Upon arriving at the hotel that evening, I opened the conference room door and convened a meeting to discuss the Liangshan Rectification Movement, the Transport of the Army to the East, and the team roster for the next day's competition. Attendees: All the heroes of Liangshan. Each person had a 330ml bottle of Wahaha mineral water in front of them, while Lu Junyi and Wu Yong each held a cup of hot tea. Wu Yong, with his glasses perched on his nose, was intently studying the manuscript in his hands.
The first item on the agenda was a speech by Lu Junyi's elder brother. Lu Junyi cleared his throat and said, "Our Liangshan has a long history. As early as the Han Dynasty..."
I broke out in a cold sweat, leaned down and lowered my voice, saying, "Brother, let's get straight to the point."
Lu Junyi nodded and said, "Then let's start from a few years ago—that was the third year of Xuanhe, which is 1122 in modern terms..."
I nearly fell off the stage. Was this a few years ago? Thank goodness it wasn't Qin Shi Huang giving the presentation. I forced a smile and said, "Brother, how about we make it even shorter?"
Lu Junyi rolled his eyes at me, then gently patted the table and said, "Then there's only one thing: no matter who goes on stage, or what happens in the end, we must show the spirit of Liangshan!" I gave him a thumbs up in approval.
I took out the list that Xiao Rang had fabricated and flicked it in my hand, saying, "Let's finalize the list of participants for tomorrow's team competition." Then I looked at Lin Chong.
Knowing he couldn't shirk his responsibility, Lin Chong stood up and turned to everyone, saying, "If none of you brothers have any objections, please forgive my boldness—I will lead the team tomorrow."
Lin Chong was a peerless martial artist, yet humble and unassuming. After his fierce battle with Wang Lun, he resolutely relinquished the leadership of Liangshan to Chao Gai. He was the kind of virtuous man who stayed away from politics, possessed exceptional character, and was universally loved and respected. Everyone on the mountain respected him. Upon hearing this, everyone cheerfully replied: "Excellent!"
Just as Lin Chong was about to sit down, I quickly said, "Brother Chong, I don't know you brothers very well yet, so please take care of this matter for me."
Lin Chong didn't refuse and pointed to the crowd, saying, "Brothers Zhang Qing and Yang Zhi, thank you for your trouble." These two were among the top-ranking members of the Heavenly Spirits, and their skills were undeniable, so everyone had no objections. I thought to myself, rather than this, the team competition should just be entirely handled by the Heavenly Spirits. Lin Chong and I thought the same thing, and he then pointed to Zhang Shun. Zhang Shun quickly said, "The Ruan brothers and I have already discussed it and decided to participate in the individual competition." Lin Chong nodded and then looked into the crowd.
At this moment, Li Kui suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Lin Chong's hand, saying, "Brother, count me in! I was really frustrated by the loss during the day!"
Hu Sanniang suddenly stood up and said angrily, "Brother Lin is biased. We 108 brothers have always been inseparable, so why is it that when something good happens, you Tiangang are always the first to step forward?"
Lin Chong said unhappily, "Third Sister, how can you talk like that? Are the people I chose less skilled than you or less experienced? Were they chosen solely based on ranking?"
Hu Sanniang said, "I misspoke, Brother Lin, please don't take offense. So, surely I should get one of the remaining two spots?" Seeing that no one spoke and she chuckled, knowing that everyone was making fun of her, she slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "Who objects?"
Many of those present had been captured by her on the spot, and seeing that the female tyrant was truly enraged, they all wisely kept quiet. Moreover, even those with skill were unwilling to provoke a woman, so for a moment, she actually managed to silence them. She said smugly, "Then I'll go tomorrow!" Li Kui only then realized what was happening, jumping up and down and shouting, "Why should you go? I'm the first to object!" Hu Sanniang and Li Kui had a long-standing feud, and now she angrily shouted, "Guards! Prepare your swords and horses!" It seemed she was used to shouting like this. Li Kui also casually reached behind his waist, shouting, "Are you afraid of me?"
Wu Yong quickly said, "Don't let things get sour. Aren't there two spots available?"
The two men, who had been facing off, were both taken aback and awkwardly lowered their stances, then looked at Lin Chong together. Before he could say anything, I grabbed the megaphone and said in a booming voice, "Hey, comrades, please be quiet. Neither of you can participate in tomorrow's competition."
This time, the two were united in their anger and asked in unison, "Why?"
"Tie Niu, you lost the match this morning, and the rosters submitted for our team and individual competitions are different, so you can no longer appear on the field."
Li Kui was dumbfounded after hearing this. Hu Sanniang gave him a gloating look before saying, "I've never lost—in a humiliating and embarrassing way." She immediately said to Tang Long, "I wasn't talking about you." Li Kui was angry but helpless.
“Look at the photos!” I said to Hu Sanniang, pointing to the athletes’ photos on the registration form.
"What's wrong?" she still didn't understand.
“Although all the faces are so dark in the photo that you can’t tell who’s who,” I said, “look at their hairstyles, they’re all definitely buzz cuts. If you’re willing to shave your head like that, then go for it!”
Hu Sanniang was stunned for a moment, and after a long while she stammered, "Isn't it okay to wear a hood?"
I said, "With hair this long, if you wear a hood, your face will be longer than your chestnut horse. If it's done well, it will look better in an olive shape. If it's uneven, you'll look like the Olympic torch. Besides, there won't be a suitable helmet for you. Ordinary helmets are for face protection, and they'll make you look like a baseball cap."
Hu Sanniang shuddered and said, "Then I won't go tomorrow."
The remaining people all focused their attention on Lin Chong. Currently, among the Heavenly Stars, only Dai Zong was without a mission, but since Dai Zong wasn't known for his martial arts skills, he was excluded. Lu Junyi had said that this matter concerned the honor of Liangshan and couldn't be treated lightly; therefore, whoever Lin Chong chose meant that, at least in Lin Chong's eyes, they were the most capable of the 72 Earthly Fiends.
Everyone stared intently at Lin Chong, who in turn looked at each of them, his gaze instantly invigorating those whose eyes fell upon him. However, among the remaining heroes, it was difficult to find someone whose skill was so exceptional that the others had no grounds for argument. Even those with good relationships, like Zhu Gui and Du Xing, were undeniably lacking in martial arts ability. After observing for a while, Lin Chong suddenly said, "Brother Shi Qian—"
Shi Qian was intently peeling an apple-pear with a knife. This was a situation no one should even dream of, so when Lin Chong called out to him, Shi Qian jumped in fright, the knife tip jabbing against the back of his hand. He sucked on the wound, bewildered, and said, "Huh?"
"How about you do one tomorrow?"
Shi Qian froze, and the apple and pear in his hand fell to the ground. Tang Long, who was next to him, caught them quickly and started munching on them.
The heroes gasped in surprise. Because of the difference in skill required, robbers and thieves have always looked down on each other—a tradition passed down through the ages. Therefore, although Shi Qian wasn't ranked last (but close), his status had always hovered at the bottom of Liangshan. The heroes, puzzled, looked elsewhere, thinking that whoever Lin Chong called next was someone he considered as lowly as a thief, and he wouldn't do such a shameful thing.
Seeing that everyone was bowing their heads and avoiding him as if he were a plague, Lin Chong smiled slightly, then suddenly turned around and said, "Xiao Qiang—"
I was holding a megaphone, smiling and watching how he would handle things, when he suddenly called out to me. I was startled, just like Shi Qian, and shouted, "Huh?" A long, loud "Ahhhhh!" echoed through the conference room.
Lin Chong covered his ears, frowned, and said, "Are you free tomorrow? Come with us on stage."
The heroes all laughed: "Yes, yes, Xiaoqiang is the most suitable!" "He's truly the one everyone wants!"
I put down the loudspeaker, dumbfounded, and said, "Brother, you should be kind!"
Lin Chong smiled and leaned closer to me, whispering, "Don't you understand? You basically don't need to go on stage."
I agree. If the opponent has the strength to take down Lin Chong, Yang Zhi, and Zhang Qing, then there's really no point in having anyone else fight. They're just decorations anyway, and right now only Shi Qian and I can "convince" people, so it seems this is the only way.
I took out the list and said, "Let's check the names. Brother Chong, you're Lin Sheng. Brother Zhang Qing, you're Li Xin. Brother Yang Zhi, you're Wang Quan."
Xiao Rang wondered for a moment and then asked, "Is there such a name?"
I looked at the character and said, "That's Engineer Wang."
Xiao Rang said disdainfully, "That character is pronounced 'tong' (copper)!" I was greatly ashamed.
Just then, the conference room door opened, and Baozi poked his head in. Seeing a large group of people sitting there, he greeted them, "Everyone's here—Qiangzi, when are you going to finish?"
I called out into the loudspeaker, "What's up? Come in!" Her bun-shaped hair, with only her face showing, looked quite scary, but it was much better once she came in.
Baozi said, "You go ahead and do your thing. I saw a few wedding dress shops nearby and I'd like you to come with me."
Zhang Shunqi asked, "What's a wedding dress?"
Hu Sanniang glared at him and said, "It's a wedding dress."
Baozi: "San'er is here too, let's go together in a bit."