple one of Dong Ping's claws.

"hiss!"

Dong Ping winced in pain and instinctively released his grip, but he reacted extremely quickly.

"Damn it!"

He let out a roar, and in the instant he released his grip, he thrust his arm forward, slamming Dong Quan's corpse toward Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao seemed to have anticipated this, stepping back, turning sideways, and dodging the attack. He even discarded his bow and held the spear in his hand.

However, at this moment, Dong Ping had already taken advantage of the situation and rushed five steps in front of him.

At this distance, even with Pang Qiutang's excellent aim, he dared not fire arrows to flank the enemy.

"Prepare to die!"

Dong Ping took a step forward with a sinister grin, his two guns flashing out like a venomous dragon emerging from the sea. One gun pierced Zhu Biao's throat, and the other stabbed him in the chest.

Fast and urgent! Accurate and ruthless!

"what!"

However, at that moment, Dong Ping suddenly screamed, sprang up as if he had seen a ghost, and leaped backward.

His foot struck a coffin nail buried in the snow, the nail digging into his flesh more than an inch deep and nearly piercing through his sole.

Previously in Changheng, Zhu Biao used the nail array to cripple Shi Qian. At that time, he still had dozens of nails left, which he always carried with him. Now he has used them all here.

Because time was limited and he was afraid of being discovered by Dong Ping, he only buried nails between three and five steps in front of him.

The reason I stood there so foolishly at the door was to lure Dong Ping into a trap.

As for whether doing so would be somewhat despicable or not honorable?

Zhu Biao didn't care at all!

Damn it! This is a life-or-death struggle, of course we have to use every means possible. If we clearly can't win but still insist on fighting, isn't that just stupid?

Clang!

Dong Ping is truly remarkable. Even after being injured and leaping into the air, he managed to deflect the cold arrow shot by Pang Qiutang.

"You bastard, you dare to play dirty tricks!"

As he landed, his curse had barely left his lips when his pupils suddenly contracted. He saw Zhu Biao raise his arm and slam his fist down.

call out!call out!call out!

In the blink of an eye, three tailless iron arrows shot out like lightning, only two zhang apart, almost impossible to avoid.

Clang!

In the nick of time, Dong Ping raised his spear and knocked one away, then twisted to dodge another, but the last one was impossible to avoid no matter what.

puff!

The short arrow pierced his right chest and exited through his body.

puff!

Almost simultaneously, an arrow pierced his left shoulder.

It wasn't that Pang Qiutang missed, but rather that Dong Ping's body happened to tremble slightly when the arrow hit him, inadvertently dodging the arrow that pierced his throat.

"Ah~"

Dong Ping's eyes turned bloodshot, and he roared like a wild beast. He rolled on the spot, then leaped down the steep slope beside him.

The slope was extremely steep, almost impossible to stand on. By the time Zhu Biao arrived with his gun, the man had already rolled down several hundred paces.

"Fuck your ancestors!"

Zhu Biao's face darkened, his eyes flashed with fierceness, and he slammed his spear into the ground, about to jump down and eliminate the threat completely, but Pang Qiutang grabbed him around the waist.

"Third Brother, no!"

"We still have pursuers behind us. You're our pillar of strength. If you're injured here, what will we do?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head; Zhu Biao froze, his mind instantly clearing.

"Qiu Tang, you're right, I lost my mind."

He patted Pang Qiutang's hand that was wrapped around his waist.

"Thank you for reminding me. Don't worry, I won't make that mistake again."

In just that short time, Dong Ping had already vanished without a trace, disappearing to who knows where.

"Sigh~"

Zhu Biao let out a long sigh of relief, a gloomy feeling rising in his heart.

Damn it! This guy's really tough; we couldn't kill him even after all that.

Just now, Zhu Biao seemed to win easily, completely crushing Dong Ping without lifting a finger. In reality, he put in a lot of effort and used every trick in the book.

Dong Ping is a highly skilled martial artist, ruthless in his actions, and, most importantly, truly cruel. If he manages to survive today, he will surely become a great threat in the future.

"Third brother, don't look anymore. Falling from such a height, even if he doesn't die, he'll be crippled. He was already seriously injured, so he definitely won't survive."

Seeing Zhu Biao staring blankly down the slope, Pang Qiutang silently stood in front of him, tugged at his arm, and gently advised him.

"It's getting dark, let's hurry and get into the city as soon as possible."

"Um."

Zhu Biao snapped out of his daze and nodded.

"Hurry up and pack your things, let's get out of here immediately."

He is not one to hesitate or procrastinate; he makes decisions decisively when necessary.

Dong Ping is lucky and physically strong, so he probably won't die. He might even become a menace, but that's a matter for the future.

Right now, he's still on the run and needs to reunite with Lin Niangzi, so there's no time to worry about him.

Upon arriving in Jincheng, Zhu Biao split the group into two, and they entered the city one after the other and stayed at an inn.

He transformed himself, directly borrowing Dong Ping's identity, and became the military commander on his way to Dongping Prefecture, a dignified seventh-rank military officer.

The official documents and travel permits were readily available; there was no need to forge them.

Pang Qiutang disguises himself as Dong Quan. On the mule cart, Ruyi and Su Fang pretend to be siblings, while Zhu Wu is their family's personal bodyguard.

The next three days were relatively peaceful. Zhu Biao and his group passed through Gaoping, Changzi, and Luzhou before successfully entering the Fukou Pass.

This ancient road, winding through towering mountains, is long and difficult to traverse, but once you get out of it, you'll reach Cizhou, which is just a stone's throw from Xiangzhou.

call out!

Zhu Biao suddenly spurred his horse forward and shot out a whistling arrow.

Do!

The arrow pierced the trunk of an old pine tree a hundred paces away, the shaft trembling wildly.

Under the tree, seven or eight bandits in tattered clothes, who had been hiding by the roadside, trembled in fright and quietly shrank back.

There are countless bandits in the mountains of Fukou Pass; you can encounter one every ten or eight miles.

Fortunately, they were all insignificant rabble, and most of them dared not charge directly at the cavalry with archers.

Occasionally, they would encounter some foolish and reckless bandits, several of whom would be shot down by Zhu Biao and Pang Qiutang's swift arrows, and the bandits would disperse.

Zhu Biao sheathed his bow and glanced at the small characters that had appeared at the corner of his eye.

Horsemanship +5, Archery +5.

Then, he focused his consciousness into his mind.

Gun skill level 4, proficiency 2780/4000.

Level 4 equestrian skill, proficiency 3266/4000.

Archery skill level 4, proficiency 2716/4000.

Boxing skill level 3, proficiency 1832/2000.

Knife skills level 2, proficiency 965/1000.

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

Along the way, his martial arts skills improved dramatically, and his proficiency in archery and spear fighting advanced by leaps and bounds, especially archery, which was almost at the threshold of level five.

Through constant exploration, he had already figured it out: any skill that reached level five was considered a first-rate master.

"Young Master! Sister Ruyi has fainted!"

The mule cart suddenly stopped, and Su Fang's anxious cry interrupted his thoughts.