Water Margin: From a White-Robed Scholar to Donning the Yellow Robe

Chapter 66 Hua Rong Displays His Supernatural Power

Zhao Yupan nestled in Wang Lun's arms, feeling his body temperature. She went from being shy at first to feeling incredibly warm and reluctant to part.

Their hands remained tightly clasped throughout.

While they were speaking in hushed tones, Wu Song and the others were also speaking in hushed tones.

"The two of them are doing well, enjoying wine and meat, and sticking together for warmth."

Lu Zhishen was the first to protest.

Zhao Si laughed and said, "Chief Lu, the chief didn't intend to invite the two of you to come and protect us, so I didn't have time to prepare your food and wine."

Lu Zhishen then fell silent.

Wu Song asked, "Who is that young lady? Why is she secretly meeting the chieftain by the river? The snow is so heavy and the weather is so cold."

Zhao Si smiled but didn't say anything. Only he and Qin He knew Zhao Yupan's identity.

Wu Song then fixed his gaze on Qin He.

Qin He remained silent, closing his eyes to rest. He too had come from humble beginnings and had once ruled as a mountain king in Yizhou, but his stronghold was later swallowed up by other forces, so he fled into the martial world.

Later, when he arrived in Tokyo, he met Zhao Yupan and became her bodyguard.

So many years have passed, and seeing Wu Song and the others, Qin He felt as if he had returned to the days when he was a bandit king, and his thoughts were in turmoil.

Seeing the anger in Wu Song's eyes, Zhao Si had no choice but to say, "This young lady is extraordinary. Among all the women in the world today, she has the most noble status and is the most suitable match for my chieftain."

Upon hearing this, Wu Song and Lu Zhishen became interested.

"Don't say it yet, let me guess. The one with the most noble status, could it be the current Empress? Oh dear, is that so? She's been having an affair with her brother behind the Emperor's back, so she can only do it secretly."

Lu Zhishen suddenly realized what was going on and expressed his opinion.

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin He gave him a deep look, and a thought flashed through his mind: "Big head, thick neck, either an idiot or a pig."

Wu Song shook his head and said, "That dog emperor of the Song Dynasty must be at least forty or fifty years old. How could Brother Zhishen be so muddle-headed? His empress is so young!"

Lu Zhishen slapped his knee and said, "That's right, I'm frozen stiff."

"I have someone in mind."

Wu Song, quick-witted, replied, "It was while we were drinking in the stronghold. My brother mentioned someone, Zhao Yupan, the eldest daughter of the Song Dynasty emperor."

Qin He nodded and said, "That's right. My mistress is the eldest daughter of an official, and her current title is Princess Jiade."

Lu Zhishen and Wu Song immediately looked at Wang Lun with new respect. They never expected that Wang Lun would actually hook up with the emperor's darling daughter. He was truly a role model for us all.

"Brother, how many daughters does the Emperor of the Song Dynasty have?" Wu Song asked Qin He.

Qin He frowned and said, "How would I know? I only know that there is another person who is close to my master and often visits him. His name is Zhao Fujin. He is as beautiful as a fairy and is only ten years old. He is deeply loved by the emperor."

Wu Song said, "If there are any other princesses or imperial concubines, I, Wu Song, would be a perfect match for them."

Everyone looked at Wu Song and rolled their eyes at him.

As everyone was talking, they suddenly heard a "whooshing" sound, which was the bugle call of the Liangshan Flying Tiger Army.

Wu Song and Lu Zhishen immediately jumped up and saw a troop of cavalry, numbering at least five or six hundred, emerge from Jizhou City and gallop towards them through the heavy snow.

"What happened?"

Wu Song tensed up and tried to approach Wang Lun, only to see that Wang Lun had already pulled Zhao Yupan over as well.

Lu Zhishen had good eyesight. After looking at it carefully for a while, he said, "It seems to be Hua Rong's banner."

The flags that had been made in front of each leader were named after their surnames, and the flag carried by the newcomers was the character "花" (flower).

Wu Song asked in surprise, "Could it be... that he intends to harm the chieftain?"

Wang Lun was also puzzled. Logically speaking, Hua Rong and he had no enmity, and Hua Rong had no reason to kill him.

Qin He said urgently, "Why don't we protect our master and Chief Wang and leave first?"

Everyone arrived on horseback. Hua Rong's troops had only just left the city, so they still had plenty of time to escape.

Just then, a large group of soldiers came galloping from the open space north of Jeju City. There were at least three thousand of them, carrying the banners of the Song Dynasty soldiers. Among the vanguard, the banners with the characters "Huyan" fluttered in the wind.

Wang Lun immediately understood; he guessed that Huyan Zhuo knew he was here for some reason and had led his troops here.

Today, Hua Rong is the one defending the city. After seeing Hu Yanzhuo's army from the city wall, he immediately led his men to the rescue.

He was relieved and ordered everyone to mount their horses and head towards Hua Rong's troops.

Zhao Yupan rode beside him and whispered, "I cannot go to Jizhou with you."

Wang Lun understood that Zhao Yupan was, after all, an imperial princess. Although she had secretly met with him, she was still a member of the Song Dynasty's royal family. Once she entered the rebel camp, she would be condemned by the people and would never be able to return to the royal family.

But now that a major battle is about to break out, it doesn't seem very safe to let Zhao Yupan and her guards leave alone.

Just as they were hesitating, a group of men from Huyan Zhuo's army came galloping quickly, breaking away from the main force.

It seemed that Huyan Zhuo did not intend to start a war immediately, but had other plans. So he stopped and watched Huyan Zhuo's troops arrive.

Hua Rong's troops finally arrived. The Liangshan Flying Tiger Army was now well-trained and obeyed orders. Despite the strong winds and heavy snow, the soldiers remained as still as pines.

Looking at the military formation, Zhao Yupan couldn't help but exclaim, "Your soldiers do look like elite troops."

Wang Lun smiled and said, "That's natural, otherwise I wouldn't have suddenly come to attack Jeju."

Huyan Zhuo and his men had already arrived, about three hundred paces away from the group.

Hua Rong shouted, "Halt!"

Huyan Zhuo and the others ignored him and continued to ride forward.

Hua Rong drew his bow and shot an arrow, which flew like a shooting star. Even in the wind, his arrows were perfectly accurate.

When Huyan Zhuo and the others saw an arrow coming, they quickly stopped, only to find that the arrow was not aimed at anyone.

With a sharp "thud," the arrow struck the flagpole of the "Huyan" banner. The force of the arrow was terrifying. The flagpole, which was already thin, was immediately cracked by the arrow, and with the help of a strong wind, it broke.

Huyan Zhuo was shocked. The two sides were still more than two hundred paces apart. It was not difficult for him to shoot an arrow so accurately at such a distance, but with the strong wind blowing, the accuracy of the arrow would definitely be affected.

The opponent has a skilled player.

He stopped, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Highness, my scouts spotted you here. Fearing for your safety, they led their troops here. Are you alright?"

He initially thought Zhao Yupan was just being playful and reckless, and had dared to come to the enemy camp. After receiving the news, he rushed over.

But when he got closer, he saw that Zhao Yupan had not been kidnapped, but was chatting and laughing with Wang Lun, which puzzled him.

Zhao Yupan sighed softly and said, "He's here to pick me up. I have to go."

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't know when they would meet again after this separation.

She looked at Wang Lun and found that he was also looking at her.

"Yupan, I have now killed officials and occupied the city, and I am at odds with the Song Dynasty. But this is only temporary. Give me some time, and I will definitely find a way to have your father, the Emperor, personally officiate our marriage."

Zhao Yupan was overjoyed, but then felt saddened. Wang Lun spoke lightly, but for his words to come true was as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Looking into Wang Lun's sincere eyes, she nodded again and said, "I believe in you. I will wait for you."