Speaking of this, Lu Junyi said sadly, "The Eight Heavenly Kings are very troublesome. Although Liangshan has many fierce generals, we cannot completely overshadow them. This morning, Instructor Lin, Guan Sheng, Qin Ming and others have all gone out to fight, but they have only managed to fight to a draw. When Brother Wang Ying went out, he was captured by Fang La's nephew without warning."
I said disdainfully, "Why isn't he focusing on making his 'A Chinese Odyssey' (only readers who have read 'Water Margin' and 'A Chinese Odyssey' can understand what this means)? Why is he causing trouble?"
Hu Sanniang looked somewhat embarrassed and retorted, "That fellow surnamed Fang is indeed quite capable. It's also Wang Ying's fault; he's always been lazy on the battlefield, so he deserved to be taught a lesson." Although she said this, her expression was far from relaxed.
I said, "Then he's not in any danger, is he?"
Wu Yong said, "That's hard to say. In today's first battle, Fang La doesn't know our strengths and weaknesses, but he's determined to win. He might kill Wang Ying at any time to bolster morale."
I gasped and asked, "What do we do then?"
Song Jiang, who had been ignored by us, suddenly stood up and said, "In my opinion, all of us brothers should go all out and wipe out Fang La in one fell swoop. Only in this way can we show our loyalty to the court."
We continue to ignore him...
Fang Zhenjiang tugged at me and said, "If all else fails... let's get Lao Wang here."
I asked in astonishment, "Bring him here? So he can watch you fight his clones?"
Fang Zhenjiang said, "Why must we fight? Since we're all on the same side, wouldn't it be better to let him go and persuade Fang La on the other side, so that we can all stop our troops and shake hands in peace?"
"...Can Fang La and his people be trusted?"
"Wasn't it a case of 'no fight, no friendship' between me and Wu Song? Didn't he initially disbelieve me either?"
Wu Song nodded in agreement, and added, "However, Fang La is much more complicated. We need to look exactly the same as him to keep him in check."
I said with difficulty, "But Old Wang looks completely different now."
Fang Zhenjiang said, "His appearance has changed. Doesn't he still have the Four Heavenly Kings under his command? Bring them all here."
I turned to the crowd and asked, "What do you all think?"
Wu Yong adjusted his glasses and said, "This is the best solution at present; otherwise, the only way to capture Fang La is through direct confrontation."
I held the car keys in front of me and said, "Then who of you will have to make the trip? I've been driving long distances for several days in a row, and my hands are cramping from driving so much."
Fang Zhenjiang waved his hand and grabbed the keys, saying, "Then I'll have to make the trip myself."
"Can you drive?" I knew Fang Zhenjiang used to be just a laborer.
Fang Zhenjiang laughed and said, "I've been arguing with that kid Wang Yin a lot in his car lately, and I've unintentionally learned about 80% of it. Besides, what you're doing is just putting it in full gear and stepping on the gas."
Fang Zhenjiang is a rough but shrewd man, and he probably wouldn't risk his life. Besides, I was really tired, so I said to him, "Then go ahead. Remember to check the timeline, don't go to 2018, by then your son will be taller than you, and you might even see your own family of three."
Fang Zhenjiang shuddered. Actually, I was just bluffing. After 2008, without my clients, the car wouldn't be able to get anywhere. Besides, even if it went all the way to 2018, this Fang Zhenjiang is Fang Zhenjiang No. 1 now, and Fang Zhenjiang No. 2 in 2018 would have to disappear immediately upon seeing him—but if that really happened, Fang Zhenjiang would be in luck, saving him so much trouble raising his child.
We put Fang Zhenjiang in my car, and I told him, "Drive safely and don't rush. Remember to refuel. Be extra careful on the way back, or you might slip away and end up with Li Bai and no one will be there to save you."
By this time, we had cleared an empty track. Fang Zhenjiang checked the car window, gave us a thumbs-up like an F1 racer, and Shi Qian waved his flag. Fang Zhenjiang shot off like a runaway... uh, an arrow released from a bow, disappearing abruptly about 200 meters away from us. That kid has more guts than me; I didn't even make it into the timeline for the 2000 meters back then.
We strolled back, and seeing everyone eating, I grabbed a bowl of vegetables and two steamed buns to eat. Just then, we heard the sound of war drums from the opposite side, and dust billowed high into the air. The heroes quickly donned their armor, mounted their horses, and shouted, "The enemy is hurling insults again!"
As everyone mounted their horses and formed ranks, I squatted in front of the infantry formation, continuing to munch on my steamed bun while glancing at the opposite side.
Opposite us, eight steeds and eight generals, led by a middle-aged man with a square face, lined up in a row, intently surveying our direction. That burly man with the square face must be Fang La; he pointed in our direction and moved his lips. A junior general next to him shouted and spurred his horse forward, charging into the front lines. Holding his halberd horizontally, he yelled, "Hey, who dares challenge me?"
Standing next to me, Wu Song said, "This is Fang Jie, Fang La's nephew, the one who kidnapped Wang Ying."
Fang Jie rode a chestnut horse, his horse charging through the Liangshan bandits with a series of rapid maneuvers, his halberd whistling through the air. In the prime of his youth, he was utterly disdainful of everyone else. Hu Sanniang, on the other hand, was seething with hatred, drawing her twin swords to charge. Suddenly, a handsome young man from Liangshan called out, "Third Sister, don't be hasty! Let me take this man down!" This young general emerged from the ranks of the Earthly Fiends. He wore a three-pronged purple-gold crown, a brocade robe, and also carried a halberd. I knew without being told—this was probably Lu Fang, the Little Marquis of Wen. The two young men, seeing each other, were instantly filled with rage. Firstly, they were both still in their adolescence, and secondly, they wielded the same weapon. In the blink of an eye, they began to fight.
In my experience, those who wield the halberd are generally highly skilled. From Lü Bu onwards, anyone who dares to use this weapon must have considerable ability. You see in storytelling that a powerful figure challenges the enemy, and some reckless NPCs always try to take them down with a single blow. Among these NPCs are those wielding swords and spears, but I've never seen anyone wielding a halberd be cut down in one strike. This speaks volumes.
Sure enough, the two young men brandished their halberds, their blades clashing like two turtle shells rolling down a hillside, making a clanging sound. I stood in the crowd, holding my vegetable basin—dust even drifted in.
The two fought for over ten minutes without a clear winner. Fang Jie's moves were exquisite, but Lü Fang was no slouch either. Fearing for his nephew's safety, Fang La ordered a retreat. Fang Jie, still unsatisfied, dared not disobey orders. He glared at Lü Fang, spat on the ground, and angrily returned to his unit. Lü Fang wiped his sweat and smugly laughed, "That Fang fellow is nothing special. Quickly release my brother Wang Ying, or next time you see me, I'll definitely..."
Before he could finish speaking, a man suddenly rushed out from the opposite formation and fired a shot straight at his head. Lü Fang barely managed to dodge, but he was still caught off guard and in a flurry of movement. I chuckled when I saw him—it was an old acquaintance—Li Tianrun.
Li Tianrun was clad in brass armor, his spear trembling wildly in his hand, exuding an undeniable murderous aura. Looking at him now, and recalling the henpecked husband at Yucai whose arm had been broken by Xiang Yu and whose battery had been stolen, how could one not be amused?
Ruan Xiaoqi asked me, "What are you laughing at?"
I pointed at Li Tianrun and said, "This man is afraid of his wife."
Ruan Xiaoqi scratched his head and said, "Oh, you're one of us."
After Li Tianrun and Lü Fang fought for a few rounds, Wu Yong said worriedly, "Lü Fang is exhausted. Who will go back to replace him?"
Without a word, Xu Ning, the Golden Spear General, spurred his horse forward and replaced Lü Fang. Zhang Qing, standing to the side, grumbled, "That kid, he stole my job!" He'd been eyeing Li Tianrun for quite some time now!
In short, the two generals fought for another half hour before both commanders sounded the retreat. Lin Chong said to me helplessly, "See? It's been like this since this morning, and we can't seem to determine a winner. If we force a fight, it goes against our original intention."
At this moment, the field was temporarily empty. Just as I was about to start eating my second steamed bun, a burly man suddenly jumped onto the field from the opposite side, dragging a monk's staff, and shouted, "I heard that there is a monk from Liangshan named Lu Zhishen who is incredibly strong. Come out and have a contest with me!"
A rough voice shouted, "Then are you the Buddha of Precious Light, Deng Yuanjue?" Lu Zhishen was not on horseback, so he could only hear the voice calling out in the group, but could not see the person himself.
Deng Yuanjue stared at them with wide eyes and shouted, "That's right!"
"Waaaaah!" A roar that was hard to describe as either anger or excitement suddenly rang out, and Monk Lu, dragging his staff, stepped out from the crowd. These two long-time adversaries had finally met. However, everyone couldn't help but laugh when they saw them. The two were about the same height, both bald, and both carrying extra-large staffs. If you didn't look closely, you might mistake them for twins.
Old Lu and Deng Guangtou chuckled at each other, and as if on telepathy, they suddenly swung their canes at the same time, striking each other on the head. I exclaimed, "Oh no, this is going to be a fight to the death!"
Hua Rong smiled slightly at me and said, "Don't worry, Brother Qiang, I'll take care of things."
In this battle formation, everyone was wearing armor, and I didn't even know if the person talking to me was number 1 or number 2, Hua Rong...
The two bald men fought with even greater ferocity and danger, their thick iron staffs swinging wildly in front of their heads. The two armies, numbering in the tens of thousands, were now involuntarily forced to retreat, quickly clearing a space twice as wide as before…