Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

"You son of a bitch! What do you want to ask?"

After a long few breaths, the bearded man finally couldn't hold back any longer, his veins bulging as he roared hoarsely.

"Phew~"

Zhu Biao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and his strength also gave way. Unbeknownst to him, his back was already soaked with cold sweat, and the north wind blew, chilling him to the bone.

Torture is a skill that not everyone can do; he almost gave up.

During this time, Wu Song hesitated several times before finally turning his head away.

"What's your name? Do you have a nickname?"

Zhu Biao's voice was like a knife scraping against an iron plate, so hoarse that even he was surprised.

"Lu Dashan, nickname ~Drilling Leopard".

"Deserters?"

"Indeed! I was originally one of the Ten Generals of the Heng Hai Army."

As expected, Zhu Biao cleared his throat and continued to ask:

"Could they be wanted by neighboring states and counties for being caught at sea?"

The bearded man nicknamed "Mountain Leopard" had resigned himself to his fate, only wishing for a quick death and willing to answer any questions.

"Excellent! Fucheng, Jingxian, and Cangzhou are all offering rewards, Grandpa. Son, hurry up and take my head to claim the reward."

"Don't rush to die."

Zhu Biao, however, had already calmed down and asked the questions with increasing composure.

"How far is your mountain stronghold from here?"

Upon hearing this question, the mountain leopard's scarlet eyes suddenly sharpened, and its lips tightened.

Zhu Biao raised an eyebrow and said jokingly:

"What? You don't want to talk about it? Is there perhaps a family hiding up in the mountains?"

The mountain leopard remained silent, staring intently at Zhu Biao, the hatred in his eyes almost tangible.

Zhu Biao met his gaze and said with a half-smile:

"Heh, it seems I was right. Are there any hostages on the mountain? Answer me properly, and I promise I won't harm your family."

The mountain leopard remained silent, blood continuously oozing from the corner of his mouth. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth.

"How can I trust you?"

Zhu Biao pointed to the forest where they had just been lying in ambush.

"The snow has stopped, but your footprints are still there. Do you think I can't find them?"

At dusk, Zhu Biao and his party hurriedly entered Jingxian County just before the city gates closed.

His original intention was to stay at the official post station outside the city, since he was a ninth-rank official, but the post station was booked out, and he couldn't get a place even if he paid money.

There were banners and badges erected in the courtyard, and the transport commissioner of the canal office was there. Damn it! He was just a sixth-rank official, yet he had such a grand air about him.

Even more outrageous, the government-run guesthouses in the city were also booked out, with an even grander scale, and the entire guesthouse was guarded by the Imperial Guards stationed there.

It is said that the deputy pacification commissioner of Hebei East Road lived there, a high-ranking local official.

Upon hearing this news, Zhu Biao's heart skipped a beat.

He had a rough idea that these high-ranking officials were heading to Cangzhou, and they were traveling at top speed, since the fire at the hay storage yard had burned 30,000 shi of fine feed.

This is a serious matter and must be investigated!

Zhu Biao stood by the roadside, pinched his cold nose, and muttered to himself:

"Given Instructor Lin's speed, he should already be in Shandong territory by now. He's fine!"

Wu Song leaned over and tugged at him:

"Sanlang, what are you muttering about? You're almost frozen stiff. Let's hurry and find an inn so we can have a few bowls of hot wine."

Zhu Biao gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"Second brother, do you really love drinking that much?"

This guy, I don't know if he's carefree or heartless, was shocked to death when a fight broke out at noon and several people died.

In just one afternoon, he forgot all about it and started arranging drinks again.

Hey~

Wu Song scratched his head awkwardly.

"When it's cold, I want to warm myself up."

He immediately frowned and lowered his voice, saying:

"Sanlang, do you think I'm being too soft-hearted, and secretly resent my second brother?"

In the afternoon, the mountain leopard, unable to withstand its injuries, died. Wu Song found a pit and hastily buried it.

His explanation was that although this thieving scoundrel deserved to die, he had some backbone and was willing to protect his family, so he could be considered a real man. It would be too tragic for his body to be left to rot in the wilderness.

"Second brother is overthinking it."

Zhu Biao shook his head and said:

"I also think he deserves a whole body; otherwise, I would have cut off his head and given him the reward long ago. The reward for the three prefectures and counties is sixty strings of cash. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache."

Before he died, Zuan Shan Bao said everything, including the price of his head.

His stronghold was actually the White Fox Goddess Temple, which had long been ruined. There were no hostages inside, only his wife, children, elderly mother, and a few of his trusted relatives.

They had no grain or money stored on the mountain, otherwise they wouldn't have gone on a rampage in broad daylight, plundering a cavalry caravan with archers as their support.

"ha!"

Wu Song's expression instantly relaxed, and he affectionately put his arm around Zhu Biao's shoulder.

"I knew it, Sanlang is the most loyal. Don't be stingy, let's have a drink tonight, it's on me."

Believe it or not, he's actually quite wealthy.

Chai Jin gave him two large silver bars and one string of cash, totaling twenty-one strings, which was quite a lot and enough for a family of five to live on for a year.

In terms of prestige projects, Chai Da Guanren did an excellent job.

However, the drinking session didn't actually take place.

Everyone had spent the night battling in the wind and snow, and then fought a fierce battle during the day. They were all exhausted, so they found a quiet inn, ate a few bites of hot food, and went straight to sleep.

After checking the doors and windows as usual and setting up the early warning system, Zhu Biao collapsed onto the bed as if all his strength had left him, feeling weak and his eyelids heavy.

However, he still forced himself to take a look at today's harvest.

Riding skill proficiency +15, swordsmanship +20, spearmanship +50, archery +100.

"Damn it!"

He rolled over and cursed.

Lin Chong personally trained him, which only increased his proficiency by 15 points. He casually swept away a bandit and gained 15 points, and seriously injured the Mountain Leopard and gained 20 points.

Shooting down two bandits boosted my skill by 100 points, and my archery skill quietly rose to level four.

"Damn your soul! If the Song Dynasty weren't rotten to the bone, I'd really like to join the army and fight my way to becoming a commander of ten thousand!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was already snoring.

Perhaps because a high-ranking official had arrived in the city and the imperial guards had been stationed there, the night was unusually peaceful. All the city's foxes and rats huddled up, and even the sound of the night watchman's clapper was much softer.

However, the next day, before dawn, before the city gates had even opened, chaos erupted in the city, with chickens and dogs running wild.

Countless yamen runners, constables, assistants, and archers from the patrol office scurried around the streets like headless flies, followed by imperial guards chasing chickens and dogs.

He sent Zhu San and Zhu Wu out to investigate, and they soon returned with a shocking piece of news.

Last night, the seal of the deputy envoy for pacification went missing!

"The seal is lost? The seal of a high-ranking fifth-rank official?"

Although he slept soundly all night, Zhu Biao was listless, dizzy, and his voice was muffled, clearly having caught a cold.

"It can't be wrong!"

Zhu nodded three times, and said indignantly:

"Those damned bailiffs are going crazy. They say even the county magistrate and the county lieutenant have personally gone out into the streets to search house to house, even smashing open rice jars and pickle jars to check them."

At this moment, Zhu Wu added:

"Not only that! These scoundrels even barge into young ladies' boudoirs, and if they see any gold or silver hairpins, they just stuff them into their pockets."

Bang!

Wu Song was furious and slammed his fist on the table.

"These bastards are outrageous!"

Zhu Biao glared at Zhu San and the others, rubbing his aching temples, and forced himself to ask:

"Are you checking every household? Or just ordinary families?"

"Big players aren't being investigated!"

Zhu San blurted out.

"Just now, I watched as those bird-like constables bypassed a large house."

"Shut up!"

Zhu Biao's forehead throbbed with anger. He suddenly narrowed his eyes and shouted angrily:

"You keep calling me a 'brat'! This is Jing County, not Dulonggang. Are you trying to cause trouble and get yourself killed by your insolence?"

Zhu San and Zhu Wu shrank back as they were scolded, their faces turning deathly pale, and they didn't dare to utter a sound.

This young master of our family used to have a fiery temper, and he would beat and scold people at the drop of a hat. But after falling from his horse, he became more reasonable and never laid a hand on anyone. However, he became more and more strict with the rules.

Especially when they met again the night before, he exuded a strange and unsettling aura.

"Oh dear, gentlemen, you've worked hard on your mission. Let me warm you up with a few bowls of hot wine."

At that moment, a flurry of footsteps echoed through the main hall of the inn, accompanied by the clattering of scabbards, followed by the innkeeper's obsequious greeting.

The one who answered him was a loud, boisterous voice, clearly that of a slick, cunning servant.

"Hey, Wang Gui, you're the one who knows what's good for you. Hurry up and prepare some more meat, my feet are freezing!"

"You bastard!"

Just as the constable's buttocks were about to touch the stool, a series of clanking sounds came from the armor plates. Suddenly, several imperial guards rushed into the shop, pointing at the constables and cursing them.

"You filthy scum, worse than pigs and dogs! You still have the leisure to drink and swindle? If you don't find Lord Lu's seal by noon, I'll skin you alive!"

"Tsk~"

On the second floor of the inn, Zhu Biao leaned against the railing, rubbing his forehead, watching the farce unfold with a cold eye, and clicked his tongue meaningfully:

"Wearing a suit of iron plates, are you going to perform a grand opera? In this freezing weather, aren't you afraid of freezing solid?"