Twenty rivers far away

  "Ruan Xia'er, Ruan Xiaoqi, are you going to follow the short and dark one down to the Yellow Springs?" Monk Hua's face was covered in blood, only his two copper bell-like eyes were visible, shining with a cold light.

  "Brother, let's go back to Liangshan Po. I'm tired of this life of beheading and killing. It's better to live a carefree and happy life as a fisherman." Earlier, Ruan Xiaoxi, who was struggling in the whirlpool of fratricide and infighting, was the first to throw away his knife.

  "Let's retreat! Let's retreat!" Under Ruan Xiaosi's lead, the good men on his side threw down their weapons one after another.

  "Song Dage, take care of yourself!" Ruan Xiao'er finally made a decision and knelt down to bid farewell.

  "Ruan Xiao'er, are you also going to abandon me?" Song Jiang's eyes revealed despair as he was betrayed and deserted by all.

  Ruan Xia'er stood up and left without a word, not looking at Da Ge or Huahe Shang, but instead led his brothers away with him. From then on, the rivers and lakes were rid of a gang of ruthless bandits, and the fishing village gained a few more fishermen who sang songs in the evening.

  "What are you waiting for?" Only Song Jiang was left, seeing Hua the Monk and others approaching, he held his blood-stained wooden knife horizontally in front of him, retreating step by step, never so fierce and desperate before.

  "Blood for blood, life for life!" Hua the monk sneered coldly, using the sharp crescent moon blade of his staff to seal off Song Jiang's path forward and backward, determined to deliver this treacherous soul.

  "Brother Hua, the deceased is gone, even if Brother Wu were to kill him, he couldn't bring him back to life." Xiao Wu thought of Wu Song's miserable death and his eyes reddened again. Despite his resentment towards Song Jiang, he still had some regard for their past relationship, after all, since joining the gang, this guy had taken good care of Han Jiu'er and hadn't treated him poorly either.

  "This scoundrel is too wicked, his methods are too vicious. If we let him go, won't he continue to harm people in the world?" As Flower Monk spoke, he was about to take action. In terms of martial arts, Song Jiang was no match for him, and with so many sworn brothers by their side, taking care of this scoundrel would be as easy as killing a chicken.

  "Hua'er Ye, Xiao Wu Ge, you are magnanimous and generous, spare the life of this worthless dog." Song Jiang's forehead was covered in fine sweat, he suddenly threw down his knife, and with a thud, knelt down and started kowtowing like pounding garlic.

  The crowd was shocked and disappointed, their faces filled with contempt. This former leader, who had once been so bold, turned out to be so cowardly and lacking in backbone, making them regret following him for so long.

  Hua and Shang were typical of eating soft but not hard, seeing Song Jiang like this, the Zen stick in his hand couldn't be beaten anymore, so he could only sigh: "Short black son, if you are a man, stand up and fight with me, as long as you win over me for one move or half a move, I will let you go!"

  "Hua Fo Ye, with compassion in his heart, he built a seven-story pagoda." Song Jiang didn't dare to fight with Hua monk, and suddenly tears and snot flowed down together.

  "Brother Hua, absolutely cannot let him off! Just take action!" Among the crowd, only Han Jiu'er was not moved by Song Jiang's tears, and urged in a shrill voice behind Huahe Shang.

  Xiao Nizi's voice was too late, suddenly, Song Jiang took advantage of the momentum of his bowing head and rushed into Huahe Shang's arms. He then quickly emerged from under him and landed right in front of Xiao Jiu. With one swift motion, he wrapped his arm around her neck, holding a shiny dagger that had appeared in his hand at some point, pressed against her throat. This was the third time he used this trick.

  All this happened so suddenly that by the time the heroes reacted, they had surrounded Song Jiang, who was treacherous and cunning, but they hesitated to attack him.

  "Song Jiang, why must it be so?" Xiaowu understood his opponent's way and persuaded him in a low voice.

  "Brother Hua, what's wrong?" Unexpectedly, Han Jiu'er, who was being held by Song Jiang, let out a sharp cry without caring.

  "Flower Brother?" Xiao Wu was surprised that the usually hot-tempered Flower Monk didn't yell, and when he turned his head to look, he saw that his eyes were wide with shock, his body swaying unsteadily, and fresh blood gushing out of his chest.

  Xiao Wu's soul flew away and he rushed over to support Huahe Shang, took a look at his chest and found an extra hole, clearly made by Song Jiang's dagger when he rushed forward just now, and hastily tore off the corner of his robe to bandage him and stop the bleeding.

  "Xiao Wu, I'm done for." The Flower Monk shook his head weakly, his voice growing fainter, "Brother's last words to you: never again show mercy to a woman..."

  "Brother Hua!" Xiaowu's eyes were wide open as he watched Brother Hua die in his arms, and he let out a loud, hoarse cry. The death of the martial artist was even more heartbreaking because Brother Hua could be said to have died because of him, and this bloody lesson had only taught him one truth: never to show mercy to an enemy again. He wanted to cry but had no tears left, and slowly turned around, his face twisted in a terrifying expression that even scared Song Jiang, who quickly held the little girl tighter.

  "Flower Brother he..." Han Jiu'er saw Xiao Wu's appearance and already knew it was not good, and she couldn't help but sob, tears streaming down her face like rain hitting pear blossoms. The other heroes were also gritting their teeth in anger, hating that they couldn't skin Song Jiang alive.

  "Listen up, you short and dark boy!" Xiao Wu said word by word, "I will definitely kill you!"

  "Alright, alright!" Song Jiang, with his hands covered in his brother's fresh blood, revealed a sinister smile as if everything was under his control. "Let Little Ninth Sister send him to a safe place first, it won't be too late then."

  "Thank you, Brother Song, for your kindness to me!" Just then, Han Erye suddenly stopped crying, her voice was warm and gentle, leaving Song Jiang and the others stunned. Then they saw her slender right arm flip inward from an impossible angle...

  "Ah!" Song Jiang let out a miserable cry, the palm of the hand holding the dagger to Xiaojiao's neck suddenly severed from the wrist, jumping and falling to the ground, the pain causing his other hand to subconsciously release Xiaonuzi, grasping at the severed wrist that was bleeding profusely.

  "Thank you, Brother Song, for teaching me the Jade Maiden Three Styles and gifting me the Bloodless Phoenix Dagger! " Han Jiu'er turned elegantly, smiling through tears, with a dagger suddenly appearing in her hand, identical to the one that had severed Song Jiang's hand. "This 'Jade Maiden Wrist Release' really works, it cut off your hand with just a light touch, Brother Song is indeed generous!"

  Many good men didn't know that things would take such a turn, and they were all surprised and delighted. Xiao Wu quickly pulled Han Jiu'er behind him, his eyes narrowing, his cheek muscles tense, looking down on the pitiful creature in front of him.

  "My hand......" Song Jiang never dreamed that the one who would defeat him was a weak and delicate little girl who didn't know any martial arts, nor did he expect that the move she used was the Jade Maiden Three Forms, which he had painstakingly thought out in order to get close to her. The sharp instrument was also his own Dragon and Phoenix daggers, which he had intentionally broken into two pieces as a token of his affection.

  All this, using the metaphor of lifting a stone to hit one's own foot, is still too light for Song Jiang, and it seems that heaven has used Xiao Jiu's hand to punish his unkindness and injustice. As the saying goes, "the clever scheme ultimately leads to one's own demise".

  "Hah……hah……" Song Jiang spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his heart filled with regret, remorse, and unwillingness, as he laughed maniacally, appearing to be deranged, and rushed down the mountain with one foot high and one foot low.

  There were already several good men who wanted to intercept, but they were stopped by Xiao Wu's hand. Han Jiu'er thought he had a pang of conscience again and reminded him: "Brother, this guy is acting again, don't be fooled by him anymore."

  "Ah!" Xiao Wu slowly raised his large bow, nocked an arrow and drew the string, taking aim at Song Jiang who was running faster and faster.

  All divine archers rely on their thousand-hammered, hundred-refined intuition to shoot, and if they take aim for too long, it will actually reduce the sensitivity of their thumb releasing the string, affecting their accuracy. Xiao Wu is no exception, especially after two years of roaming the Jianghu, his shooting skills have reached an unprecedented level, even able to hold his breath, not taking aim, and shoot out thirty-six arrows in a row, each arrow hitting its mark, known as "Thirty-Six Star Constellations", unparalleled in the world, but he has always thought that there are people outside of people, and heavens beyond heaven, without realizing it himself.

  But at this moment, Xiao Wu was unusually calm, drawing a full moon-shaped bow, motionless and staring at Song Jiang who was getting farther and farther away, hesitating to release the string.

  That crazy Song Jiang, who had been pretending to be mad and escaping, was initially worried about the little five's divine arrow, and from time to time made curved and false movements. When he saw that he had passed the foot of the mountain and there was still no movement behind him, he thought he had fooled him again. Calculating the distance, as long as he ran another 20 or 30 steps, he would be completely safe. His heart was wildly joyful, and with a burst of energy, he rushed forward crazily. Just as he was about to escape with his life, he heard a sound behind his head, and suddenly an arrowhead with blood and white feathers shot out of his mouth. The last thought that flashed through his mind was "I'm done for", and then his body fell to the ground.

  "Brother Wu, Brother Hua, little brother has avenged you!" Xiaowu cried out in anguish, heavily kneeling to the ground. There was no joy of revenge in his heart, and all the good men were also silently weeping, kneeling down together.

  Many heroes were in the north of White Tiger Mountain, and they built a large tomb to bury the two monks and other dead brothers who died for righteousness. They set up a heroic monument, which was later called "Heroes' Tomb" by the people of Haizhou, and it has been preserved until now.

  As for Song Jiang's corpse, no one buried it, and in the end, it was buried in the belly of eagles and wolves. It can be said that he died as he should have, and his fate was to be with birds and beasts. The outcome of this generation of heroes is not known to the world.

  A famous scholar, Li Ruobing, heard that Zhang Shunyi was recruiting thirty-six sworn brothers and wrote a poem to praise him: "Last year, Song Jiang rose in the east of Shandong, brandishing his spear in broad daylight and attacking the city. He killed people like cutting grass, and the nine layers of heaven were sorrowful and unpleasant. A yellow paper edict flew in, and thirty-six men were conferred titles together. The fierce soldiers were proud and arrogant, and the scholars and beauties watched with wonder."

  The next morning, the good men who had kept watch over the grave of their sworn brothers for a night did not want to stay any longer. After discussing their course of action, several people wanted to follow in the footsteps of the Ruan brothers and retreat to the mountains and rivers. Another four or five ambitious ones, however, wanted to push Xiao Wu and Xiao Jiu as leaders and raise the banner of righteousness again.

  Xiao Wu had no nostalgia for his Jianghu career, and firmly declined. He only wanted to return home, and let Xiao Jiu take on the responsibility of being a military advisor again. Xiao Jiu spoke up: "Everyone, listen to me. The current state of the world is not good, hiding from it is a way to protect oneself. If you're not willing to hide, there's still a place for you to use your skills. I observe the overall situation in the world, and within a few years, there will be chaos that hasn't been seen in a hundred years. That will be the time when heroes rise up. Why don't all of you return to Yuzhou Island temporarily, observe the changes quietly, and at the same time, secretly build up your mountain stronghold, defend your foundation, and prepare for another uprising? If what I say comes true, I'll definitely come back with everyone to the mountain stronghold, and lead a shocking and earth-shaking campaign. What do you think?"

  The crowd of good men, upon hearing this, all thought it reasonable, and made an appointment with Little Five to meet again. Little Five hesitated for a moment, thinking that the future was long, and first calmed down his brothers, if there really was chaos coming, he also had confidence in leading these brothers on the right path, doing the right thing of saving people from water and fire, and resolving national crises, so he nodded in agreement.

  The heroes then split into three groups, parting ways in tears. Xiaowu and Hanjiu went on the same route, still disguised as brothers, heading northwest, and it turned out that this journey back home took more than two years.

  It was early spring in February, the willow trees by the roadside had just sprouted, and the earth was vast and desolate. The two of them walked along a secluded dirt road, preparing to go to the small town ahead to buy mules for transportation.

  As he walked halfway, Xiao Wu felt thirsty and went to the small stream by the road to drink water. He stretched out his head and saw a man with a full beard reflected on the surface of the water. He was taken aback, touched his chin, which was hard and prickly, and thought it was time to restore his original appearance.

  There was no razor nearby, so Xiao Wu remembered Han Jiu'er's sharp dagger and borrowed it. The little girl wanted to give him the dragon dagger from Song Jiang, but Xiao Wu couldn't bear to accept the deadly weapon that had harmed his brother, so he only borrowed the phoenix dagger.

  He shaved off the beard he had grown for two years, and Xiao Wu felt refreshed. However, he had to bid farewell to this period of his life and turn to his unrelenting ambition to serve the country. This unique behavior not only made people who thought beards were beautiful feel strange but also left later historians baffled. They couldn't figure out how his motivation was related to a secret history of Liangshan Water Margin, nor could they imagine that the original Ruan Xiao Wu in the classic novel "Water Margin" was actually someone else, and this person's true identity was an extraordinary figure who shone brighter than the sun and moon and shocked ancient and modern times.

  The next day, on the official road heading towards He Shuo, there were two more young men riding donkeys. One had a refined face and the other a coarse face, calling each other brothers. Their luggage was very simple, but what caught people's attention was the iron spear in the hand of the coarse-faced youth, which looked quite heavy and not something an ordinary person could wield.

  Xiao Wu's face was as heavy as an iron spear, still immersed in the sorrow of losing his brother. The large bow he usually used was wrapped in cloth to avoid being recognized as a weapon of the Thirty-six Pledges. Han Jiu'er understood his feelings and also felt sad, unusually not saying much, just silently hurrying on their journey.

  Hai Prefecture is about six days' journey from Xiang Prefecture. On the fifth day, they crossed the Yellow River and entered the western route of Hebei Province. The officials and travelers on the road were mostly speaking with a Hebei accent. After two years of separation, suddenly approaching their hometown, Han Jiu'er couldn't help but feel excited, whipping the mule to gallop quickly.

  By the evening, they looked for a place to stay. When asked by the shopkeeper, they had already reached the border of Xiangzhou, and it was only a few dozen miles away from Anyang County. Han Jiu'er was overjoyed and ordered the shopkeeper to set up a table of wine in the room, wanting to celebrate with Xiao Wu.

  Xiao Wu was a heavy-hearted person, with strong emotions and a stubborn expression. Unlike Han Jiu'er, who had a carefree heart as a young girl and could easily let go of things, Xiao Niangzi wanted to help him resolve his emotional knot. She told him that the sun would set soon and they would be back home, where she could change back into her daughter's body, chase him out the door, and then they could eat together after she changed clothes.

  Xiao Wu went alone to the stable of the inn, took a look at his horse, and when he turned back to his room, he saw that the door was wide open. Sitting at the table eating and drinking was not Han Jiu'er in women's clothes, but a coarse-faced man with thick eyebrows.

  He rushed forward in surprise, getting a bit tongue-tied: "T-this gentleman, h-have you s-seen my brother...my sister?"

  The bearded man's eyes widened in surprise, and he said in a loud voice, "I don't know you, young man, nor have I ever seen any brother or sister of yours. This is my lodging, and you're being very rude by bursting in here!"

  Xiao Wu was shocked, had he walked into the wrong room? He went back to the door and looked around, it should be the right one. He returned to the room again, his eyes fixed on Ma's face as he lifted up the bed curtain. His iron spear and large bow were clearly under the bed. It was confirmed without a doubt, but when he arrived at the entrance of the house, Little Girl had been kidnapped again! This was how many times now? Heaven was playing tricks on him, his life was so bitter! He took one step forward, blocking the doorway.

  "Who are you, anyway? Where have you hidden my sister?" Xiao Wu sternly asked, listening carefully in all directions. Since there was no one else breathing inside the room, he suspected that his opponent must have an accomplice waiting outside and didn't dare to be careless for a moment. His hands were like claws, ready to pounce on Hanzi at any moment if things didn't go as planned.

  "Your sister? You look so rough, how can you have such a beautiful and charming younger sister? I'd rather think you're a swindler, dare to go with me to see the official?" The scar-faced man was not afraid at all, this remark was tantamount to admitting that he had seen the little girl.

  "Villain, you're the first to make a complaint!" Xiaowu was furious, and he strode forward, grabbing the man's collar. He felt surprised again - how could a seven-foot-tall man be so light?

  "Let go of the kid! You're provoking me again, I'm getting angry!" The scar-faced man said with a smile in his eyes.

  "You are..." Xiao Wu's rough face was finely detailed, and he had already sensed that something was off. When he saw the pale and tender neck of the hemp-faced man, without an Adam's apple, his heart brightened, and he couldn't help but smile knowingly. He decided to continue playing along with Little Nuizi, "I have a predestined relationship with you, brother, may I sit down and share a drink with you?"

  "Good! You're refreshing, I don't have to drink alone either. Come sit down, come sit down!" The rugged-faced man boomed loudly.

  "I won't be polite anymore!" Xiao Wu was amazed at how Xiao Nizi had learned this skill of disguise, she was originally good at imitating people's voices and had been rolling around in the crowd of good men for a long time, disguising herself as a Jianghu man, it was really convincing, if not for her intentionally revealing flaws, even a god would be deceived.

  "Come! I'll toast you!" The pockmarked man poured a cup of wine for Xiao Wu, but he himself was drinking clear tea.

  "Thanks!" Xiao Wu's chest was filled with a surge of wine, and he drank it all in one gulp.

  Two "strangers" who had never met before became fast friends, delighted to see each other. As the saying goes, when wine meets a kindred spirit, a thousand cups are not enough; with a small cup, they washed away their worries and troubles of many days, opened their hearts and drank freely, finally casting aside thoughts of the departed and turning back to the gathering of the living.

  The little girl saw him smile and was overjoyed, but she had already made plans. She cleared her throat and forced herself to suppress her shyness, wanting to use the foolish man's mouth to probe Xiao Wu's feelings for her: "I'll say something extra, I see that you and your sister are not blood relatives, yet you're so close, could it be that you have a crush on her?"

  "Brother, what's going on here?" Half-drunk Xiao Wu suddenly heard the little girl ask this question and didn't dare to answer, instead he continued to pour himself a drink, hiding his true feelings.

  "No way, I must hear you say it!" The embarrassing words had already been spoken, and there was no taking them back. The little girl wouldn't let up, but she twisted and turned, lowering her head to fiddle with the hem of her clothes, completely forgetting her current identity. With a masculine tone and feminine mannerisms, she looked utterly ridiculous.

  "I...” Xiao Wu looked at this numb face, thinking of the stunning beauty hidden beneath, and felt a strange sensation in his heart. The two had been through thick and thin together, never leaving each other's side, and their relationship had long surpassed that of master and servant or sworn brothers. It was as if they were without emotions yet full of emotions. How could he deceive himself and others? Finally, after drinking, he revealed his true feelings: "I and my sister-in-law were originally strangers, but by chance, we traveled together through mountains and rivers. As humans, how can we not have feelings? But as a man, I should stand tall and upright, how can I harbor private desires? Moreover, I already have a wife, how dare I have wild thoughts? I only hope she will live a long and happy life, with children and grandchildren filling her halls, and that would be enough for this feeling."

  "Brother..." Han Jiuer couldn't bear it anymore, and rushed over with tears streaming down her face. The person who was originally comforting others had instead wrapped herself around him. It was that deeply hidden, long-lasting affection in her heart, which she could no longer keep inside at this moment.