No matter how I asked him, he kept repeating the same two words over and over. I finally snapped and slapped him hard on the bald head: "How much money the hell did you lose?"
My slap seemed to finally bring him back to life. Bao Jin ignored me, grabbed Shi Qian next to him, shoved his wallet in front of Shi Qian's nose, and shouted, "Do you know him?"
Shi Qian waved his arms and legs in the air for a while, then suddenly froze and exclaimed in a shrill voice, "Isn't this Brother Zhishen?"
I didn't react for a moment, standing there scratching my head. Hearing Shi Qian's shout, the Liangshan heroes swarmed around, glanced at the photo in Bao Jin's wallet, and then, as if injected with adrenaline, shouted, "Brother Zhishen!"
Lu Junyi put his hand on Bao Jin's shoulder and asked, "Have you met Zhishen? Where did this photo come from?"
Bao Jin didn't answer, but plopped down on the ground, muttering to himself, "I never would have guessed. After being brothers for thirty years, we were enemies in our past lives..."
The heroes were in an uproar: "This is your brother?"
Bao Jin held his wallet and smiled bitterly: "Lu Zhishen, these days I've been thinking of you wherever I go, but who would have thought it would be you—silver?"
Hu Sanniang asked in confusion, "Silver?"
Wu Yong whispered, "Bao Jin's brother must be named Bao Yin."
I took Bao Jin's wallet and glanced at the photo inside the plastic lining. Bao Yin also had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a bulbous nose, and did indeed resemble Bao Jin somewhat. But the differences were also significant; Bao Yin was noticeably more honest and straightforward than Bao Jin, with a piercing gaze, suggesting he was also a frank and straightforward man.
I cautiously said to Baojin, "Since Yinzi looks exactly like the Lu Zhishen from before, you should have realized it was him the day you regained your memory, right?"
Hua Mulan had a general understanding of the situation by now, and said, "When looking for an enemy, one naturally thinks of someone far away. Who can immediately think of a close relative they've been with day and night? Especially since the two brothers grew up together." Everyone nodded. In fact, they hadn't understood it at first either, but Hua Mulan, an outsider, had pointed out the key to it.
I have to admit that Mulan has a point. Actually, it's easy to overlook the appearance of family members who grow up together. It's like a younger brother finding it hard to judge whether his older sister is beautiful or not; it's as if she was born to look a certain way. Bao Jin and Bao Yin have been separated for many years, and if I hadn't just looked at a photo, I probably wouldn't have realized that my younger brother looks like Lu Xun.
Bao Jin sat on the ground, muttering like he was having a fit: "I never expected this, I really never expected this—no wonder I always unconsciously bullied him when I was little..."
The heroes were both angry and amused, and asked, "Where is your brother now?"
Bao Jin jumped up: "His train arrives at 9 pm, I have to go pick him up!"
The heroes were even more eager than he was: "Let's go too!"
Bao Jin exclaimed in astonishment, "What are you doing there? That's my brother!"
The heroes were unhappy: "We became brothers before you!"
Besides the Four Heavenly Kings and their heroes, everyone else found it amusing. Old rivals from a past life had become brothers in this one – it was even more entertaining than a Japanese film where a biological daughter falls in love with her father. Xiang Yu and his companions insisted on going too – so they all went together.
We first released the two horses back at Yucai, then regrouped and headed to the train station. We arrived there at exactly 9:55, and a large group of people rushed to the exit. We then heard an announcement reminding those picking up passengers to get ready.
Everyone was excited and discussing among themselves. Fang Zhenjiang asked, "Should we tell Lu Zhishen—or rather, Baoyin—the truth later?"
I said, "I think we should hold off on saying anything for now. Whether he believes it or not, his own brother fought against him in a past life, and that's not the same as rekindling a past relationship."
I saw the Four Heavenly Kings and Fang La hiding to one side, talking about something with serious expressions, so I asked, "Old Wang, what are you talking about?"
While wiping away cold sweat, Fang La said, "We're wondering if any of our relatives are enemies from a past life—I have a distant cousin who looks exactly like Song Jiang!" The heroes all asked, "Really? Bring him here so we can meet him."
Li Tianrun remained silent, his expression somber. I asked, "Brother Li, have you remembered something too?"
After a long silence, Li Tianrun finally said, "What you're talking about is all uncertain. Unlike me, I really do have an enemy from a past life!"
Everyone asked in surprise, "Who?"
“My wife. I suddenly remembered, she looks exactly like a county magistrate I killed. No wonder she’s been so mean to me all my life!”
Everyone shuddered – what must Li Tianrun's wife look like?
Around 9:10, a large number of people began to emerge from the exit. Regardless of whether they knew Lu Zhishen or not, they all stood on tiptoe and peered across the street.
A short while later, a burly man emerged from the ticket hall with the crowd. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes, exuding a rugged and honest air, and was also peering into the crowd outside. The heroes exclaimed joyfully, "He's here! It really is Brother Zhishen!"
Bao Jin stood there, stunned. I gave him a hard shove on the back: "Go on, go find your own brother and fight him to the death."
Bao Jin walked slowly forward through the mist. Bao Yin spotted him at a glance, rushed off the platform, threw his bag on the ground, and affectionately pinched Bao Jin's shoulder, calling out, "Brother!"
Before Bao Jin could speak, the group of heroes had already surrounded Bao Yin, shouting, "Do you still recognize me?"
Bao Yin looked at them one by one, then suddenly laughed and said, "I know them all!"
The heroes were overjoyed: "You really know him?"
Bao Yin shook hands with them one by one: "Aren't you the group that went to Singapore with my brother to compete?"...
The heroes returned, looking utterly dejected. I asked Wu Yong, who was standing on the perimeter, "Strategist, do you think that really is Brother Zhishen?"
Wu Yong observed for a long time, resting his chin on his hand, and said, "Absolutely. I think his personality hasn't changed much since he came to this life. Apart from his memories and skills from his previous life, he is still himself."
I crossed my arms and said casually, "Now Baojin can finally relax."
The crowd pushed Bao Yin out, leaving Bao Jin at the very back. Bao Yin turned around and called out, "Brother, where are we going?"
I stepped forward and said, "Let's eat first. We'll go back to school tonight. Your brother is a teacher at Yucai now."
Bao Yin grabbed my hand and shook it hard twice: "I know you. I saw you play a match during the national competition."
I only fought one match in that competition, the one where I beat Duan Tianlang until he vomited blood. So Bao Yin probably thought I was an unparalleled master. He didn't hold back at all in his wrist strength, shaking me up and down. He really lived up to his name as Lu Zhishen.
After he let go of me, I rubbed my aching arm and pointed to a weeping willow tree about half my height at the station, saying, "Baoyin, can you pull that up?"
Bao Yin laughed and said, "What a joke, I'd be more like Lu Zhishen in my past life."
Chapter Twenty-Eight Leonardo