Li Tianrun got off his bicycle, then bent down and locked it. I chuckled and said, "Just leave it here, no one will steal it."
Li Tianrun looked up and around and said, "No, this place is full of migrant workers."
I gave him a disdainful look. All the migrant workers here are building air force bases, and every single one of them is richer than him. He's really disgracing the Eight Heavenly Kings.
When Li Tianrun was relentlessly sticking out his buttocks and chaining, I really had the urge to kick him a couple of times. I never imagined that the person who had seriously injured Zhang Shun was such a weak man.
Just then, Shi Qian nudged me from behind and walked away. I quickly understood, pointed at Li Tianrun's car, and winked at Xiao Liu and the others. At that moment, Xiao Liu displayed his composure, giving me a barely perceptible nod…
Li Tianrun locked the car, then suddenly spotted Bao Jin and exclaimed in surprise, "Grand Preceptor Deng, how did you end up with these people? Why didn't you go when the boss asked you to meet him?"
Bao Jin asked, "Boss? Is that Brother Fang?"
Li Tianrun shook his head: "No, it's another one..."
Bao Jin interrupted him, saying, "Besides Brother Fang, I don't see anyone from before. Brother, I advise you to let go of the things from your past life."
Li Tianrun glared sternly at Bao Jin, spat on the ground, and then followed Lu Junyi and the others toward the lecture hall without saying another word. Once Li Tianrun recalled his past, he transformed back into a ruthless and decisive man.
Bao Jin didn't seem to mind and followed us over.
The heroes entered the lecture hall, keeping unauthorized personnel out, drawing the curtains, some blocking the doorway and others standing by the windows, while Lin Chong and his companions surrounded Wu Yong and Lu Junyi. Seeing the heroes' preparedness, Li Tianrun coldly sneered, "Are you afraid I'll run away?"
He pulled a letter from his pocket, waved it at me, and said, "Xiao Qiang, this feud isn't just between the Eight Heavenly Kings and Liangshan, it's also between our leader and you." With that, Li Tianrun flicked his wrist, and the letter flew towards me. I caught it with both hands, instinctively held it up to the light to examine it, and then tore it open. Inside was a letter printed on a computer sheet, which read:
Lord Xiaoqiang, I, along with the Eight Heavenly Kings and my comrades, bow in respect. The grudges of a past life are being settled in this one, and we are deeply honored to witness this grand occasion. From this day forward, with each ten days as the dividing line, we request that both sides send three heroes to fight, and life and death be left to fate…
Upon seeing this, I couldn't help but frown and say, "What kind of nonsense is this?"
Li Tianrun pointed to the envelope and said, "There's also a letter in vernacular Chinese inside..."
As he instructed, I took another piece of paper out of the envelope, unfolded it, and read:
Xiao Qiang, hello! Getting along well with the Liangshan heroes, right? Please give them my and the Eight Heavenly Kings' greetings. Of course, there are other heroes too, but I won't go into detail here. You probably know they had some unpleasant experiences in their past lives. Since they've had the chance to reunite now, we should help them settle things. It's a good thing to have this kind of excitement to watch! I have an idea: every 10 days, we'll each send three people to compete. The intensity of the competition is up to us. To make the game more interesting, I suggest we each put in a bet each time. Let's tentatively set it at 1 million. I know you're not flush with cash, but you should have that much. If you disagree, there's nothing I can do. I apologize for what happened between you and Liu Bang at the bar a while ago. If you take this as a threat, then I have to say: Yes, this is a threat! If you don't agree, I'll keep causing you trouble. Finally, regarding who I am, it's not important. Liu Laoliu will tell you sooner or later. Additionally: We can discuss the time, place, and method of the duel before proceeding.
After I finished reading the letter, I passed the copy in classical Chinese to the heroes. Some of them flew into a rage, some chuckled coldly, and others remained expressionless—those were the illiterate ones.
It seems the person Liu Laoliu mentioned has finally broken free from being a behind-the-scenes manipulator and stepped forward. I just didn't expect him to use such a seemingly direct method. Judging from his choice of words, although he's somewhat cynical, he's probably not young. Also, it's quite obvious that he wants to use my special status as a client to create serious trouble for me, but he doesn't actually intend to kill me personally.
I glanced at Li Tianrun and said, "Is there anything else?"
I asked him that to subtly hint to the heroes that Li Tianrun was a messenger so he could leave. I could see that the bandits were blinded by hatred. They didn't care about killing a person or two anywhere, especially troublemakers like Zhang Qing, Dong Ping, and Li Kui. Even the more experienced and prudent ones like Lu Junyi and Lin Chong were hesitant.
At that moment, the door to the lecture hall was kicked open, and someone shouted, "Li Tianrun, no matter who you are, you'll never leave this room today!" It was Zhang Shun, who was being supported by the Ruan brothers, with Duan Jingzhu limping behind them.
Li Tianrun had completely transformed at this moment, his bloodshot eyes glaring as he arrogantly laughed, "I never intended to go anywhere. I'll be the first one to duel you within ten days. I've long heard that the Liangshan bandits are all weaklings, relying solely on their numbers. Will you all rush at me, or come one by one to die? I, Li, have nothing to fear!"
This person can transform at will; the little man from before has become arrogant and wants to crush the morale of the entire Liangshan Mountain by himself.
The heroes erupted in uproar. Suddenly, Zhang Shun bowed deeply to the crowd and said, "Brothers, I beg you. If this man doesn't die today, I, Zhang Shun, will have no face to live."
Although the heroes were enraged, none of them rashly stepped forward to attack. This wasn't a battlefield; a group of them ganging up on one person was simply out of the question. But choosing a leader they could trust and respect to challenge him was also quite difficult. Everyone knew the Eight Heavenly Kings were incredibly brave, and among the Liangshan heroes who had returned, there weren't many seasoned generals. Even those like Lin Chong and Dong Ping were skilled in mounted combat, and none of them were confident of winning a one-on-one fight on the ground. Personal safety was a minor matter; losing face for Liangshan would incur the scorn of their brothers.
Bao Jin suddenly stood beside Li Tianrun and said loudly, "Gentlemen, although I have no intention of being your enemy, I am also one of the Eight Heavenly Kings. I cannot just stand by and watch my former allies die. If you all want to win by overwhelming numbers, I, Deng, have no choice but to sacrifice myself for righteousness."
At this moment, Xiang Yu, who had been silent all along, walked up to Zhang Shun, patted him on the shoulder, took two steps forward, pointed at Li Tianrun, and said, "I will fight you."
Seeing the giant, god-like figure challenging him, Li Tianrun couldn't help but ask, "Who are you?"
Xiang Yu waved his hand impatiently and pointed at Zhang Shun, saying, "He is my friend. I promised him I would avenge him. Go ahead and hit him, or don't dare to."
Seeing that Xiang Yu was a stranger, Li Tianrun assumed he was just an ordinary big guy and slammed his hand on the table, saying, "Fine, I'll deal with you first."
Bao Jin, who was blocking Li Tianrun's path, nodded slightly, signaling him to move aside. Seeing that Li Tianrun was also in Bao Jin's position, Bao Jin had no choice but to step aside.
Zhang Qing stepped forward and said, "Brother Xiang, this is a matter between Liangshan and Fang La. We appreciate your kindness, but..."
Xiang Yu interrupted him, saying, "You must keep your promises. Don't worry, I won't kill him, you still have a chance."
Seeing that someone spoke with an even more arrogant tone than himself, Li Tianrun was so angry that he laughed instead, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiang Yu, and said loudly, "Please come outside!"
Xiang Yu kicked aside a few tables and said calmly, "Let's just do it here. It's nothing more than a few moves. Why make things so complicated?"
Li Tianrun could no longer contain himself and threw a punch at Xiang Yu's face. Xiang Yu reached out and grabbed his fist, taking a small step back and pulling him back. Li Tianrun's body was instantly yanked into the air, and Xiang Yu's massive fist swung towards him. Li Tianrun hadn't expected this big guy to be so fierce. Seeing the fist, the size of the bottom of a pot, coming towards him, he knew he was in trouble and hurriedly tried to dodge the blow. But his body was already sinking, and an inevitable kick awaited him. Good for Li Tianrun, ruthless yet skillful, in his desperation, he actually lifted one leg and hooked it around Xiang Yu's waist, then fell into Xiang Yu's arms. It's said that he was a man nearly 1.8 meters tall, but now, clinging to Xiang Yu's arm, he looked like an infant being held by an adult—a truly bizarre sight.
Seeing his opponent engage in close combat, Xiang Yu crossed his arms and tried to pull him in. If he succeeded, even a telephone pole would likely snap. Li Tianrun shouted, bracing his elbows against Xiang Yu's shoulders and forcefully pulling his legs around his opponent's waist. Before Xiang Yu could even reach him, he was hooked and thrown to the ground. The onlookers were all utterly astonished.
With a sharp crack, the two men crushed a section of tables and chairs. The next moment, Xiang Yu leaped to his feet, while Li Tianrun lay groaning amidst a pile of broken wood.
Originally, Xiang Yu, who was originally pressed down, twisted his waist in a split second and switched places with Li Tianrun. The unlucky guy who landed first was crushed by Xiang Yu's huge body, dislocated one arm, and all the air in his chest was released with a gurgling sound.
Li Tianrun lay on the ground, feeling dizzy and disoriented, before he could barely stand up. One arm hung dangling from his shoulder, and his eyes were full of confusion, as if he had no idea where he was.
Xiang Yu pointed at his nose and said, "In war between two countries, envoys are not to be killed. Get lost."
Li Tianrun staggered a few steps before regaining his balance, his previous arrogance completely gone. He walked silently towards the door. Seeing him like this, none of the heroes dared to harm him further, letting him open the door with one hand and walk out.
Unexpectedly, he ran into a sallow-faced man as soon as he stepped out of the corridor. At his most humiliated moment, Li Tianrun used his strong arm to shove the man away, snarling, "Get out of my way!" The man in front of him was Duan Tianlang, who had never suffered such a loss before. He easily parried Li Tianrun's hand. Enraged, Li Tianrun elbowed Duan Tianlang in the face, which Duan Tianlang blocked again. However, this was a feint; Li Tianrun's palm was already poised to strike his chest in a chicken-beak shape. Duan Tianlang, still recovering from his illness, was a step too slow and was about to be injured again when suddenly, a pair of slender hands guided and pushed Li Tianrun's hand away. Li Tianrun, his attack already weakened, lost his balance and crashed headfirst into the wall.
It was Tong Yuan, who was skilled in Tai Chi, who saved Duan Tianlang.
Having suffered another setback, Li Tianrun looked at the two people in front of him and said miserably, "Yucai is indeed a place where hidden talents reside." After saying that, he left without looking back.
The remaining two looked at each other, and Tong Yuan said somewhat coldly, "Although I don't get along with you, we are both from Yucai now."
Duan Tianlang didn't say anything after hearing this, he just nodded to Tong Yuan, put his hands behind his back, and left.
Although Li Tianrun was slightly injured, he managed to leave unharmed, saving me the trouble of figuring out how to dispose of the body. If the bandits were to fight, the battle wouldn't be over without casualties, but Xiang Yu insisted on taking matters into his own hands, showing he understood my concerns. Despite his rough exterior, the King of Chu can be quite sensitive and understanding at times.