Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

chap!

After a few moments of stunned silence, a fierce glint suddenly flashed in Xue Chabo's eyes, and he abruptly drew his waist knife.

"Get lost!"

He raised his knife, roared like a wild beast, and charged at Zhu Biao first.

His knife was rusty and showed no signs of having been used for a long time.

The bailiffs were neither soldiers nor yamen runners, but clerks who were good at talking and wielding pens. However, they had developed a keen eye for prisoners by dealing with them all day.

He could tell that Zhu Biao was a novice, someone who had never seen blood or killed anyone.

puff!

The next instant, the incomparably sharp spearhead pierced into Xue Chabo's shoulder blade without any obstruction, and blood gushed out.

quiet!

There were no wails, no screams, and time seemed to stand still. Zhu Biao and he were both stunned.

Xue Chabo was right. Zhu Biao usually only sparred with others and was used to stopping short of a fight. So, the moment the spearhead was about to hit his chest, he subconsciously raised it three inches.

Then, the strange resistance of the blade piercing flesh, and the feeling of personally taking a life, were just too bizarre.

Zhu Biao was stunned, his mind went blank for a moment.

Where was Xue Chabo? He was dumbfounded.

He never expected that this little brat, who hadn't even grown his hair yet, would actually dare to stab him, and that the gun was so fast and sharp that he didn't even have a chance to react.

However, he was only stunned for a moment before a tsunami of excruciating pain struck him.

Clang!

The knife fell onto the steps, and he tried to cover his wound with trembling hands.

Before he could even scream, Zhu Biao snapped back to reality, his eyes suddenly narrowing as he let out a low, ambiguous growl.

"Ah~"

He slammed his hands together, gripping the spear tightly and pressing down with all his might.

Wow!

Crimson blood splattered as the spear blade slid smoothly through Xue Chabo's abdomen, instantly creating a clean, slanted gash in his chest.

"Uh, uh~"

His eyes bulged out, and large clumps of dark red blood foam gushed from his mouth. He grunted a few times unconsciously and then collapsed to the ground with a thud.

A dark red patch visibly seeped into the snow.

Gunshots rang out in the distance. Lin Chong was still chasing Lu Qian, and Zhu Biao's eyes also showed a hint of something, but he couldn't care less.

Heh~ Heh~

He staggered back two steps, pressed himself tightly against the temple wall, and gasped for breath.

"Lin Chong, don't think Lu Qian is really afraid of you!"

At this moment, Lu Qian was stabbed in the shoulder by Lin Chong again. The excruciating pain, coupled with the threat of death, drove him to the brink of madness, and he finally stopped running away.

Swish swish!

He suddenly spun around, took a step forward, and unleashed three swift, rapid strikes, forcing Lin Chong back several steps.

Lu Qian possesses genuine martial arts skills, but he doesn't practice the sweeping, powerful military martial arts; instead, he employs delicate,江湖 (jianghu) techniques.

Therefore, despite his ambition to climb the ranks, he could only be relegated to the position of a mere guard.

The name Yuhou, with the character "hou" in it, sounds impressive, but it's actually utter nonsense.

They had no rank, no grade, and no real power; they were merely followers and advisors of the powerful and wealthy. To put it bluntly, they were simply servants without slave status.

When he left Tokyo, Gao Qiu promised him that if he succeeded in this matter, he would be promoted to the rank of Eighth-Rank Xiuwu Lang and appointed as the Commander of the Palace Guard.

"A shooting star chasing the moon!"

Lin Chong stopped, glanced at the knife marks on the gun, and hesitated for a moment, not launching an immediate attack.

"You scoundrel, how dare you use the swordsmanship my father taught you?"

When he suddenly looked up, his back teeth were almost ground to powder.

Why can't Lu be used?

At this moment, Lu Qian's face was also twisted beyond recognition, covered in mud and bloodstains, looking like a demon crawling out of a grave.

"If your father had been willing to teach me martial arts back then, I would have made a name for myself long ago!"

At that moment, he caught a glimpse of Xue Chabo lying on the ground, and Zhu Biao, who had already caught his breath and was silently cutting off his escape route with his gun in both hands.

Perhaps realizing that he was probably doomed tonight, Lu Qian decided to go all out and speak his mind.

"Lin Chong! We've known each other since childhood. In what way am I inferior to you? Yet you have a virtuous wife, a fortune of thousands, and the respected Leopard Head."

"Where is he? In the whole of Tokyo, who knows Lu Qian?"

Just then, taking advantage of Lin Chong's momentary lapse in concentration, Lu Qian's eyes flashed, and he swiftly swung his knife, viciously slashing at Lin Chong's legs.

chap!

Lin Chong managed to lift the spear upwards in time, but the fragile shaft was severed by the blade. Disarmed, Lin Chong had no choice but to retreat.

call out!

Almost simultaneously, Zhu Biao raised his wrist, and a sharp sound of wind breaking rang out.

Too close, Lu Qian had nowhere to dodge. He felt a numbness in his back and his long sword, which was aimed at Lin Chong's crotch, suddenly froze as if struck in the vital spot of a venomous snake.

Before he could react, Lin Chong had already turned and returned.

puff!

The broken half of the gun suddenly pierced his left eye, protruding more than half a foot from the back of his head.

As his consciousness faded, everything went black before Lu Qian's eyes, and he could only hear Lin Chong's cold, knife-like voice.

"In your next life, remember to be born into a good family."

Pfft!

Lu Qian's body fell limply to the ground and was instantly buried silently by the leaden-gray snow. Lin Chong remained silent for a few moments, then raised his head and exhaled a long breath.

"It's clean now!"

Zhu Biao had managed to calm himself down by now, so he didn't disturb Lin Chong's newfound melancholy, but instead checked his own gains.

Gun skill proficiency increased by 50, and archery proficiency increased by 20.

"Heavens! 50 points for killing someone, and 20 points for injuring someone!"

His expression instantly cracked.

"Damn it, is this bastard trying to force me to become a serial killer?"

We couldn't stay at the mountain god temple any longer. The hayfield was already bustling with noise and chaos. Not only had the entire prison camp come out, but even the border troops had sent out a cavalry unit.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the hay yard is usually neglected and ignored; now that it's burned down, it's become a huge mess!

"Sanlang, you must leave me immediately. This matter must not involve you."

On the official road a few miles away from the mountain god temple, Lin Chong said urgently.

"It's too late."

Zhu Biao replied quietly.

"What do you mean?"

Lin Chong paused in his tracks.

"Instructor Lin, the innkeeper saw us returning to the hay storage yard together. If the investigation goes on, how can I escape responsibility?"

"Oh? What, what should we do?"

Lin Chong grabbed Zhu Biao's arm, his face turning deathly pale, no less so than the snow on the ground.

"What a kind person!"

Zhu Biao couldn't help but sigh, Lin Chong's sense of morality was truly high. He had just killed several people and committed a heinous crime, yet he hadn't even thought of the option of silencing them.

This level of humanity would definitely rank among the top few, or even the top, of all the Liangshan heroes.

"Instructor Lin, do not worry, I have already made arrangements."

Lin Chong's hand was like an iron clamp, squeezing my arm until it hurt. Zhu Biao sneered and patted the back of his hand, no longer pretending to be profound.

"There was only a couple at that roadside inn. I've already sent someone to escort them away. Instructor Lin, let's hurry on our way. We'll be able to meet up at sunrise."

"Hiss~"

Lin Chong's eyes widened suddenly, and he remained stunned for more than ten breaths, still unable to process the news.

"Sanlang, you... could you possibly have foreseen this?"

"Instructor, please don't joke."

Zhu Biao shook his head and shook his arm.

"If I possessed such extraordinary abilities, I would have killed those scoundrels long before they set the fire, and we wouldn't be in this predicament now."

"Then, why did you...?"

Too many changes happened tonight, like a revolving lantern. Lin Chong felt a throbbing headache and his mind was in complete turmoil.

"Instructor, I felt uneasy after hearing about your experience this afternoon. The wind has been strong lately, and Xue, the constable, suddenly transferred you to guard the hay yard. This matter seems suspicious."

"Therefore, I insisted on sending you back, and secretly made arrangements. The world is dangerous, and one must always be wary of others."

Lin Chong opened his mouth but didn't say anything. When he looked at Zhu Biao again, there was a different meaning in his eyes.

Previously, when he was in Tokyo, he heard a storyteller in a teahouse talk about this kind of extraordinary person, whose wisdom was almost supernatural!

Zhu Biao was unaware of Lin Chong's thoughts, nor was he a master strategist who could devise perfect plans.

However, since he was determined to get involved in Lin Chong's affairs and foresaw what would happen next, he wouldn't be foolish enough to leave behind witnesses.

Zhu Biao brought five attendants with him to the prison camp this time, all of whom were servants.

Among them was Zhu Jiu, his most trusted confidant. He was of average martial arts skills, but he was quick-witted and did not drink a drop of alcohol the entire way.

Before leaving the inn, Zhu Biao had already instructed Zhu Jiu that upon seeing the fire in the west, he should immediately wake everyone up and lead the innkeeper and his wife away.

If you don't leave, we'll tie you up and take you away!

Two incense sticks later, when Zhu Biao and Lin Chong rushed to the roadside inn, they found it not only deserted but also burned to the ground.

Even more astonishingly, the grain in the backyard, as well as the meat frozen in the snow, were all swept away, leaving only a few dark, deep pits.

It looked exactly like the scene after a robbery.

"Ha~" Zhu Biao laughed.

"Zhu Jiu is indeed clever; he fully grasped my intentions and deserves a generous reward!"

"Phew~"

After searching the room repeatedly without finding a body, Lin Chong sighed with relief.