It was clear that Fang Zhenjiang was also a heavy drinker. He casually called out to his companions a few times and then eagerly downed his drink in one gulp. Afterward, he sighed, wiped his mouth, and suddenly his expression froze. He looked down sharply at the wine jar and said, "This wine, this wine..."
Du Xing nervously stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong with this wine? Have you had it before?"
"Give me another one!"
Du Xing quickly poured him another glass, which Fang Zhenjiang downed in one gulp, this time with a hint of certainty in his expression. Before he could speak, Du Xing refilled his glass. He downed over a dozen glasses in a short time, then plopped down on the ground, pointing at the wine jar and saying, "This wine..."
Du Xing placed both hands on his chest, looking extremely nervous, and said, "What's wrong with this wine? Do you remember?"
Fang Zhenjiang, his cheeks flushed, said drunkenly, "This wine... is much better than what they sell at the Reverse Time Bar—"
Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Potion of Forgetfulness
Du Xing walked over with a mournful face, the two jars in his hands were empty. He slumped down and said, "Brother Wu Song doesn't remember anything."
I stood up again and asked them, "Are you sure that's Wu Song?"
The heroes looked at Fang Zhenjiang, who was fast asleep in the sun, and all nodded.
Lu Junyi smiled faintly and said, "Even his lazy appearance is exactly the same as before."
Zhang Qing pondered, "We have to find a way to make him remember who he is."
Du Xing said, "How about we find a tiger for him to fight?"
Zhang Qing shook his head and said, "No, the tigers in the zoo aren't wild. Hitting them would be the same as throwing sulfuric acid on a bear. I think we should find Wu Dalang and talk to him."
Dong Ping said, "Finding Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing would be more likely to trigger his memories."
Hu Sanniang stamped her feet and shouted, "Can't you say something useful? If you had the time to look for those scoundrels, you would have already come up with a solution."
Duan Jingzhu pointed to a ragpicker in the distance and chuckled, "Third Sister, I think that man looks a bit like Wang Ai Hu. Go tell him who you are, and he'll probably remember that you two were husband and wife in your past life." The heroes laughed heartily.
Wu Yong stood up and said seriously, "Everyone, stop fooling around. The most important thing now is to help Brother Wu Song regain his memory. I think the battle with Wang Yin will depend on him." After he said that, the heroes, remembering the formidable enemy before them, couldn't help but pause.
Wu Yong turned around and cupped his hands in greeting to Bao Jin: "Grand Preceptor Deng..."
Bao Jin said, "Just call me Bao Jin."
"...Alright, Brother Baojin, I'd like to know how you recall the past. Of course, since we are enemies, it's understandable that you don't want to tell me."
Bao Jin said, "There's nothing I can't say. I drank too much that day, and in the middle of the night I found a glass of water on my bedside table. I didn't think much of it, but after I drank it, I remembered everything. The strange thing is probably the water." Bao Jin sighed as he said this, "Actually, I would rather not remember anything and be a happy worker."
Wu Yong said intently, "So that means a special medicine was added to the water." He turned to An Daoquan and asked, "Dr. An, could you possibly concoct such a medicine?"
An Daoquan rubbed his hands and said, "I've never even heard of that. I could make that kind of medicine that makes people forget everything after drinking it."
Everyone looked at him with disdain.
Wu Yong sighed, "It seems that only our enemy has this medicine, and he would never give it to us."
Suddenly, Fang Zhenjiang sprang to his feet and continued working. His steps were still a little unsteady, but steady and deliberate. While other strong men would be panting heavily after carrying just two 100-pound bags of cement, Fang Zhenjiang carried two bags under each arm and walked with incredible speed. Zhang Qing asked in astonishment, "But how come his skills are still there?"
Wu Yong said, "It would be best to find out some information from the people around him first." He pointed to the middle-aged worker who had been slapped by Bao Jin and said, "That man seems to know him quite well." Li Kui shouted, "I'll go and capture him!"
I glared at him and walked over to the man, offering him a cigarette and saying "Thank you for your hard work." The middle-aged worker smiled ingratiatingly at me. His face was tanned a dark red, and he looked older than his age due to years of hard labor. It was clear that his busy work life had made him good at communicating with people; he always had a smile on his face and liked to engage in conversation. He was a humble and shrewd foreman.
We walked aside and lit cigarettes. I watched Fang Zhenjiang coming and going on the construction site. He followed my gaze, glanced at me, and smiled, "Good young man Zhenjiang, my brother."
I sized him up and asked, "You're not related, are you?"
"Hehe, no. That's what we suffering folks call each other when we're out there. We're practically like brothers."
I asked, "What's your surname, brother?"
"Me? My surname is Wang. Because I came out a few years earlier, they all call me Old Wang."
I asked, "Brother Wang, is Zhenjiang a local?"
Old Wang said, "That's right, we've been working together for two years. Why are you so interested in him?" Old Wang glanced over at the heroes and caught sight of Bao Jin glaring at him. He quickly and instinctively moved to the side.
I casually said, "I just thought he was pretty good at kung fu and I wanted to be friends with him."
Old Wang scoffed and said, "What kind of kung fu does he have? He just has strong arms."
"Has he always been this good at fighting?"
Old Wang scratched his head and said, "Now that you ask me, I've realized this problem. Although he used to fight, he only started to be able to hold off a whole group like this recently."
I quickly asked, "Since when?"
"I can't remember. People like us are just worried about making enough to eat every day, who has time to care about other people's business?"
I asked around for a long time, but got nowhere. The conclusion was that Fang Zhenjiang was another Bao Jin, except that he had only awakened the kung fu part.
When I explained the situation to the heroes, Lin Chong sighed and said, "Since that's the case, I'll go handle the matter the day after tomorrow. We can't let someone who doesn't even know who he is represent Liangshan in battle."
Looking at Fang Zhenjiang's busy figure, Bao Jin sighed, "I'm quite envious of him. At least he knows he's just Fang Zhenjiang, a laborer, so he's happy."
Hu Sanniang, who had been ignoring Baojin, couldn't help but roll her eyes and say, "Why are you, a monk, so sentimental?"
Bao Jin shook his head in distress and said, "I don't want to either, but the problem is that the memories of two lifetimes are just too annoying! In my past life, I was a monk, and I couldn't sleep without chanting scriptures every day; in this life, I'm a worker, and I can't sleep without listening to Cui Jian every day. Now it's all good: every night I read the Diamond Sutra and listen to 'Rock 'Rock on the New Long March'—I've been having insomnia for a week."
Many people couldn't help but laugh. Hu Sanniang nudged An Daoquan and said, "Dr. An, aren't you the one who can concoct medicine that makes people forget their troubles? Give him a dose."
An Daoquan said, "After drinking this medicine, I will forget my troubles, but I'm afraid I won't even remember my own name or surname, whether it's from my past life or this one."