Chapter Seventeen: Emerald Screen

  Recommendation from the inner courtyard: "Modern Strongman Records". Written by Tian Yu, it mainly depicts individualistic heroism. Welcome to those who like personal heroism; if you prefer something more realistic, please don't enter! Hehe!

  The next day, Gao Qiang got up early and went to pay his respects to Lu Zhishen and Lin Chong. He said that he would be going out of the city with a few people to ride horses. Lu Zhishen only responded with a single word, thinking about how his bald head would get sunburned in the scorching sun. Lin Chong wanted to go but remembered that he had promised Suo Chao to perform a demonstration of spear and axe fighting at the Dragon Rider Garrison in Daming Prefecture, so he couldn't leave. He instructed Gao Qiang to be careful on the road, not to ride horses recklessly across ravines, and not to stand behind the horse's buttocks to flatter it, etc. Gao Qiang bowed his head and responded obediently.

  After bidding farewell to the two masters, Gao Qiang hastily exited the backyard and ran into Liang Zhongshu. He hurriedly bowed his head in greeting, but was caught by Liang Zhongshu who grasped his wrist and chuckled: "Nephew, where are you off to so early in the morning?"

  Gao Kuo said he wanted to go to the suburbs to ride horses, and Liang Zhongshu furrowed his brow, thinking that this big poisonous day's head was going to ride what horse? Then he relaxed again, smiled and said: "Xianzhong (worthy nephew) in a peaceful world does not forget archery and horse riding, which is the true nature of the Jiang family. Your respected father has such a talented son like you, I don't know how he taught you."

  Gao said thank you, and then Liang Zhongshu said: "Worthy nephew please slow down, I have a few words to entrust to you, follow me to the inner hall to speak."

  Gao Jian was taken aback and couldn't think of anything to say, nor did he dare show a look of anxiety, so he followed him into the inner hall, sat down, and watched as he poured tea.

  Liáng Zhōngshū put down his teacup and said: "Xianzhí, how many days have you been staying at my mansion? Are you living comfortably?"

  Gao Fang smiled and replied: "Uncle Shi, this time I came to the mansion of the great name and stayed for over ten days. Every day, Uncle Shi sent someone to take me on a tour around the city, and I felt that Beijing was as prosperous as Bianjing City. It's clear that Uncle Shi is a great talent, and he has been entrusted by the emperor to govern this region with great virtue. Everywhere he goes, there is great order, and I admire him greatly."

  Liáng Zhōngshū smiled dryly and politely declined a few times before saying, "Uncle Yu invites you here today to entrust you with something."

  Gao heard the word "entrust" and hastily changed his expression, saying: "Uncle Shi said something, but what's the difference? Just call Xiao Shu to handle it, why mention 'entrust'?"

  Li Zhongwen's face showed joy, and he said: "My wise nephew can do this, and my foolish uncle is very relieved. There is no big deal, it's just that next month on the 15th of the first lunar month, it's the birthday of my brother-in-law. In the past, I followed the example of some filial piety, all of which were transported by boat from the imperial river to Dongjing. Now I have prepared some clumsy boxes and things in advance, but coincidentally, my brother-in-law is idle at home, so it's not easy to transport them. If you want to load them onto a cart, there isn't anyone reliable to accompany them on the journey. So I wanted to ask my wise nephew when he plans to return to Bianliang, if the timing is suitable, perhaps he can take them along."

  It sounded like a big deal, but it was actually a small matter, just escorting some boxes and luggage. With these fierce men by his side, couldn't he handle it? He readily agreed: "Although I'm having fun here, I've been thinking of my father at home. In fact, I was planning to ask Uncle Shi to leave in the next few days. These boxes and luggage, I'll take care of them myself and deliver them to Bianliang, so please don't worry, Uncle Shi."

  Li Zhongshu was delighted by his prompt response and smiled: "My virtuous nephew is indeed a filial son, your respected father is truly blessed! These boxes and packages are not all birthday gifts for my brother-in-law, but also include some gifts from my wife to my sister-in-law's household, as well as some writing materials and silk fabrics that I, the foolish uncle, have prepared for your respected father. It would be convenient for you to take them along with you on your journey."

  Gao Jian had not paid attention to it before, but now he heard the two words "birthday" again, and thought of what he had just said: "Originally, they were all transported by the imperial river, and then transported to Tokyo." His heart moved, and he asked: "I don't know how much this batch of boxes and goods cost Uncle Shi?"

  Liáng Zhōngshū didn't mind, and with a smile, he stroked his beard and said: "As for Jiā Yuè's attitude towards Yú Shū, it is both as a teacher and an elder; the kindness is as heavy as a mountain. A little bit of gold, silver, and money can't repay him one hundredthousandth of what he deserves. Yú Shū just followed the rules and bought ten million strings of gold, jewels, and precious treasures."

  As soon as Gao Qiu heard the words "ten thousand taels of golden treasure", his heart skipped a beat: "Could this be the birthday gift?! The one that was robbed in Water Margin?!" Thinking about it, it made sense. In Water Margin, when Liang Zhongshu gave gifts to his father-in-law, he had the power to do so, why wouldn't he use it? It wasn't like now, where his father-in-law was not around, and he had to humble himself, that Yang Zhi would have to disguise himself as a thief and deliver it to Bianliang.

  He was so distracted that he didn't hear the next few words from Liang Zhongshu, and when he came back to his senses, he heard Liang Zhongshu say: "The time has come, Yu Shu ordered people to pack up the boxes, select a dozen strong soldiers to push the cart, and send two capable managers with Xian Sheng on the same journey. How about setting off in a few days?"

  He hastily agreed, thinking to himself that he had set out so quietly and secretly, probably no one would know about this year's birthday auspicious start, what thief would come to rob? Moreover, with so many powerful people around him, he wouldn't lose anything. What was on his mind at the moment was how things were going on the other side of Cuiping Mountain after they had been talking for almost two hours.

  Liáng Zhōngshū then handed over a few more sentences and had Gāo Qiáng escorted out of the inner hall, going to the yamen to attend to official business.

  Here is the translation:

  On this side, High Strength gathered Yang Zhi and Xu Guanzhong. The three each chose a good horse from the remaining guards, added a whip to their saddles, and galloped towards the East Gate. Lu Qian and Yan Qing had already taken Li Gu early in the morning and gone up the mountain.

  After arriving in the Northern Song Dynasty, Gao Qiang has been practicing martial arts without stopping. The horses of the Lu Shou Si are well-trained and run fast and steadily. It's easy to keep up with them, feeling the wind blowing past his ears, and all sorts of scenery passing by quickly. He can't help but feel proud in his heart, thinking: "No wonder the ancients had the saying 'watching flowers while riding a horse', this kind of fast horse is like the wind, what scenery comes too late to look at carefully, it's actually more beautiful, for example, that little girl over there, at first glance she seems to be a lovely young woman, but upon closer inspection, she might just be a lizard. Hehe..."

  Racing along on horseback, more than twenty miles of road flashed by in the blink of an eye. As they approached the foot of Cuiping Mountain, Xu Guanzhong reined in his horse and was about to speak when Gao Qiang's horse suddenly bolted out of control, dashing tens of feet forward and nearly crashing into a large tree, startling two men under the tree who hastily scrambled to get out of the way.

  Gao Qiang pulled the horse to a stop, but saw the two men standing angrily on one side. If it weren't for seeing his luxurious clothes, they would have scolded him loudly long ago. Gao Qiang saw that these two men were dressed as sedan bearers, and there was a sedan chair parked beside them. He secretly thought something was wrong, fearing that Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu had gone up the mountain for some time, but didn't know if they had taken action or not?

  Xu Guanzhong was a local snake, and although the Cuiping Mountain was rarely visited by people, he and Yan Qing were familiar with it. The three of them dismounted their horses, and Xu Guanzhong led the way, walking uphill with uneven steps.

  Although Cuiping Mountain is not very high, the mountain is quite steep and dangerous. Fortunately, Xu Guanzhong is a seasoned traveler who knows some small roads, and along the way, there are many signs left by Yan Qing before, so they don't get lost.

  After turning over a small hill, a loud shout suddenly came from under a big tree in front: "You scoundrel, don't you confess everything!"

  Upon hearing this shout, Gao Qiu's heart was filled with joy. Since they were still interrogating him, the person hadn't died yet, and everything was within controllable limits. However, today's goal was to recruit Shi Xiu, a cunning and ruthless man who wouldn't be subdued until he could be completely overpowered. If they rashly charged out, they would only scare him away - where could they find him in this vast wilderness? Moreover, Yan Qing and Lu Jian hadn't joined forces yet, and on their side, there was only one good fighter, Yang Zhi. Xu Guanzhong could barely manage a few moves, and it would be fortunate if he didn't hinder them. On the other hand, those two were figures among the 36 Heavenly Spirits of Mount Liang, and who knew who would get the upper hand if they really clashed?

  Just thinking of this, Xu Guanzhong suddenly leaned over and whispered in Gao Qiang's ear: "Sir, I've gone to take a look ahead. There's an ancient tomb up front with several white poplar trees in front of it. Two men and two women are there, seemingly arguing about something. Should we intervene?"

  What's going on? I, the great Lord, have come all the way to this desolate mountain just for one of these two men. To kill that useless Li Gu, do we need to go through so much trouble? Gao Qiang didn't respond, but instead asked: "Guan Zhong, do you know where Xiao Yi and the others are now?" It's strange to say, but Yan Qing's trail clearly disappeared here, yet Yang Xiong is putting on a big show of "protecting his wife" as if he has confirmed that there is no one nearby. Could it be that Yan, Lu, and Li Gu have all vanished into thin air?

  "For the time being, let's not bother with these people," Gao Qiang said in a low voice to Xu Guangzhong and Yang Zhi. "These few people are lurking around here, they must be up to some kind of nefarious scheme. We should take action according to the situation and first see what's going on."

  Both nodded in agreement, and Xu Guanzhong suddenly said: "Sir, looking at Xiao Yi's signal, it must be nearby. I'm afraid he has the same idea as you, seeing these four people sneaking around, first hide on one side to observe clearly. If sir wants to take action, you can include Xiao Yi and Lu Yu in your plan."

  It's not bad to think highly of them, Yan Qing and Lu Qian are both meticulous people, today they went up the mountain with a purpose, before getting their clear instructions, they won't make any rash moves. When they saw Shi Xiu and others coming up the mountain, they must have been hiding nearby observing the situation, also waiting to contact themselves and several others who followed the marks.

  Since it's a five-to-two situation, and with Yan Qing, an expert in hidden crossbows, lurking nearby, the situation is naturally different, and they can take their time to set up. Thinking of this, Gao Qiang waved his hand, and the three of them quietly crept forward.

  As they drew closer, Gao Fang saw clearly that under a tall white poplar tree, there were two pairs of men and women. A girl who looked like a maid was lying on the ground, shivering with fear. Two big men stood in the middle, holding shiny steel knives. On the left was a man of medium build, with a pale yellow complexion, his face full of anger. On the right was a man wearing a linen robe and a large cape, tall and strong, about 27 or 28 years old, with an air of heroism that could not be hidden, but at this moment, his face wore a cold smile, yet with a hidden murderous intent.

  At a glance, he knew that the one on the left was "Bing Guan Suo" Yang Xiong, the current Daming Fu Ya's executioner and beheader, and the one on the right was "Pinyin Sanlang" Shi Xiu. Since they were performing the great play of "Pan Qi", the person being held at knifepoint by the two men must be Pan Qiaoyun, who had eloped with Yang Xiong and made him wear a green hat.

  Every man is full of curiosity about the so-called "lustful woman", let alone Gao Qiang, who had just seen a "fiery" Hong Yu Jia a few days ago, and naturally had high expectations for Pan Xiao Er, so he carefully poked his head out.

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