We arrived at the tent where the prisoners were being held, and I cautiously took a step back. Old Wang went in first. Li Tianrun, still bound, sensed someone enter and began cursing through gritted teeth again. Old Wang squatted down and smiled, "Brother, are you alright?"
Li Tianrun glanced at him but didn't react. This was because although Old Wang was the reincarnation of Fang La, his appearance was quite different now. But looking to the side, Li Tianrun exclaimed in surprise, "Minister Wang? Grand Preceptor Deng? What are you doing here... Have you been captured as well?" Although Wang Yin and Bao Jin's clothes and hairstyles were different, they were still very similar in general, so Li Tianrun recognized them immediately.
The next second, Li Tianrun saw the last person to enter, and was so shocked that he straightened up and stammered, "You are..."
Li Tianrun sighed and said, "What should I call you? Well, I'll just call you Big Brother like they do. Big Brother, I've come to see you."
Bound up, Li Tianrun's eyes darted around, and he seemed to understand something as he roared angrily, "I understand! You are Liangshan bandits in disguise, here to swindle my camp!"
Old Wang shook his head and said, "Take a good look at me and see who I am?"
Li Tianrun stared at him for a long time, then hesitated and said, "You do look somewhat like my brother Fang..." He suddenly laughed sharply, "Compared to him, your disguise skills are far inferior!"
Old Wang sat on the ground, hugging his knees, looking somewhat helpless. He said, "How should I explain this to you—Tianrun, you should do it."
Li Tianrun sat down shoulder to shoulder with his predecessor and said leisurely, "Big brother, do you still remember when we were 16, we liked the second daughter of Widow Sun who made tofu?"
Li Tianrun No. 1 tilted his head, looked at No. 2 with surprise, and finally sneered: "I didn't expect you to go to such great lengths to investigate my past."
Li Tianrun No. 2 said undeterred, "Alright, that doesn't count. Let me tell you something others don't know—you have a total of four wives, and your favorite is your third wife, Xiao Ni..."
Li Tianrun No. 1 said coldly, "...Although I usually treat the four of them coldly, since you are so concerned about investigating me, it is not hard to see that I am biased towards the third brother."
Number 2 Li Tianrun said, "Don't rush me, I haven't finished yet. You've never told anyone why you dote on her, have you? Well, let me tell you, you dote on her for no other reason than that she has two tiger teeth and likes to gently bite the back of your hand when she's asleep."
Li No. 1's face flushed crimson instantly, and he shouted, "You...you didn't peep on us while we were sleeping, did you?"
Li No. 2 was also a little embarrassed and said, "What are you peeking at? You are me and I am you. Do you believe in reincarnation? When I grow up, I will become you. I am your reincarnation."
People in ancient times still believed in this. Li No. 1 couldn't help but change his expression and look at Li No. 2, but finally shook his head and said, "No matter what you say, I just don't trust you. If you're willing, come find me after this battle is over." It seems he was still worried about falling into the enemy's trap at this moment.
Li Tianrun No. 2 said angrily, "Why are you so stubborn? I wasn't like this in my past life—forget it..." We all thought he was about to go berserk and beat up his older brother from his past life, and were about to pull him back, but unexpectedly, Li Tianrun paced around twice as if he had made up his mind and said, "Then I'll tell you something that only you and I know..."
We all watched him curiously. Li Tianrun circled around twice more, seemingly finding it particularly difficult to speak, before finally making up his mind to whisper a few words in Li No. 1's ear...
"Huh?" Li No. 1's expression changed drastically instantly, staring at Li No. 2 without blinking. "How did you know?"
After calming himself down, Li Tianrun said, "Now you should believe me, right?"
Li No. 1 said with a long face, "I have no choice but to believe it."
"Hey, why didn't you say so earlier?" Wang Yin impatiently walked behind Li No. 1 and untied his ropes, then asked the two Li Tianruns with some curiosity, "Hey, what are you talking about?"
The two Li shook their heads in unison: "It cannot be said, it cannot be said..."
Old Wang smiled and said, "Tianrun, do you understand now? Minister Wang, Grand Preceptor Deng, and I are all reincarnated beings, just like your brother. The reason we are here is to tell you all that we can no longer fight against Liangshan..." Old Wang briefly told Li Tianrun No. 1 about the tragic outcome of Fang La and Liangshan's last battle, and then said a few words about the Human Realm Axis and the Point Table.
Li No. 1 looked me up and down a few times, then said to Lao Wang, "Brother Fang, what are you planning to do?"
Old Wang said, "Now we can only rely on you to lead us into the main tent to see Fang La, and then I will speak to him."
Upon hearing that it was still about this matter, Li No. 1, still uneasy, gave me a suspicious look. Li No. 2 said, "What, don't you trust us?"
Li 1 looked at Li 2, stamped his foot and said, "Hey, you even know about that? Even if you're a spy, I'll accept it! Come with me."
Our curiosity was piqued, and we asked together, "What exactly happened?"
The two Li shook their heads in unison again: "It cannot be said, it cannot be said..."
By this time it was completely dark. After persuading Li Tianrun, we said goodbye to the heroes and fled the Liangshan camp under cover of night to head towards Fang La's army.
Along the way, the two Li Tianruns chatted for a while longer. But it seemed that Li 1 was still questioning Li 2 because he didn't trust him. However, the more they talked, the more sense they made. By the time they arrived at Fang La's camp gate, Li 1 had been completely captured.
The soldiers guarding the camp gate saw someone approaching in the darkness and immediately shouted, "Who goes there? Halt! Or we'll shoot arrows!"
Li Tianrun No. 1 stepped forward and called out, "It's me."
Upon recognizing the person, the soldier exclaimed with delight, "It's General Li! You're back!"
Li Tianrun nodded and said, "Open the door quickly, I need to see Brother Fang."
The camp gates swung open, and Li Tianrun led the way, with us all wearing felt hats and following silently behind. Soon we arrived at the central command tent. We all dismounted and, without waiting for the guards to announce our arrival, entered Fang La's tent.
Fang La was discussing the battle strategy with the remaining seven Heavenly Kings when he suddenly saw a group of people walk in through the door. The person in the lead was none other than Li Tianrun, who had been captured during the day. He couldn't help but rub his eyes and say, "Am I dreaming or am I seeing things? Is it really my brother who has returned?"
Shi Bao, who was standing right next to Fang La, looked up and exclaimed with great joy, "Brother Li, is it really you?" Although Bao Jin said that the Eight Heavenly Kings did not have a deep relationship, Li Tianrun had been captured in order to save him. Upon seeing him again, he couldn't help but step forward and hug Li Tianrun tightly, looking him up and down carefully. He asked, "How did you escape? Did they make things difficult for you? If you're not satisfied, go and chop that dwarf up."
Upon seeing Li Tianrun return safely, the others all offered their congratulations. Li Tianrun stepped aside to make way for us, saying, "Brother Fang, let me introduce you to some friends."
We took off our hats. Shi Bao was the first to see me, and with a snap, he drew his sword, observing my expression as he asked, "Brother Li, did he kidnap you here?"
Li Tianrun waved his hand and said, "Put the knife away. The situation is like this..."
At this moment, Wang Yin and Deng Yuanjue, who were inside Fang La's tent, also discovered their own replicas. These two ruthless men, who never blinked an eye at killing, couldn't help but shout and yell. Old Wang held his hat in his hand, fanning himself, and looked at Fang La with a slight smile, saying, "Brother Fang, guess who I am?"
Fang La was a rough and boisterous man who wouldn't even flinch at the sight of a ferocious beast or demon, but when he was face to face with Old Wang, he couldn't help but murmur, "I've never seen you before, yet you seem so familiar..."
Old Wang gestured with his hands, saying, "Brothers, please sit down and let's talk." As soon as he arrived at the military camp, he exuded the air of a kind and generous elder brother. These people in the tent were all his close friends, and they unconsciously felt a sense of goodwill towards him, so they slowly sat down.
Old Wang looked at Li Tianrun No. 1 and said, "Brother, why don't you take the lead?"
Li No. 1 organized his thoughts and slowly said, "Brother Fang, brothers, the people I brought are not outsiders..."
Throughout the narration, Li Tianrun's words were repeatedly interrupted by the Seven Heavenly Kings, who were full of questions. Finally, when they had roughly grasped the situation, the tent fell into an extremely quiet atmosphere. The Seven Heavenly Kings looked at Li Tianrun beside them, exchanging bewildered glances, unsure of where to begin.
After a while, Wang Yin... Number 1 couldn't hold back any longer and jumped up, pointing at Wang Yin and shouting, "I don't care about anything else, but if you want me to believe this nonsense, you'll have to prove it to my men!"
Wang Yin No. 2 gave him a disdainful look and said, "I knew you were thinking that way the moment I entered the tent. There's no surprise at all!"