Water Margin: Gao Yanei is actually a Gal Genius

At the end of the banquet, Wang Lun ordered his henchmen to bring out a plate with fifty taels of silver and two bolts of silk on it.

Wang Lun stood up and said to Lin Chong and the other man, "You two heroes have come to join our village, but unfortunately, our village is short of food, our houses are in disrepair, and our manpower is limited. I'm afraid that we might cause you trouble in the future, which would be embarrassing for us."

He gestured towards the tray, saying, "This is a small gift; I hope you will accept it with a smile. Please go and find a large camp to rest your horses in; please do not take offense."

Lu Qian sneered upon hearing this, while the remaining three leaders were furious.

Lin Chong crossed his arms and bowed.

"My lords, I have traveled a great distance to seek your patronage. Having heard of your renown, I have brought my brothers here to join you. Though I am but a humble man, I hope you will accept me. I would gladly die for you, for that would be the greatest honor of my life. I have not come for money; I beg you, my lords, to consider my case."

Wang Lun hurriedly said, "This is just a small place of mine, I really can't accommodate two heroes. Please don't take offense!"

Zhu Gui couldn't help but get up.

"Brother, please forgive my rambling. Although we have little food in the stronghold, we can borrow from nearby villages and towns. Although we have few houses, the mountain is full of ancient trees, so we can build a thousand houses without any problem. These two are very capable people, and they will definitely be willing to contribute their efforts after joining us."

Du Qian also said, "The number of two of them in the stronghold is not a big deal, and the number of two more of them is not a big deal either. We can take in two heroes without any problems."

Song Wan advised, "If we refuse those two, the heroes of the road will surely look down on us. They will think we are afraid of that treacherous minister Cai Jing, and we will be ridiculed for not being worthy of the title of heroes."

Wang Lun beat his chest and stamped his feet, "Brothers, you don't know! Although he killed Cai Jing's seven sons and committed a capital crime, we don't know who his confidants are. What if he's a spy sent by the imperial court?"

Before Lin Chong could speak, Lu Qian interjected, "Chief Wang, do you want to hear what you have to say? Who would dare kill a relative of a treacherous minister to act as a spy?"

Wang Lun was taken aback by the remark and didn't know what to say.

Lin Chong pulled Lu Qian aside, "I have committed a capital offense and have come to seek refuge with you. Why does the leader doubt me?"

Wang Lun's eyes lit up, and he had an idea. "In that case, if you two are truly willing to join us, you must prepare a pledge of allegiance."

Lin Chong smiled and said, "I know a few characters, so I'll trouble you to send someone to fetch some paper and pen."

Zhu Gui explained with a smile,

"Instructor, you're mistaken. Whenever a hero joins the gang, he must present a pledge of loyalty. This means you must go down the mountain, kill someone, and offer their head. Once the brothers in the stronghold see blood on your hands, they will have no more doubts. This is what is called a pledge of loyalty."

Lin Chong frowned. "I have no prior acquaintance with this person. Why would I want to take his life?"

Wang Lun said calmly, "These are the rules of the underworld. If Brother Lin Chong is unwilling to abide by them, then please leave the mountain."

Lu Qian pressed further, "This isn't difficult. My brother and I will go down the mountain to wait, but I'm afraid no one will come."

Wang Lun said, "Then I'll give you three days. If you have a pledge of loyalty within three days, you two can join me. If not, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Lu Qian agreed and pulled Lin Chong back to the room to rest.

Lin Chong was sullen, but suddenly spoke up, "Brother, why don't we kill Wang Lun, seize the leadership position, and complete the Grand Commandant's mission?"

Lu Qian peeked out and looked around, then closed the door again.

"Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? If we kill Wang Lun, who will be the leader? You and I will both go back to be officials in the future. We just need to cheer them on from behind. When their power grows and the Grand Commandant leads his troops to attack, we can coordinate an attack from within and without... and the credit will be ours."

"I observe that Liangshan Marsh has a strategic location and can house 100,000 troops. This stronghold only has 700 or 800 people. Taking it would not bring much merit."

"Our immediate priority is to join them as soon as possible and help them grow stronger."

"Once there are tens of thousands of bandits in this stronghold, we will cooperate with the Grand Commandant's army to wipe them out, and then we can retire successfully."

Lin Chong remained silent after hearing this, and the two rested there.

The next morning, the two got up, ate some tea and rice, put on their waist knives and picked up their broadswords, and called a henchman to lead them down the mountain. They came to a secluded path and waited for the guests to pass by.

Around noon, a burly man was seen pushing a cart with an old woman sitting cross-legged on it, about to pass through the area.

Lu Qian called out from behind the tree, "Brother is here!"

Lin Chong peeked over, pressed Lu Qian down, shook his head, and remained silent, letting the two pass.

As night fell, not a single customer passed by.

Lu Qian was sullen as he followed Lin Chong and the henchmen across the marsh and back to the mountain stronghold.

He bumped into Wang Lun head-on, "Where's your pledge of loyalty?"

Lin Chong crossed his hands. "Today, only the mother and son passed by. Killing them would be inhumane, so we'll let them go. No one else will pass by."

Wang Lun laughed and said, "Instructor Lin is kind and righteous. If there are no results tomorrow, it will be a pity if he doesn't join us."

Lin Chong stopped responding, took Lu Qian back to the room, got some food, and rested for another night.

The next morning, after getting up early and having breakfast, the two began their descent down the mountain. Halfway down, the henchman said, "Shall we wait on the western mountain path today?"

Lin Chong was puzzled, and the henchman explained, "That mountain road is closer to the direction of Tokyo City, and there are more merchants coming and going. It's easier for you to ambush people there, brother."

The three then went into the woods to lie in ambush and wait. After noon, a group of merchants, about two or three hundred people, passed by.

The two men dared not make a move and had no choice but to let them pass.

After waiting a while longer, and seeing the sun gradually setting without a single customer passing by, Lu Qian couldn't help but complain.

"Wouldn't it have been just right to kill that mother and child yesterday? Brother, you are truly benevolent!"

Lin Chong pursed his lips and remained silent, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere.

Suddenly, a scout rushed in to report.

"Brother, a woman is coming over there, riding a big horse. She looks quite impressive. The chief is looking for a wife, and this woman would be a perfect match. You must stop her, brother. I'll go up the mountain to inform the chief."

After saying that, he ran back the way he came.

Lin Chong sighed, gripped his broadsword, and prepared to stop the woman.

Hearing the sound of horses' hooves in the distance, Lin Chong leaped out of the woods and onto the road. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a delicate shout!

"You bastard Lin Chong! You really are here. But...where's your brother?!"

Lin Chong opened his strange eyes wide and looked closely. Who else could it be but Chen Liqing?

I sighed inwardly, "My goodness, how did I end up here?"

He said aloud, "Miss Chen, my brother is not here."

Chen Liqing was wearing a blue veil, so Lin Chong couldn't see her expression, but he heard her give a cold laugh and rebuke in a delicate voice.

"If my brother isn't here, where else could he have gone? Did he run off to the palace?! Do you think my title of 'Flying Guard' is just for show?"

"Miss Chen, please don't be ridiculous. My brother is truly not here. I, Lin, am here..."

Chen Liqing interrupted sharply, "You say he's not here, so he's not here? Take me up the mountain! I want to see what kind of heart he has, how could he be so heartless!"

Lin Chong frowned. Could this woman be acting on the orders of Old Master Chen, deliberately trying to sabotage his plans?

If my brother isn't staying in Tokyo, where else could he be?

Thinking of this, he no longer wanted to get entangled with Chen Liqing and looked around to find Lu Qian.

His brother is eloquent and adept at handling situations; let Lu Qian explain things to her!

But Lu Qian had already disappeared.

It turned out that this fellow was always shrewd. He had met Chen Liqing at the Gao residence long ago and knew that the young lady had an affair with Gao Jin. He was determined not to get involved in this mess.

Seeing Lin Chong looking around suspiciously, Chen Liqing knew that he had a long-standing grudge against her family, and was now even more certain that he had something to hide.

"Lin Chong! Still trying to cheat?"