RNP Page 62
Page 62
"Hmph, what a fine appearance. Let's go! On our way."
Xue Ba snorted coldly. His face, which should have been adorned with powder and rouge, was stained with the mold of prison, yet it could not conceal his eyebrows, which resembled distant mountains shrouded in mist, and his eyes, which were like autumn waters rippling across the surface. The whip marks on his cheeks were covered with dark red scabs, like the drunken Fei Xia in a painting of a lady. The blue scales and dragon horns hanging down from his disheveled black hair were like a beaded curtain half-rolled up, reflecting the beauty of a woman.
Chapter 140: Saving Qinglong is a Kindness Beyond Gratitude
Xue Ba, who had killed someone on the way to his prisoner before, kept his head down and remained silent, looking at Yang Zhi as if he were a dead man.
Dong Chao, on the other hand, was different. This was the first time he had done something as despicable as killing for money. The extraordinary pressure and unease of his conscience made him mutter complaints and grievances all the way. He kept calling Yang Zhi a devil and complaining that he was really unlucky! He pushed and shoved her all the way, and even hit her a few times from time to time to vent his anger.
On the contrary, Xue Ba, who already had experience in killing, looked indifferent and even advised Yang Zhi not to pay attention to Dong Chao's abnormality.
"That's just how my guy is. Just walk slowly and don't listen to his nagging."
Yang Zhi remained silent, enduring the burning pain. The gold seal bearing the words "Cangzhou" and branded onto the dragon scales of his left cheek stung his skin. The agony in his heart was far more unbearable than the physical pain.
I only want to earn fame and fortune through hard work, to live up to my grandfather's reputation, and to clear my father's name.
But why is it that the harder I try, the further I get from success?! I squandered my fortune only to see nothing, my treasured sword was confiscated by the Kaifeng Prefecture, and I even went from being a military officer to a commoner, and then to a convict?!
So be it! A convict or a soldier is fine! Daming Prefecture is fine! As long as I work hard, I still have a chance to start over!
The three of them had been walking for several days. Yang Zhi was exhausted, carrying an eighty-pound shackle and two heavy pairs of leg irons on her hands and feet. Dong Chao and Xue Ba saw that the demon was tired, so they ordered wine and meat from the shop and got her drunk, so she fell down with the shackles.
Xue Ba nodded in satisfaction, then went to boil a pot of scalding hot water. He brought it over, poured it into the foot basin, grabbed Yang Zhi's feet, and pressed them down into the boiling water. Yang Zhi was immediately scalded awake, letting out a scream. As he tried to pull himself up, his feet were severely burned. Just as he was about to curse, Xue Ba, the villain, preemptively accused him.
"Hey, you damned convict! Usually, prisoners have to wash our feet. Today, I saw you were tired and pitiful, so I washed them for you, and you're still complaining?"
Yang Zhi was so angry that he wanted to kill someone, but when he thought that if he really killed someone, he would be doomed and become like Lin Chong, he could only swallow his anger.
They slept until four in the morning, then set off. Dong Chao took a pair of new straw sandals from his waist, all made of hemp, and told Yang Zhi to wear them. When Yang Zhi looked at them, his feet and face were covered in blisters, and his old straw sandals had been thrown away.
Having no other choice, I had to put on the new straw sandals. These things were prickly and scratchy, and a size too small. After walking for an hour, my feet were covered in blood, and I could no longer walk.
At this moment, Xue Ba had completed most of the plan. Yang Zhi, wearing handcuffs, shackles, and chains, weighing nearly 100 pounds, had his fighting ability greatly limited. After dragging this heavy burden for three or four days, he was even more exhausted.
Finally, I ruined her feet, and then I didn't feed her this morning. Now I'm 90% sure I can kill her.
Thinking that they could get ten taels of gold together after killing Yang Zhi, Xue Ba raised his fire-and-water cudgel and shouted, "Run! Run! If you don't leave, I'll break your spine!!!"
Yang Zhi gritted his teeth and remained silent, dragging his bloodied feet as he continued walking, leaving a shocking trail of bloody footprints on the ground. Dong Chao felt a pang of sympathy at the sight, and finally sighed, choosing to support Yang Zhi. They managed to walk another four or five miles before finally reaching a dangerous forest in the middle of nowhere.
If it were someone with enough experience in the martial world, like Lu Zhisheng or Wu Song, they would recognize this kind of forest. If the prisoners being escorted had grudges outside, those people would use some money to bribe the guards to bring them here, where countless heroes were murdered and countless innocent souls were buried.
However, Yang Zhi really had no experience in the martial arts world. She was already exhausted from walking, hadn't eaten breakfast, and her feet were pierced and bleeding. So when she heard the two say they were resting, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, plopped down on the ground, leaned against a tree, and wanted to close her eyes and rest.
"Commander Yang, you may rest, but you must be bound!"
Xue Ba made another suggestion, and Yang Zhikun, who was so exhausted that he could barely open his eyes, readily agreed, allowing the two men to tie him tightly to the tree, hands and feet and in shackles.
Only then did Xue Ba finally feel relieved. No matter how strong Yang Zhishi was, or how exhausted she was, with her feet firmly tied, wasn't she just like fish on a chopping board or cattle on a hook, at the mercy of others?
"Come on, it's your first time, go! Be brave."
Xue Ba shoved Dong Chao, whose body was trembling with fear. It was his first time killing someone, and he was so disoriented that he shakily raised the stick and aimed it at Yang Zhi's head.
"I'm sorry, Commander Yang! Wang Cai from the small commercial street spent money to buy your life; he's very willing to spend money! If you become a ghost, don't come looking for me; go find him, okay?"
Yang Zhi was stunned for a moment, not expecting the two to do this. She immediately realized that something was wrong. She did not beg for mercy, but tried her best to break free. However, at this moment, she was extremely tired and was tightly bound by ropes, chains and shackles, and could not get away at all!
Dong Chao raised the stick with trembling hands, but he couldn't bring himself to strike. Xue Ba was also annoyed by his companion's cowardly behavior and, fearing that things might get out of hand, had no choice but to raise the Water and Fire Stick high and smash it down on Yang Zhi's head without the slightest hesitation or delay!
"call--"
At that very moment, a storm suddenly arose, golden feathers exploded, and a gust of evil wind swept through the sky above the grove. The thousands of green leaves covering the treetops danced and rustled in the wind, like a boiling green ocean!
Then, a sticky, blasphemous demonic tendril shot into the sky along with the cracked earth, grabbing Xue Ba's body and rendering her unable to move.
Finally, a coiled dragon staff dragged two terrifying golden shadows and smashed down on them. Liu Hong swung the coiled dragon staff twice, breaking the two water and fire staffs. At the same time, the shockwave from the explosion of the four elements caused Dong Chao and Xue Ba to vomit blood and fly backward!
"Don't panic, little sister! I'm coming!"
Liu Hong roared, flapping his pair of gilded wings, and charged to the side like a meteor. The head of his dragon-patterned staff spewed out molten flames, heating the entire short stick into a destructive, incandescent shape. With a single strike, he melted Yang Zhi's eighty-pound wooden shackles and the ropes binding her to the tree, freeing her.
Liu Hong glanced at Dong Chao and Xue Ba, and brandished the dragon-patterned staff to send the two to their deaths, but Yang Zhi stopped him.
"Brother! Don't kill me!!!"
Yang Zhi weakly reached out to stop him.
"I... I still have to serve in Daming Prefecture. If I just serve as a convict there for a few years, I'll still have a chance to rise above my circumstances! These two officials absolutely cannot be killed!"
"My sister is foolish!"
Liu Hong snorted coldly. After the incidents with Suo Chao and Lin Chong, he had mastered the techniques for persuading these kinds of people to surrender—"Aren't you just blinded by ambition for officialdom? Aren't you just blinded by the prospect of being employed? Aren't you just afraid of tarnishing your ancestors' reputation by becoming a bandit? I'll take care of that for you!"
"Sister, do you really want to go to Daming Prefecture to become a convict? To earn fame and fortune through blood and sweat? But after the Treaty of Chanyuan, Liao and Song have enjoyed a century of peace! There's no war in Daming Prefecture, just bandits. Besides, you don't understand the ways of officialdom at all. How much suffering will you have to endure? How many years will it take to get ahead? Ten years? Twenty years? How many decades do you have in your life???"
Liu Hong's words struck Yang Zhi's deepest wound.
"Why don't we come to Liangshan? We'll play by the rules of the Song Dynasty! Winter is coming, the lone wolf dies, the pack lives. As long as we unite, as long as we work together to make Liangshan an insurmountable obstacle for the government troops!"
Then, the Emperor Zhao will have no choice but to obediently offer us amnesty, and my sister can rejoin the Song army! And on Liangshan, I'm willing to let my sister be a high-ranking leader, where we can feast together, sharing gold and silver! We'll live a carefree life, and no one will be able to harm my sister anymore! When such problems arise, we brothers and sisters will unite and fight together!
Yang Zhi wearily closed her eyes. Though she didn't want to admit it, reality had ruthlessly shattered all her ideals and ambitions. The darkness of the Song Dynasty's officialdom had ultimately extinguished her last hope, leaving this last offspring of Yang Silang and the Liao princess kneeling before Liu Hong, weeping uncontrollably.
"Thank you, brother, for saving my life! Sister, I'm willing to join Liangshan Marsh."
The author says:
Author's Note: That whole thing is finally over. Cat, and the ring is all back. In ancient feudal society, men were manipulated into being treated like slaves, while women were expected to adhere to the three obediences and four virtues. Society simultaneously manipulated and exploited both sides. Now her logic is: I don't accept any feudal oppression. It's not enough for you to pamper me after I married into this family; I want your whole family to pamper and love me—but the exorbitant dowry for selling myself still has to be paid. The gold alone is a couple hundred grams, and my family didn't contribute a single penny; I paid for it all. It's probably around seven or eight hundred thousand yuan in total, according to her own calculation. She cries whenever I try to negotiate, saying she feels like my family is buying her daughter.
Well, that's impressive. But don't expect me to continue accepting feudalistic PUA tactics or to continue being a slave to you.
Only after the breakup did I realize that all the pressure and weaknesses were gone, and I became invincible again.
Chapter 141: A Love Story Under Shackles (Bonus Chapter for 2450 Monthly Tickets)
After rescuing Yang Zhi, Liu Hong mercilessly wielded his Panlong Staff, striking Dong Chao and Xue Ba, who were kneeling and begging for mercy, to death with two blows. He showed no pity whatsoever. He reasoned that if these two went back and revealed his secrets, the Blue Dragons would follow that lead to Liangshan Marsh, which would be quite troublesome.
Liangshan is still in its early stages and cannot withstand these setbacks.
Then, he carefully sat down next to Yang Zhi, lifted her beautiful legs and placed them in front of his knees, and the iron chains binding her ankles swayed in the air, rattling loudly.
Liu Hong first took off the ill-fitting straw sandals, then used his hands, radiating a faint starlight, to heal Yang Zhi's blisters from the burns and the terrifying scratches from the numbness.
Yang Zhixue's white toes trembled, hovering three inches above Liu Hong's knee. Her bloodied toes gleamed with a soft, jade-like sheen under the influence of the Starry Sky True Qi. As Liu Hong's scorching palm slowly traced the arch of her foot, the oozing fluid from the burst blisters transformed into amber-colored stardust, dripping slowly down the pale blue veins winding along her ankle.
"Um--"
Whether out of shyness or ticklishness, Yang Zhi couldn't help but groan.
"Please bear with it, sister."
As Liu Hong whispered, his fingers, imbued with the energy of stars, caressed his smooth, jade-like toenails. The stars brushed away the bloodstains from his round, shell-like nails, revealing the translucent pink jade beneath.
A soft sob escaped Yang Zhi's throat, and the instep of his foot arched in a breathtaking arc. His ten toes gleamed like mother-of-pearl in the sunlight, and stardust lingered between them, fluttering away with each tremor. Liu Hong's fingertips, seemingly unnoticed, slid to the Yongquan acupoint on Yang Zhi's sole, gently grasping and caressing the pair of delicate feet, treating and playing with them in his hands.
When the stars healed the last patch of festering flesh, the new skin was even smoother than the finest silk in the palace. At this moment, the curled toes resembled five shy jade shoots, and the blood seeping from under the toenails was even more vibrant than the most expensive rouge from Fanlou.
At this moment, Yang Zhi was also somewhat confused. One moment she was about to die here, and the next she was saved by Liu Hong. The extremely intense psychological fluctuations made her a little dazed. Looking at Liu Hong, who was taking care of her gently and leading her to Liangshan, she couldn't help but close her eyes and kiss him deeply.
Their lips met, pressing together to release dew-kissed petals. Their tongues intertwined, stirring up a turbulent, galaxy-like frenzy.
Their snowy arms intertwined, crushing the thousand cups of night dew. Their chests embraced, creating undulating waves of breasts.
Her slender waist swayed like willow branches in spring. Her arched feet lifted like a crescent moon over a cold river.
In this secluded forest, the two kissed more and more passionately, their kisses growing deeper and deeper. At this moment, Yang Zhi's hands and feet were still bound by iron chains. Overwhelmed by passion, Liu Hong suddenly pressed Yang Zhi down beneath him. Yang Zhi's snow-white body shone with a radiant glow, and the steel chains rattled. When the iron chains lay across her jade-like body, they created a kind of brutal beauty.
Liu Hong untied his long robe and draped it on the ground as a mattress. He then pressed Qinglong's beautiful and alluring body beneath him, taking what he wanted. His lips cupped her full, snowy breasts, his tongue teasing her rosy rosy cheeks. As the trembling waves of her breasts shattered the jade-like peaks of her breasts, her soft navel swirled like the waves of the South China Sea.
At this moment, Yang Zhi also became aroused and very proactively met Liu Hong's movements. Her slender waist wrapped around the long, hard spiked club, her tender hips bumped against the Buddha's seed bag, her fragrant budding buds brushed against the dark forest, and her cherry-like lower lips swallowed and spat out the terrifying long spear.
"Mmm~ Brother, brother!"
Yang Zhi was completely bewildered at this moment. Rose dew, seeping from his icy skin, overflowed his pubic bone, forming an amber vortex in his valley. The soft flesh of his dantian unconsciously opened and closed, drawing the entire spear into it.
The Jade Gate was first breached, splattering blood-red agate across the ground. The hammer struck, shaking down the tears of Guanyin from the flower petals.
All that could be seen was the desolate grass entwined around the trembling jade stem, startling the twin lotus flowers into closing their buds in shame, causing the jade body to convulse, the twin peaks to ripple with fragrant waves of milk, the beautiful legs to tremble, and the anklets to shake with a rustling sound.
When passion reached its peak and the battle reached its climax, Yang Zhi's eyes gleamed with a different kind of bloodthirsty light. The two used the ground as their blanket and the sky as their bed, shouting and fighting wildly in the wilderness, trying all sorts of positions and all sorts of sensations.
Sometimes Liu Hong would hold the Azure Dragon in his arms like a child holding a urinator, his arms passing through the beautiful woman's knees, his hands supporting her plump, snowy buttocks, and his long spear would enter her jade gate. With each step, she would stumble and tremble, her soul leaving her body, her mind burning with desire, and her lips flowing endlessly.
Sometimes Liu Hong would retrieve the wooden shackles and pretend to put them back on Yang Zhi, forcing this beautiful and valiant female general, whose beauty was no less than Lin Chong's and whose fighting prowess was no less than Suo Chao's, to kneel on the ground like a female prisoner, a bitch, with her head down and her snowy buttocks raised high, while he continued to frantically output to her.
Sometimes Yang Zhi would press Liu Hong down into the stream and play with him. Her slender waist swayed and her plump buttocks rubbed against the water, creating waves of sensual flesh that drove the two of them to the brink of ecstasy. She seemed to have an extremely strong grasp of timing, often accurately seizing Liu Hong's most sensitive moments to launch the wildest assault!
When fighting Lin Chong, Lin Chong clearly had the ability to change light and shadow to deceive the eye, but Yang Zhi was fooled only once.
Lin Chong's unpredictable spear skills were completely countered by Yang Zhi, whose dragon pupils, covered in blue dragon scales, emitted eerie and strange light.
Only now did Liu Hong realize what Yang Zhi's demon messenger's abilities truly were.
【Demon Messenger - Azure Dragon Vision】: Sees through all illusions, enchantments, and mind magic, and the left eye can always see the future six seconds in advance. Additional +11 attack accuracy, +11 block defense, and +11 magic resistance (based on 11 character level).
Liu Hong suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. No wonder this blue-faced beast is so troublesome. Lin Chong couldn't defeat her even after forty rounds. That eye of hers is truly formidable."
Thinking of this, Liu Hong suddenly had an idea. Before Yang Zhi's hands and feet were unchained, he took out a black cloth and blindfolded her.
Having lost his sight and the Azure Dragon's vision, Yang Zhi's hair stood on end, and he trembled with unease.
The loss of her sight not only deprived her of her most relied-upon visual acuity, but also made her other senses extremely sensitive.
Liu Hong simply blew a breath into her ear, and the Azure Dragon let out a soft moan, her whole body instantly going limp.
Then, amidst the intense pleasure of penetration, she experienced even greater stimulation and joy, repeatedly calling out "Brother, Brother!" The sound was so tingling and intoxicating, utterly captivating!
As Liu Hong gazed upon the valiant female general beneath him, her slender hands bound by steel shackles, a wooden chain across her swan-like neck, a black silk blindfold obscuring half her face, the lines of her nose sharper than the curve of a goose-feather saber, and the dried blood at the corner of her lips like rouge applied three times, his strange inner desires awakened even more wildly! His urges to penetrate her flesh grew even more frenzied!
Chapter 142: The Golden Knife Emerges from a Life of Debauchery and Extravagance
After the song ended, Liu Hong searched the two corpses for the key, unlocked the handcuffs and shackles, dressed, and carried the extremely exhausted Yang Zhi away from the burial forest without any hurry.
One of them was a wanted criminal, and the other was to be exiled to Daming Prefecture. Liu Hong didn't dare to just find an inn. Instead, he found a secluded place, pitched a tent, hunted a wild deer, and roasted it over the campfire until it sizzled and glistened. Yang Zhi had been exhausted and starving these past few days, so he devoured the deer in one go, even breaking the bones to eat all the marrow. Only then did he pat his belly contentedly and fall into a deep sleep.
The next day, Yang Zhi slept for a full six hours before waking up, barely recovering to his original state.
“Brother, there is one more thing. I need to go back to Tokyo to retrieve my family’s golden sword before I can return to Liangshan Marsh with you.”
Yang Zhi frowned deeply.
"By the way, those two constables just now said that Wang Cai paid money to kill me. Who is this Wang Cai? Do you know, brother?"
"Wang Cai...Wang Cai?"
Liu Hong racked his brains, but for a moment he really couldn't figure out who this Wang Cai was.
After thinking it over carefully, Liu Hong suddenly remembered that the first time he came to Tokyo to sell his goods, he was extorted in a small commercial street and his goods were seized by the government. Wasn't the mastermind behind it all Wang Cai, the so-called owner of the Chamber of Commerce?
However, he was terrified by Lin Chong's reputation as the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards. He immediately knelt down, returned all the goods, and even lost a large sum of money. Liu Hong and Lin Chong couldn't be bothered with him.
Unexpectedly, this person is still causing trouble. Yang Zhi has fallen to such a low point that even selling a knife, he is still being bullied by this person.
“I know who he is and where he is. Sister, rest for a few days and we’ll go back to take revenge once you’ve recovered.”
Liu Hong comforted Yang Zhi, and they rested in the dense forest for another day. After Yang Zhi's injuries had healed, the two set off to fight their way back to Tokyo!
At this moment, Wang Cai felt both annoyed and happy.
The reason for his anger was that his second-in-command, Niu Er, had been killed in one blow. Niu Er was also a formidable character, a level 5 warrior with thick skin and immense strength. Warriors of this caliber usually served as soldiers in the Imperial Guard or became outlaws in remote and desolate places. At the very least, they were guests of wealthy patrons. It was indeed quite rare for someone to end up as a street ruffian.
Wang Cai couldn't find a strong henchman to replace Niu Er in the short term.
As for being happy, it's because I've already made it clear that Yang Zhi, who dared to kill Niu Er, is doomed. I said even if Guan Yu descended to earth, he couldn't save her! I'm going to place her head before Niu Er's spirit as an offering, to tell everyone that this is what happens to those who offend my Chamber of Commerce!
This move proved remarkably effective, as members of their own chamber of commerce became increasingly proud of themselves and united even more closely under their banner.
Other chambers of commerce were also somewhat wary and dared not act rashly.
What's even more ingenious is that, with a little manipulation, Yang Zhi's golden flower inlay...
The Dragon Treasure Knife, as compensation for killing Niu Er, ended up in his own hands!
Wang Cai greedily stroked the precious sword, thinking, "Good, good, good! I've never seen such a fine sword in my entire life."
Just look at the hilt and scabbard of this precious sword. They are made of pure dragon skin, painted with gold paint, covered with gold powder, and inlaid with gold edges. The counterweight ball at the end of the hilt is even carved into the ferocious appearance of a golden dragon's head, with two fingernail-sized luminous pearls inlaid in it as a pair of terrifying dragon eyes.
After drawing the precious sword, Wang Cai's eyes widened in astonishment!
The hilt of this golden dragon-inlaid sword resembled a blooming golden lotus, with eighteen gilded petals quietly unfolding in all directions, drawing perfect arcs in the air. Each petal was carved with dragons and inlaid with jade, making it an exquisite and unparalleled work of art, or perhaps a sacred lotus throne where Buddha and Bodhisattvas sat.