Water Margin: Gao Yanei is actually a Gal Genius

Back on the morning of August 16th, while Lu Zhishen and Gao Jin were still fast asleep, Lin Chong had already arrived at the stable in the backyard of the Gao residence, preparing to leave without saying goodbye.

His brother Gao Jin was too clever for his own good, and Lin Chong was afraid that when he said goodbye, Gao Jin would get excited and follow him to Liangshan.

Last night at the private Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Lin Chong had finally managed to use his loyalty to keep Gao Jin in check, so how could anything else go wrong?

Along the way, the guards and servants of the Gao family ignored him, presumably because Gao Qiu had given prior instructions, and Lin Chong did not take it to heart.

As dawn broke, Lin Chong led his horse out of the Gao residence and saw Lu Qian already waiting outside, with a tall Qin horse beside him, its saddle bulging with several bundles hanging from it.

Lin Chong was taken aback, then clasped his hands in a respectful bow. "Brother Lu Qian, what is the reason for this?"

Lu Qian clasped his hands in front of the Gao family, but turned his face to Lin Chong, saying, "The Grand Commandant feels that Brother Lin Chong is not tactful enough in his dealings, and has ordered me to accompany him so as to help him achieve merit."

Lin Chong was moved. "Now that I am a criminal with a guilty conscience, it is not unreasonable for me to go to Liangshan. However, my brother has an innocent background and a bright future... how can I drag him down with me to suffer?"

"This is the Grand Commandant's decree, brother, please do not refuse. Besides, I am all alone and have no ties, so it is only right that I accompany you on this gamble..."

Lu Qian shook his head, "I have served the Grand Commandant for many years and only managed to get the position of Yu Hou. Even if the Grand Commandant were to promote me to a post outside the capital, I would still have to start from Yu Hou and command a mere hundred men..."

He paused, a hint of envy in his voice.

"It's all thanks to your good job, brother. If things go well within three to five years, I'll also be able to get a commander's position. If things go well, there's even a chance to move up a rank."

Lin Chong frowned and sighed, deciding it was no longer appropriate to stop him.

"My dear brother... you should leave behind an heir. The world is dangerous; if things go wrong, your Lu family bloodline could be cut off."

"A real man has nothing to worry about when he doesn't have a wife! Brother, don't act like a woman, let's set off quickly!" Lu Qian urged.

Lin Chong roused himself, "Let's go, and see if I can help my brother make a name for himself..."

The two traveled together for several days, encountering a northerly wind and dark clouds.

The dry autumn wind made their cheeks look chapped. They walked against the wind, and in the distance they saw a hotel by the lake, its wine flag fluttering in the wind.

Upon seeing this, the two men rushed into the inn, tied their horses in the courtyard, lifted the reed curtain, and slipped inside.

When I looked to the side, all the seats were empty, so I randomly chose a corner to sit down.

The two men leaned on their staffs, untied their bundles, removed their felt hats, and took off their swords from their waists, instantly feeling a sense of comfort.

A bartender came over and asked, so Lin Chong told him to get some drinks to warm himself up.

The bartender poured two dice of liquor and placed them on the table.

Lin Chong glanced at the drinks and, finding nothing amiss, asked the bartender to cut some cooked beef.

After the bartender went to the kitchen, Lu Qian lowered his voice and said, "Brother, I've already done my research beforehand..."

"This Liangshan Marsh covers an area of ​​over 800 li, with Wanzicheng and Liaoerwa in the middle. Currently, three bandit leaders have set up camp there, gathering seven or eight hundred henchmen to rob and plunder. Many people who have committed heinous crimes have come there to seek refuge and escape."

Lin Chong pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then replied in a low voice, "There are only the two of us here, outnumbered and outmatched, so it's not advisable to take it by force. We should wait and see..."

Lin Chong stopped speaking halfway through his sentence, but the bartender came out with a large plate of beef.

Lin Chong and Lu Qian chatted casually and drank three or four bowls of wine. Then they saw a man in the shop with his arms crossed walk to the door to look at the wine flag.

The man asked the bartender, "Who's here for drinks?"

The north wind brushed past the man and howled as it rushed into the hotel.

Lu Qian's seat was inconvenient, facing the door directly, and the wind blowing through it fueled his anger.

Looking at the man again, he was tall and imposing, with a muscular face, three strands of yellow beard, and leaning against the doorway, preoccupied with watching the wind.

"They must have no real skills to dare provoke Grandpa!" Lu Qian thought to himself, but his hand reached for the waist knife on the table.

Seeing this, Lin Chong pressed down on Lu Qian's outstretched right hand and called for the bartender to pour the wine.

Lin Chong said, "Hey you at the door, come and have a bowl of wine too."

The man didn't hesitate; he turned around, sat down, and drank a bowl of wine.

Lin Chong clasped his hands in greeting. "I'd like to ask you something, brother. How far is it from here to Liangshan Marsh?"

The man replied, "Although it's only a few miles from here to Liangshan Marsh, it's all by water, with no land route. You'll need a boat to get there."

"Since we're so familiar, sir, could you perhaps help me find a boat?"

The man shook his head and declined, "With such a strong wind, where are we going to find a boat?"

Lin Chong took out some loose silver coins and placed them on the table. "Here is some money. I would like to trouble you to find a boat to ferry us across."

The man glanced at the few taels of silver on the table. "I really have no other choice."

Lin Chong sighed. He hadn't expected this first step to be so difficult; he couldn't even get to the destination.

Lu Qian, standing nearby, darted around, slammed his hand on the table, and stood up, shouting angrily, "You scoundrel, are you perhaps one of the bandits from Liangshan Marsh too?!"

The man glanced at him, his expression unchanged, and said indifferently, "What nonsense are you spouting, hero? You must be drunk."

Seeing the man's reaction, Lu Qian was already seventy or eighty percent certain of what was going on, and immediately said, "Don't you know that my elder brother is the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards?"

The man stood up, clasped his hands, and calmly bowed to Lin Chong, saying, "It's an honor to meet you."

Lin Chong repeatedly said he dared not, but Lu Qian whispered from the side, "Don't you know that Cai Xiu, the seventh son of the treacherous minister, was killed by my elder brother?"

Before the man could react, Lin Chong was already terrified and his expression was filled with horror. He grabbed Lu Qian and said, "Brother, stop talking nonsense!"

He then turned to the man and quickly explained, "My brother was drunk, there's absolutely no such thing!"

The man glanced at the hotel entrance and saw that no guests were coming in.

Turning his head, his gaze swept past Lu Qian, whose face was full of regret, and finally stopped on Lin Chong's eyes, whose pupils suddenly contracted.

He truly is a hero who has accomplished great things!

Having made up his mind, he immediately bowed deeply and said, "So you are two valiant men. This is not the place to talk. Please come with me."

After saying that, he got up and walked towards the back of the hotel.

Lin Chong stood there, his expression shifting several times. Finally, he looked at Lu Qian and complained, "Why did you speak such nonsense, my dear brother?"

Lu Qian smiled and said in a low voice, "Before we set off, the disappearance of Cai Xiu, the seventh son of Prime Minister Cai, at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet had already caused quite a stir among the Imperial Guards."

"My brother is out on business, so we can use his name. I doubt these country bumpkins would understand the reasoning behind this."

Lin Chong was extremely anxious but didn't know how to explain. After all, Cai Xiu had truly died at the hands of his brother, and Lu Qian's mud-throwing was spot on.

Seeing Lin Chong's anxious expression, Lu Qian comforted him, "Brother, don't worry. When Cai Xiu disappeared, you were still in the Kaifeng Prefecture prison. When this news reaches the government offices in the capital, it will only make the officials in the court smile."

"Once news of Cai Xiu's disappearance spreads, countless bandit leaders will be vying for that title..."

"Brother, you should know that a great man does not concern himself with trifles."

"When you're out in the world, your reputation is something you earn yourself."

"Are these villagers really going to check each and every one of them?"

Lin Chong sighed in resentment and led Lu Qian to chase after the man.