Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

Chapter 80 Straight to the Ximen Family

Zhu Biao frowned and remained silent, and the room fell into a deathly silence.

"Bang!"

Just then, Wu Song suddenly slammed his fist on the table and leaped up.

"I'm going to settle accounts with that Ximen Qing! I don't care what kind of judge he is, I'll give him a few punches and make him kneel down and call me 'Master'!"

"Second brother, don't be anxious, let's wait for the young master to decide."

Among the group, Zhu San had known him for a long time and was the most familiar with him, so he quickly pulled him to sit down.

"No! Second Brother is right, what's a mere judge compared to that?"

Zhu Biao's eyes suddenly lit up, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"I'm now the Commander of the Imperial City Guard! The Emperor is the boss, I'm second only to him, how could I possibly be afraid of him?"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned, even Wu Song's eyes widened in disbelief.

They all knew Zhu Biao's character well. To put it nicely, he was a brilliant strategist; to put it bluntly, he was cunning and treacherous. In any case, he was not a reckless brute.

Ximen Qing was a local tyrant in Yanggu, wealthy and powerful, and also had powerful connections in the government.

Even Zhu Wu, the most brainless fool, thought that directly confronting the Prefect was incredibly stupid!

"Huh?"

Zhu Biao didn't explain, he just waved his hand dismissively.

"All of you, get armed and charge straight for the Ximen residence!"

This was a solution he suddenly came up with to break the deadlock. He didn't care why he was supporting Wang Po; he just wanted to charge straight through!

His false identity as a member of the Imperial City Guard would be exposed by the county officials, but Ximen Qing could not expose it.

No matter how knowledgeable he was, he had never been to Tokyo, and even if he had, it was only a brief visit; he couldn't possibly be familiar with the Imperial Palace Guard.

Moreover, the longer we drag this out, the more suspicious this fellow will become, and those county officials who are watching from the sidelines will also become suspicious and waver.

After all, a true Imperial City Commander is arrogant and haughty. How could he possibly swallow such a humiliation after being humiliated to his face?

At the first watch of the night, the sky was as dark as ink.

There were only a few pedestrians on Yanggu Street, but at that moment, a thunderous sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out in the distance.

Zhu Biao led the way, followed by Wu Song, Zhu San, Zhu Wu, Pang Qiutang, and Su Fang in that order.

People are like dragons, horses are like tigers.

Although there were only six people and six riders, they carried the imposing force of a thousand troops.

North City, West Gate Mansion.

"How dare you touch the tiger's whiskers of the Imperial City Guard! Guards, break down this damned gate!"

Zhu Biao pulled on the reins and roared, pointing at the vermilion gate.

"Here you go!"

Everyone responded in unison, but Wu Song was the first to leap off his horse, take a few big strides forward, then turn to the side and shrug his shoulders.

"ah!"

He let out a low growl and slammed into the crack in the door like a wild bull.

"Snap!"

A sharp cracking sound rang in my ears, and a large section of both doors was visibly dented inwards.

"Hiss~"

Zhu Biao remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he inwardly gasped.

As expected of someone with superhuman strength, that collision must have had a force of at least a thousand pounds. If it had hit someone, their bones would have been broken on the spot.

On the other side, Wu Song casually shrugged his shoulders, took two steps back, and was about to bump into them again when Zhu San and Zhu Wu caught up behind him.

"Second brother, we'll help you!"

Zhu San shouted, and then he and Zhu Wu split up to either side of Wu Song. The three of them yelled and rushed toward the crack in the door.

boom!

The gate suddenly split open, and the three of them, unable to stop themselves, rushed into the courtyard.

Wu Song's lower body was as stable as a rock. He only stumbled two steps before regaining his balance. With the strength he still had, he stretched out his arms and caught Zhu San and Zhu Wu, who were about to fall.

"Who are you? How dare you break in at night? Aren't you afraid of the law?"

At this moment, several guards heard the commotion and rushed out from the middle courtyard carrying whistles. The leader, a tall, burly man with a thick beard, shouted and questioned them.

Upon hearing this, Zhu San and Wu Song's expressions froze; after all, they were not real bandits.

Wu Song, in particular, has never seen blood or killed anyone, and still retains a last shred of awe for the imperial laws.

"I am a member of the Imperial Guard, here to arrest spies from the Litongliao Kingdom. Those who don't want to die, get out of my way!"

Zhu Wu had just regained his footing when he snapped back to reality and shouted back loudly.

Following Zhu Biao, his martial arts skills didn't improve much, but his courage grew. In addition, he also learned a bit about how to use powerful figures and their influence.

Ximen Qing had powerful backers and was the richest man in the city. His household guards were not ordinary people; the leader-like man with a large beard was quite knowledgeable.

"What are you talking about, Imperial City Guard, without any real knowledge? Where's your identification badge? Let me see it!"

"You dare call yourself worthy! Beat me, and I'll show you!"

Zhu Wu shouted and charged towards the bearded man.

"I'll go meet him!"

Unexpectedly, Wu Song was faster, fiercer, and more ruthless than him, managing to overtake him despite being slower.

After regaining his senses, Wu Song immediately realized that the bearded man was no weakling and that Zhu Wu was no match for him.

Ugh!

Before the bearded man could even open his mouth to demand an answer, he suddenly saw Wu Song leap in front of him and swing his staff at him.

That's right, it's a stick.

Zhu Biao didn't want anyone to die, so he equipped everyone with a short stick as thick as a child's arm, the tip of which was specially reinforced with copper nails and several layers of cowhide.

This thing is a weaker version of a mace; it's not easy to kill someone, but even a single hit can take away half your life.

Bang!

The bearded man raised his staff to meet the attack, blocking Wu Song's short stick.

His skill with spear and staff was quite good. The moment he parried, he twisted his long staff diagonally, intending to take advantage of the situation to knock away Wu Song's short staff.

However, he miscalculated his opponent's strength and felt as if the long staff was stuck in the rocks, unable to move at all.

call!

During the stalemate, Wu Song suddenly raised his knee and thrust it towards his lower abdomen. He was more skilled with fists and feet than with weapons.

The bearded man was quite skilled; he withdrew his stick and retreated, narrowly dodging the knee strike. At the same time, he twisted his wrist, using the stick as a knife, and slashed at Wu Song's neck.

Wu Song ducked to avoid it, then swung his short stick and struck Wu Song's knee.

The bearded man took another step back and swept his long staff back, but at that moment, he suddenly heard the whistling of an arrow.

call out!

The arrow arrived as soon as the sound was heard, but his technique was outdated and there was no way to avoid it. He could only stare wide-eyed in despair.

Snapped!

An arrow with its tip embedded was aimed precisely at his forehead, while Wu Song's short stick stopped just three inches from his chest.

Pfft!

The bearded man wasn't dead, but he was knocked to the ground by the impact. Wu Song suddenly turned around and glared fiercely at Pang Qiutang, who was re-nocking an arrow.

"What are you looking at, you big oaf? We're on a case as part of the Imperial City Guard, are you here to have a martial arts contest?"

Pang Qiutang glared back without flinching, and her words were equally sharp.

Wu Song's jaw tightened suddenly, and his chest bulged, but he held back and didn't retort.

Having observed the situation unfold, Zhu Biao, with his hands behind his back, casually lifted the hem of his robe and strolled through the gate.

Zhu Wu, that simpleton, has really improved his eyesight. He was the first to react, and in a very obsequious manner, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "The Commander-in-Chief has arrived! All of you, kneel down before me!"

Then, he gave Pang Qiutang a veiled wink.

"Otherwise, our Lord Qingluan's next arrow won't be a headshot; it will send you dogs straight to meet the King of Hell."

call out!

No sooner had he finished speaking than a cone-shaped arrow pierced through the brickwork, embedding itself in the ground, leaving only its trembling fletching.

"Flying Lightning Phoenix" was a nickname Zhu Biao jokingly gave Pang Qiutang, but she liked it very much.

Just now, Zhu Wuyi's shout happened to tickle her spot, so she used her best skills and worked hard to hit her with an arrow.

The bearded man was startled.

He was just about to get up when the arrow flew past his cheek, stinging him, but his skin was unharmed.

That accuracy is simply astonishing.

Now, he was about 70% convinced that these people were probably not bandits, but rather skilled agents sent by the Imperial City Guard to the border regions.

Zhu Biao glanced around expressionlessly. Although no one knelt down, no one dared to meet his gaze. They all lowered their eyes and avoided eye contact.

Ugh~

He suddenly flung his hand, throwing the Imperial City Guard Commander's waist token at the bearded man, who caught it and his expression changed drastically in an instant.

The bearded man came from the Imperial Guard and had also served in the Tokyo Palace Guard for several years.

Therefore, upon seeing the Imperial City Guard's waist token, he immediately recognized that what he held in his hand was the real thing.

What's even more frightening is that this military commander is far too young; he might come from a noble or powerful family, or even have connections to the highest levels of government.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

The bearded man broke out in a cold sweat, dared not think any further, and immediately knelt on one knee.

"I was ignorant and offended you, sir. Please forgive me."

Upon seeing this, the other guards and servants immediately followed suit, kneeling down in droves like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

"Ha, but you do have some insight."

Zhu Biao sneered.

"Go, take my badge and tell your master to come see me."

"Here, here."

Just as the bearded man got up, he heard footsteps coming from the corridor, followed by a clear male voice.

"I was unaware of your presence, and I am deeply sorry for failing to greet you properly. I am truly sorry."

"