Chapter Thirty-One: A Man's Face

  Catfish mouth.

  Barefoot Zhang San led the more than 300 Taohu water bandits, pressing Chen Yuanyuan to hurry towards the lake shore. Seeing that it was not far ahead was the Carp's Mouth, Barefoot Zhang San couldn't help but put his heart at ease. Now even if the Ming army wanted to pursue, they wouldn't be able to catch up. He turned his head and said to the Taohu water bandits behind him: "Brothers, let's take a rest first."

  Liu Ba Dao, the leader of the Water Bandits, approached Zhang San with a flattering expression and said: "Big Brother, you see that all the other bandit leaders have their own 'pressing-down wives', but I'm still single. Is this Chen Yuanyuan...?"

  "No way!" Zhang San said firmly, "We are water bandits, to be sure, but there's a code of honor among thieves. We can't just take another man's wife! And this Chen Yuanyuan is General Wang's woman, General Wang is a great hero, we're extorting his silver because we have to survive, it's unavoidable, but taking his woman too would be unforgivable!"

  "Big Flapping Rake!" Liu Ba Dao shouted, "Old Flapping Rake also made a rule that as long as the women of Shui Zhai went up the mountain, there was no reason for them to come down again."

  "Zhang San said with bare feet: 'That's different.'"

  "What's the difference?" Liu Ba Dao shouted loudly, "Aren't they all women? Aren't they all for men to ride? He Wang Zongbing can ride, why can't I, Liu Ba Dao?"

  "You, Liu Ba Dao, can't even ride a horse!"

  Liu Ba's words had just fallen when a gloomy voice suddenly echoed from the front.

  Xuezi Zhangsan and Liu Badao suddenly turned their heads, only to see a figure emerging from the mountain pass in front of them like a ghost. The figure wore a bright red battle robe and black iron armor, and was unmistakably a high-ranking military officer of the Ming dynasty.

  This general was none other than Wang Pu.

  Wang Pu beckoned with his hand, and fifty family guards suddenly poured out from behind him. The dark muzzles of the firelocks were already aimed at the thieves. Zhang San, who was barefoot, and the other thieves were still in a state of shock when they found themselves surrounded by the Ming army officers on their left, right, and rear sides.

  "You are surrounded!" Wang Pu shouted in a low voice, "Those who know what's good for them will put down their weapons and surrender!"

  "Surrender!"

  "Surrender!"

  "Surrender!"

  Dàobā liǎn, xiǎo qī, cháng yán líng, lǐ zǔ shù hái yǒu sān bǎi duō jiā dīng gēnzhe lì shēng nù hè, shēng zhèn shān yě.

  "Ha! You think you're clever!" Xiang Zhang swiftly turned around, grabbed Chen Yuanyuan and held a sharp dagger to her neck. "General Wang, you are indeed formidable, able to predict that I would take the Carp's Mouth route. I respect you as a worthy opponent. If you spare my life and those of my brothers, the 500,000 ransom will be written off, and your woman will be returned to you unharmed!"

  Wang Pu calmly said: "What if General doesn't let us pass?"

  "Then let's fight to the death!" Zhang San shouted fiercely, "I'll first kill your woman with one sword!"

  "General, don't bother with me." Unexpectedly, Chen Yuanyuan, this little woman, actually had some integrity and struggled to say, "Don't let these thieves go unpunished by any means."

  "Shut up!" Xiang Zhang hastily covered Chen Yuanyuan's small mouth, angrily saying, "Commander Wang, if you don't let us pass by the time I count to three, then wait for your woman's corpse! One, two..."

  Wang Pu's mind was racing, the Red Foot Zhang San's water gang had more than 300 people, while his own household guards only had 200 people. Adding to that, Chang Yanling and Li Zushu's personal soldiers also only had around 300 people. If they really clashed, even if they won, there would inevitably be many casualties.

  The most important thing is that even if they can catch Zhang San, the leader of the Taohu Lake bandits, Chen Yuanyuan will definitely die. Wang Pu does not want to sacrifice his newlywed wife for a Zhang San, let alone such a beautiful woman like Chen Yuanyuan.

  "Good!" Wang Pu made a decisive decision and shouted loudly, "This general will let you go!"

  "Alright, let's get this over with." Barefoot Zhang San shouted, "Then General Wang and your men should step aside!"

  Wang Pu said in a low voice: "You can leave, but General's woman must stay!"

  Liu Ba Dao angrily said: "You dare to play tricks on us, you big scoundrel..."

  Barefoot Zhang San suddenly stretched out his hand to stop Liu Ba's knife, and then said to Wang Pu: "General Wang, it's not that I don't trust you, but I've been wronged by the government too many times. I will definitely return your woman to you unharmed, but for now, she has to accompany us on our journey."

  "This is non-negotiable!" Wang Pu said in a deep voice, "The general's woman must stay behind!"

  "There's nothing more to say." Zhang San said with a fierce tone, "Commander Wang, I can only kill your woman first!"

  "Halt!" Wang Pu shouted loudly, "The general's words have not been finished yet."

  Liu Ba Dao angrily said: "If you have fart, let it out quickly!"

  "Isn't that what you want, a hostage?" Wang Pu said coldly. "What kind of hero are you to take a woman as a hostage? Wouldn't it be laughed at by the outlaws if it gets out? Leave the woman behind, and I'll be your hostage!"

  Chang Yanling, Li Zushu and Knife Scar Face changed their faces as soon as they heard this.

  Zhen Youcai nodded slightly, a hint of a knowing smile playing on his lips.

  Wang Pu is clearly in a tight spot, and Zhang San the Barefooted doesn't dare to do anything to him! As a heroic outlaw like Zhang San, who lives by the sword and tastes blood every day, values loyalty and righteousness above all else. Wang Pu has already destroyed Shengjing and captured the Emperor Taizong alive, making him a great hero in everyone's eyes. If Zhang San were to kill him, he would have no place left to stand in the Jianghu world.

  "General Wang." Zhang San's eyes widened in surprise, disbelievingly saying "You're not joking, are you?"

  Wang Pu disdainfully said: "Is General really joking with you?"

  "General Wang, are you really willing to take risks for a woman?" Zhang San asked barefoot.

  "Barefoot Zhang San, listen up! She is General's woman!" Wang Pu said loudly, "If a man can't even protect his own woman, is he still a man?"

  "Hmm hmm hmm."

  Chen Yuanyuan wanted to say something, but unfortunately her mouth was covered and she couldn't say a word.

  "Good!" Barefoot Zhang San exclaimed, "General Wang is indeed a man of his word, he has integrity. I, Barefoot Zhang San, admit defeat!"

  Wang Pao said: "Barefoot Zhang San, General is here."

  Having said that, Wang Pu took a step forward and walked towards Zhang San with bare feet.

  Chang Yanling and Li Zushu both shouted at the same time: "Big brother, you can't!"

  Chen Yuanyuan shook her head vigorously, wanting to say that Wang Pu, as a general, shouldn't take risks for a humble woman like her, but she couldn't utter a word and only made "hmm hmm hmm" sounds.

  Wang Pu raised his hand to stop Chang Yanling and Li Zushu, saying: "Two brothers don't have to worry about me. Although Zhang San, the barefoot pirate, is a water bandit, he's still a man of blood and wouldn't betray his trust."

  Zhang San couldn't help but let go of his hands and made a fist, bowing: "Thanks to General Wang for looking up to me."

  Zhang San's bare feet had just let go when Chen Yuanyuan hastily shouted: "General, don't do it, it's not worth risking for the sake of a slave like me."

  Wang Pu strode towards Chen Yuanyuan with big steps and said loudly, "Yuanyuan, don't be afraid. You are my woman. As long as I, Wang Pu, am still alive, no one can harm you!"

  In modern times, if a gang leader can't even take care of his own woman and lets her be bullied by other gang leaders, he'll never be able to hold his head up in front of the brothers again. From then on, he won't be able to mix with them on the road anymore. This has little to do with how deep one's feelings are; it's all about a man's face.

  "General, it's not worth it for a humble woman like me," Chen Yuanyuan said, on the verge of tears.

  "Round and round, remember." Wang Pu stared straight at Chen Yuanyuan, saying in a deep voice, "I don't care what your identity was before, whether you were a lady or a woman of the wind and dust, none of that matters. What's important is that now you are my woman, the woman of Commander-in-Chief Wang Pu. As long as you are my woman, I will never let anyone bully you. Even if it means risking my life, I will protect you. Do you remember?"

  "Hmm, I remember."

  Chen Yuanyuan nodded vigorously, but tears flowed down her face nonetheless.

  Chen Yuanyuan was born into a family of entertainers and had heard many stories about faithless men and ill-fated women. There were many tales of courtesans marrying into wealthy families, but the sisters' circumstances were mostly unfavorable. Wang Pu was a high-ranking military officer in the Ming dynasty, yet he was willing to risk his life for her, a courtesan. How could Chen Yuanyuan not be grateful for this kind of devotion?

  Perhaps from this moment on, Chen Yuanyuan had completely and utterly acknowledged Wang Pu.

  Barefoot Zhang San held a dagger to Wang Pu's neck and said to Chen Yuanyuan: "Miss, you can leave now."

  Liu Ba Dao hastily said: "Big Flapping Earlobes, can't let her go!"

  "Shut up!" Zhang San yelled with bare feet, "Are you the big shovel or is old man the big shovel?"

  Liu Ba Dao didn't dare make another sound.

  Chen Yuanyuan turned around and looked at Wang Pu with a nervous expression. Wang Pu smiled and said, "Yuanyuan, don't be afraid, you go back to the big camp with Xiao Qi and the others first, I'll be right back."

  "General, I'll be waiting for your return at the big camp." Chen Yuanyuan said softly, "You must come back."

  Wang Pu was already under the control of the water bandits, and Zhang San indeed released Chen Yuanyuan. Chang Yanling and Li Zushu had no choice but to lead their troops to open up a path for them. Zhang San and the water bandits took Wang Pu past the Carp's Mouth in high spirits, then boarded a large ship at the dock and sailed several miles into the center of the lake before stopping the boat.

  Barefoot Zhang San had someone put a small boat on the lake, then turned to Wang Pu and made a fist: "General Wang, thanks for escorting me all the way. Now you can go back."

  Liu Ba Dao hastily asked: "Big Flail, are you really going to let him go?"

  "Are you still thinking of killing General Wang? Red-footed Zhang San said coldly, "We are bandits and the government army is our sworn enemy, that's true. But we also respect heroes, and General Wang is a great hero today. If I, Red-footed Zhang San, were to kill him now, how could I still mix in the Jianghu world? How would I face all the heroes under heaven?"

  Liu Ba Dao hastily said: "You have to give us silver before we let him go."

  "Fart!" Barefoot Zhang San angrily said, "I've already promised Commander Wang that I wouldn't take a single penny of the 500,000 taels of silver for my ransom. What, do you think I'd go back on my word?"

  "This..."

  Liu Ba's words were stuck in his throat.

  Wang Pu suddenly said: "Barefoot Zhang San, do you want to listen to a word of advice from this general?"

  Zhang San said with bare feet: "I am all ears."

  Wang Bodao said: "When bandits rob and plunder, it's not a long-term plan. Have you ever thought of seeking another way out?"

  Zhang San with bare feet said: "What does General Wang mean?"

  "As long as you're willing, from now on you are my trusted family member and your brothers under your command are also my trusted followers. As for the old, young, women and children of the 48 villages, I can take them all to Datong to be cared for, as long as I have food to eat, no one will go hungry."

  "Big Flapping Rake, don't believe his sweet talk." Liu Paodao hastily said, "There's not a single good thing about the government office."

  "General Wang said solemnly: 'My words are as heavy as nine tripod cauldrons, I will never go back on them!'"

  "Little people and brothers are used to being free, can't bear the control of the government office. Wang's good intentions, little people thank you on behalf of their brothers. The green hills remain unchanged, the green waters flow forever, we'll meet again if fate permits!"

  Wang Pu helplessly cupped his fists and bowed, saying: "The big rake is easy to walk with."

  Zhang San laughed loudly and shouted: "Brothers, let's go!"