On the fifth of the month, all the brothers were fully armed. w.a.n.g Hei Hu and He Lao San were going to be leading them down.
However, before heading down the mountain, He Lao San didn’t want to part with Lin Shan. He grabbed onto her hand and wouldn’t let go. He touchingly stated: “Dear, don’t worry about brother. Nothing will happen to me! Wait for me to come back!!”
Lin Shan’s face twitched. Who said I was worried about you? I’m worried whether I can escape or not, okay?
After He Lao San and the group left, Lin Shan went back to her room to gather all her things. Since she was kidnapped, she didn’t have much luggage. All she had was Du Hao’s garment and his embroidered golden dragon ribbon waist belt.
Why wasn’t this an embroidered chicken or goose? Why must it be a dragon? I can’t even sell it because no one would dare buy it! Lin Shan spat on the waist belt and threw it on the ground as she harshly stepped twice on it. She yelled: “Crown Prince, eh? You took advantage of me again!”
She gathered a few of the female outfits He Lao San gave her and wrapped it into a bag as she slipped out.
Since all the strong men went down to rob, all the remaining gang members were the old and sick ones. Therefore, it was very easy for Lin Shan to avoid their sight as she left from the back door.
Along the way, it was a beautiful spring day on Black Dragon Mountain. The scene was enchanting and this was the first time Lin Shan had worn a female outfit roaming freely outside. Although she didn’t have a single dollar on her, and her future was uncertain, she still felt very optimistic and cheerful.
She was humming a song as she walked down the mountain. When she reached the bottom, she turned around and glanced at the path she just came from. Inside, she whispered:
Farewell, Palace. Farewell, Song Residence. Farewell, Xiao Lu. Farewell to that a.s.shole Du Hao. Farewell to the golden sabre and your owner Lian Feng…. as of today, I, Lin Shan, will no longer have to hide. I’m going to be a proud woman and find a good looking man to live the rest of my life!!
Although she said those thoughts in her mind, she couldn’t help but feel slightly reluctant to go. She looked at the path for a long time before she sighed and turned around.
Just as she turned around, she heard “Kill!” coming into her ear. Then, she heard people and horses fighting and screaming. Dust was flying and the ground was shaking.
Poor Lin Shan never expected her chosen path (the least used path) was the one that He Lao San and them were ambus.h.i.+ng from.
From a distance, the gang saw a couple chariots coming. They thought their targets have arrived. Therefore, they immediately rushed down the mountain.
But the people leading the chariots did not seem to be afraid. In fact, they accelerated towards the gang.
He Lao San knew they had fallen into a trap, but it was too late. Soldiers have already started coming out from the chariots. They raised their arrows and bows, and aimed at the mountain thieves coming down towards them.
He Lao San and his group froze, and stared at the person who came out from the centre of all the soldiers. That man was wearing a black outfit, and his aura was overbearing and confident. His footsteps were strong, and he had a very unique mask on his face. On his waist, was a golden sabre that reflected brightly from the Sun.
He coldly uttered: “Surrender or die. Make your choice.”
——-
He Lao San loved to brag about his innate strength and unrivaled martial arts. He could sweep across Black Dragon Mountain with his double blade in one breath and not be tired at all. However, he had never met an opponent such as Lian Feng. He hadn’t even fought him yet, but he could already feel a slight chill in his heart.
He knew this was going to be a fierce battle, as he tightly held his double blade and looked at w.a.n.g Hei Hu.
w.a.n.g Hei Hu was very conflicted. He was not afraid to die, but at this moment, there were so many arrows pointing at his brothers who would go and have gone through fire and h.e.l.l for him. How could he allow them to all die in front of him? As the big boss of the gang, he was responsible for their safety.
w.a.n.g Hei Lu gave He Lao San a warning glance as he dropped his blade.
Since the brothers saw their big boss surrendering, most of them also dropped their blades despite the raging anger inside them.
Now, out of the hundred or so members, only He Lao San and a few other impulsive brothers still had their weapons on hand. He Lao San was viciously glaring at Lian Feng. He wasn’t planning to surrender.
Lian Feng lifted his hand and signaled as a path was created for him in the middle: “Those who drop their weapons can leave. Those resisting, die.”
The last few words were said so icily that everyone felt their hearts tremble.
“Lao San, as long as we can stay on the green hill, we do not have to worry about having no firewood*. Don’t be rash.” w.a.n.g Hei Hu urged He Lao San.
“Big bro, you guys can leave! But I’m definitely not going to surrender to these Imperial dogs! I know you don’t want our brothers to die with you. But I’m different. Ever since I was young, I had no parents. The is my home. I’m not going to stare blankly as my home is being destroyed!! Today, as long as I, He Lao San, is alive, I will prevent anyone from touching our home!”
He Lao San’s righteous words touched all the brothers. w.a.n.g Hei Hu’s eyes immediately turned red as he grabbed onto He Lao San’s hand: “Lao San. You are right. This is our home. I’m not leaving either!”
Then, w.a.n.g Hei Hu picked up his blade and bellowed at his brothers: “My brothers, if you want to leave today, I will not be stopping you. But if you want to stay behind, stand next to me!”
Shortly after, someone picked up his weapon. One, then two, then three… everyone stood by w.a.n.g Hei Hu’s side; their eyes were glowering.
Seeing this did not bother Lian Feng at all. He signaled again, and all the arrows pointed directly at w.a.n.g Hei Hu and his gang.
At this life and death moment, suddenly a small black shadow tried sneaking away with a bundle. The person was crouching down and taking tiny steps as she tried to go off unnoticed.
Lian Feng sensed the movement and signaled. An arrow flew in the air and landed grimly above Lin Shan’s head, on the tree behind her.
“Ah!” Lin Shan hollered as she fell down and landed on the ground. Her eyes fearfully stared at the direction of the arrow, and she made eye contact with Lian Feng. Both of them were stunned.
Lian Feng recognized Lin Shan right away. It had already been a month since she had been gone. She was on his mind, day and night. Now that she had suddenly appeared, it was like a miracle. Not only that, she was wearing a female outfit, which made her look much more delicate compared to her male outfit.
Lin Shan’s clear pupils reflected the sunset, which accentuated her beauty even more. All these nights, he had imagined what she would look like as a woman. Now that she was within his grasp, it felt like a dream.
At the same time, Lin Shan also felt like she was dreaming. Just a moment ago, she had decided to forget about the past and start fresh. Now that she had encountered Lian Feng again, she was in awe. As he stood there, behind him was the red sunset. Sand was blowing faintly around the path, and his clothes was also swaying with the wind; his silver mask was s.h.i.+ning under the light.
Wow, what a scene. Lin Shan felt slightly dazed. By the time she snapped out of it, the sunset was blocked by Lian Feng’s shadow. She felt bewitched as she stared at him with his mask on. Time seemed to have paused. The birds were quiet, the air was still, and even the white clouds seemed to be silently watching….
A hand reached out in front of her; a hand that held a sabre all year round. It was clean, generous, and there were calluses on the palm..his slender fingers were very evident.
Lin Shan felt like she must be possessed, because she didn’t even hesitate as she extended her hand. As her hand made contact with his hand, Lian Feng tightly held onto her and she felt a surge of strength pulling her up from the ground. The warmth from his hand made her reluctant to let go.
He Lao San didn’t expect Lin Shan to leave the mountains and suddenly placed herself in this dangerous position. In addition, he was shocked that the Imperial army leader ran towards his beloved Lin Shan to pull her up.
Are you kidding me? That tender, snow white little hand. This old man right here didn’t even dare to look at it while helping out in the kitchen for half a month! How dare you come and touch it on the spot?!
At that moment, He Lao San felt a raging fire inside of him. It was surging and exploding! He firmly held onto his double blade and leaped towards them. He shrieked: “You dog, let go of my woman’s hand!” He was about to chop Lian Feng’s hand.
Lin Shan was flabbergasted and wanted to interfere, but Lian Feng pushed her aside. He took out his golden sabre and the aura of death was present.
Sand and stones flew, and leaves were continuously falling. With one move, he managed to block He Lao San’s violent attack and forced him to take a couple steps back while they were still a few metres apart from each other.
As expected, he was a skillful fighter. He Lao San sighed inside, there were not many people who could block his attack. This guy even managed to force him to take steps back.
It seemed like he had truly met his match today. If he was going to fight and die like a man, then so be it.
*This is an idiom. It basically means, as long as you’re alive, you can always come/fight back in the future. There will be opportunities.