Volume 1 Chapter 21: A Suspenseful End
Lin Jianlan said: "I have been in Jiangnan for so long and cannot go out, but I didn't expect it to be so hard here. In comparison, although my hometown is a bitter and cold place, it is still relatively stable. So what happened in the end?"
Yue Lingfeng said, "What else can we do? The common people were only forced to make trouble because they had no other choice. How could they fight against the imperial army? Naturally, they were oppressed even more. But later, a mysterious man named Yuan came and took in the common people. He organized the Taihu Volunteer Army, forged their own weapons, stored their own food and grass, and fought against the imperial court. Most of the people in the surrounding areas who were suffering joined the Taihu Volunteer Army. This became a trend, and the imperial court sent troops several times but was defeated every time!"
Lin Jianlan said excitedly: "Good fight!"
Yue Lingfeng laughed and said, "Brother Lin, if the government hears what you said, it will be terrible. So we are still not sure whether the masters and troops of the Dongdu Yukou Division are targeting our Kuangyi Gang or the Taihu Volunteer Army..."
Lin Jianlan asked: "If they go to Taihu Lake, will the Kuangyi Gang not care?"
Yue Lingfeng pondered and said, "We in the Jianghu don't usually interact with the imperial court, nor do we easily make enemies with the imperial court. Although the Taihu Volunteer Army is very close to the headquarters, we are not familiar with them. You must know that if we help them, we will become enemies with the imperial court. If it were you, Brother Lin, what would you do?"
Lin Jianlan pondered for a while before slowly saying, "Brother Yue, if it were me, I would help them."
Yue Lingfeng said "Oh", and unconsciously ignored the fact that Lin Jianlan was just a teenager. He said seriously, "I'd like to hear more details."
Lin Jianlan said, "First, the Taihu Volunteer Army has the word 'righteousness' in its name. Moreover, although they are now against the imperial court, their original intention is to help the poor people. Second, the Volunteer Army is composed of common people. I am afraid that there are not many people who know martial arts. Ordinary officers and soldiers can fight against them, but how can they deal with the masters of the Dongdu Yukou Division? If the Taihu Volunteer Army is wiped out by the government within the headquarters of the Kuangyi Gang, how will the people in the rivers and lakes and other factions view us? Laughing at our incompetence is secondary. If people with ulterior motives spread that we are colluding with the imperial court, it will be very bad. Third, the truth is simple, 'lips and teeth are cold'. The Jiangnan area is turbulent. If the Volunteer Army is suppressed, the imperial court can deal with us without distraction." After saying this, Lin Jianlan felt a little embarrassed and blushed, "My opinion may be too superficial, Brother Yue, please don't laugh at me."
Yue Lingfeng said: "Brother Lin is too modest. What you said is quite insightful. We will have to discuss it again after the other two branch hall masters arrive. Besides, although a small number of officers and soldiers have arrived, we don't know when they will take action."
Lin Jianlan was praised by Yue Lingfeng and became much bolder. He said, "In my opinion, they probably won't take action before the New Year. Uncle Qing often said that the officials are used to a life of luxury, and the soldiers rarely practice. Since it is Taihu Lake, it is estimated that there are a lot of water. If they fight on the water, even if they are not injured by the weapons, they will probably lose half their lives if they fall into the water. It's not like ordinary people who have to work hard on the water all day long. In this cold winter, who among them, from officials to soldiers, can endure this hardship?"
Yue Lingfeng nodded repeatedly and said with a smile: "Not bad, not bad. Not to mention the government troops, even those masters of the Dongdu Yukou Division probably don't want to capsize on Lake Tai and fall into an ice hole to suffer! Haha, when we discuss this matter, if I want to tell these brilliant ideas to others, I'm afraid no one will believe that it was said by a kid like you, right?"
Lin Jianlan quickly jumped down from the stool and said, "No, no, you must not tell anyone. My aunt is very unhappy that I learned martial arts. If I continue to interfere in such an important matter in the gang, she will be unhappy!"
Yue Lingfeng thought for a moment and said, "Well, what you said makes sense. However, when General Manager Cao was still alive, Madam was not so mean. She was very gentle and cared for even birds and kittens. Although she may be stern to you, she may not necessarily harm you. Don't worry."
Lin Jianlan said: "I know this, Auntie...she is also very pitiful, so I don't want her to be angry because of me again, it will not be good for her health."
Seeing that he looked heavy-hearted, Yue Lingfeng seemed to be really sad for Lin Hongfeng, and thought to himself, " Brother Lin is kind-hearted. He was nearly killed by Madam Cao that day and was kidnapped to the headquarters, but he cares so much about Madam Cao's mood. It's really rare. Alas, everyone in the gang doesn't know about his remarks on martial arts and Taihu Lake today, and still treats him as an ordinary teenager. In my opinion, if he can practice internal skills, his future achievements should be higher than that of Cao, and even if he becomes the gang leader, I'm afraid he will not be lower than him." Thinking of this, he said in his heart, "It's hard to say whether it's a blessing or a curse to be in the martial arts world. Just like me, I spend all day worrying about the affairs of the gang. "I've been busy with work for a long time, but I can't feel happy in my heart... But if Brother Lin didn't have this experience, he would have lived in the countryside all his life, and he would probably be just an ordinary farmer, no different from other mediocre people?" Seeing Yue Lingfeng suddenly become dazed, Lin Jianlan walked up to him and waved his hand in front of him. Yue Lingfeng came back to his senses and sighed, "I've been in a daze a lot recently, and I'm really a little tired. Brother Lin, I rushed here from the Jiangning branch overnight, and I have to go and rest. I'm living in the wing room of Doctor Cheng now, and I can't leave for a while. If you have anything, come to me."
Lin Jianlan said with a slightly disappointed look: "Is that so? Then go ahead. I wanted you to take me out to play. I haven't been out since I came here. They are afraid that I will run away, but there is no way back. I have no money. Where can I go back?"
Yue Lingfeng was stunned for a moment, and said: "This is indeed hard for Brother Lin. Although the main hall is lush with trees and beautiful buildings, it is boring to see it all year round. But if Madam doesn't agree, I'm afraid no one can take you out. After the government matter is over, I will talk to Madam and guarantee my life to take you out for a few days!"
Lin Jianlan perked up after hearing this: "That couldn't be better. No matter how much you read in books, it's not as real as seeing it with your own eyes. That's settled!"
Yue Lingfeng couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's settled. A gentleman's word is as good as a promise!" Fang bowed and said goodbye. Seeing his back going away, Lin Jianlan thought to himself, "Although I have known Doctor Cheng and the others for such a long time, they are not as close to me as Brother Yue." He couldn't help but look forward to the passing of this year. He also thought of the soldiers and masters of the Dongdu Yukou Division secretly gathering in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. If they really came to deal with the Kuangyi Gang, he didn't know if they could handle it. Even if they did, there would probably be casualties in the gang. Thinking of this, he shouted in his heart, "Uncle Qing, if you don't come again, something will happen to Jiangnan, which you care about so much!"
The New Year has passed in the blink of an eye. Before the New Year, after the three branch halls' leaders arrived at the main hall, Yue Lingfeng raised Lin Jianlan's opinion, and everyone thought it made sense. Therefore, while taking precautions, they also had to consider whether to send people if the soldiers went to Taihu Lake, and who to send. In order to find out clearly, they had to arrange dozens of minions to go to various places every day to get information and then summarize it. Although they all believed that the Dongdu Yukou Division would not attack when the New Year was approaching, they also made preparations in advance.
Except for the leaders who stayed at the main hall day and night, the others all changed shifts according to the time, which was more strict than before. There was no atmosphere of the New Year in the Kuangyi Gang. According to Cao Zhong and Cao Quan, the gang had already celebrated four Spring Festivals this year. In recent years, because Cao Zongguan died and the gang leader fled and his whereabouts were unknown, the main hall was also very quiet, and there was no celebration.
This year passed by in both busyness and loneliness. When everyone was discussing how to deal with the enemy, only Lin Jianlan was at ease. Another year passed, and he was no longer the child who clamored for his grandmother to buy firecrackers. On the night of New Year's Eve, he was alone facing the night sky, watching a few bright fireworks occasionally appearing in the distance. His heart was filled with endless longing and emotion, but he no longer cried because of leaving his hometown and relatives. He just prayed silently in his heart, hoping that everything was okay with his grandmother.
Unlike the north where it was still cold until Qingming Festival after the New Year, the weather in the south of the Yangtze River began to warm up significantly after the New Year. The green branches of the willow trees beside the window also brought a touch of warm green to the lake. The plum blossoms in the main hall had already bloomed and withered, and the small peach and crabapple trees were also full of pink buds. At this time, the candidates for going to Taihu Lake and staying in the main hall were basically determined. Master Zhao of the Huangshan Branch and Master Ling of the Taizhou Branch had personally led this group of people to support Taihu Lake just in case, and the rest of the people stayed in the main hall. The spies received news that the officers and soldiers had gone to Taihu Lake in batches, and there was no news from the various branches. There must be no changes, but the master of the Dongdu Yukou Division disappeared. In fact, this is no wonder. If he is really a master, the spies may not be able to follow him with their skills.
At this time, Qin Tianxiong and others had no time to care about Lin Jianlan. He walked around the gang every day, but spent most of his time in Lin Longqing's room, leaning on his face and staring through the window. Looking at the spring in the main hall that looked like a small town, everyone's face was heavy, as if a piece of ice had condensed. Everyone was ready to fight, and Lin Hongfeng seemed even more anxious. Lin Jianlan understood very well in his heart: "Auntie's appearance is probably the first major matter of life and death since she took charge of the Kuangyi Gang. Naturally, she is nervous about the arrival of the masters of the Yukousi, but she is also worried that Uncle Qing will come back to find me at any time and I won't be able to deal with it."
While he was daydreaming, he heard a whistle outside and the sound of weapons knocking. The back window of Lin Longqing's room faced the folding bridge on the water, which was an excellent place to watch the battle. Lin Jianlan held his breath, his eyes wide open, looking at the place where the folding bridge and the gate were connected, only to see a machete thrown in and fell into the water. A man rushed in and shouted, "Meet the enemy! Meet the enemy!" His footwork was not chaotic, and he avoided the mechanism and rushed inside. Lin Jianlan recognized this man. He was a deputy leader in charge of ambushes in the forest. He saw several figures rushing out from Kuang Yitang, and they arrived at the bridgehead in an instant. Qin Tianxiong stopped the leader and asked, "Why are you in such a panic? How many people are here?" The leader was so focused on running that he almost bumped into Qin Tianxiong. Seeing that it was a guardian, he calmed down and said, "Just one person..."
Qin Tianxiong showed displeasure upon hearing this, and the leader saw his expression and said hurriedly: "They are very skilled in martial arts. They have been stopped outside, but Chief Chen and the others are just struggling to hold on. I'm afraid they will break in!" As soon as the words fell, the sound of metal outside suddenly stopped, and then one after another people were thrown in, but they were very accurate, and all of them were still on the folding bridge. The sounds of "Ouch" and "Ouch" were endless. After a while, more than 20 people guarding the forest were piled on the bridge. The one in the front broke out in a cold sweat, because if he was thrown forward a little bit more, he would trigger the mechanism on the bridge, and be pierced by arrows to death.
Everyone was startled and looked towards the door, only to see Chief Chen walking in with his hands hanging down, with a long sword across his neck. Everyone looked in the direction of the sword and saw that the hilt was covered by a sleeve. It turned out that there was a tall old man hiding behind Chief Chen, but he looked very unfamiliar.
Qin Tianxiong was furious when he saw this. He thought to himself that the Kuangyi Gang had never been insulted like this before. Leader Chen was quite skilled in martial arts, but he was pointed at with a sword. Just as he was about to step forward, he was stopped by Doctor Cheng, who shook his head. Doctor Cheng stopped Qin Tianxiong and stepped forward, clasping his hands and saying, "I have been in the martial arts world for a long time, but I have never seen a person like you. You can enter our Kuangyi Gang without any obstacles. I don't know how the Kuangyi Gang has offended you that you have broken into the gang and hurt people?"
The old man did not answer, but looked forward through Chief Chen, carefully sized up Doctor Cheng and the others. After a quick glance, he seemed relieved and said in a deep voice, "I didn't intend to hurt them, but as soon as I entered the forest, they attacked me, trying to kill me with every move, as if I were their enemy."
Lin Jianlan saw that the old man was very familiar, and was confused. When he heard the old man speak, he was overjoyed. He stuck his head out of the window and waved to the old man, shouting: "Uncle Qing! Uncle Qing! I'm here!"
The old man heard Lin Jianlan's shout, his face lit up, and he turned to the waterside pavilion. Seeing Lin Jianlan still waving his hands in high spirits, he pushed Chen away, stretched out his hand and tapped twice, which untied the acupuncture points on his shoulders. Without saying anything, he jumped into the water and walked outside Lin Jianlan's window in a moment, with his toes standing on the water. Lin Jianlan was very curious to see that he could stand on the water without sinking. He stretched his head and looked down, but saw a pillar as thick as a lotus pole vaguely under Lin Longqing's feet. It was just that the water was rippling and it was usually not noticeable. He smiled knowingly, and raised his head again, seeing that Lin Longqing had taken off his mask, his eyes were gentle, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.
Lin Jianlan's heart was warmed, tears already flowed out, he quickly wiped them away and choked up, "Uncle Qing", and then looked carefully at Lin Longqing's right chest, and asked worriedly, "Is Uncle Qing's sword wound healed?"
