“When fortune arrives, heaven and earth work together; when luck departs, even heroes are powerless. After scheming and calculating for so long, it seems we finally have a chance to be one step ahead of that man. Brother Yan, is Master Lu still alive… Congratulations indeed…”

As Xi Junyi’s voice echoed through the mountain forest in the bright moonlight, the Liangshan soldiers were still silently advancing in the distant woods. Yan Qing took a step back, scanning the surrounding crowd. He clenched his fists, took a breath, and finally calmed himself, a smile spreading across his face.

“So fast… It seems you’ve been suspecting me all along. Since when?”

“Since we were still on Liangshan.”

Having endured so much frustration and misunderstanding, Xi Junyi was now willing to share his insights as the truth finally came to light. Hearing Yan Qing’s question, he smiled, then his expression turned serious.

“Suspecting Brother Yan wasn’t easy. You had such good relationships with everyone, and you played the part so well. After Master Lu’s death, no one on Liangshan would have suspected you. But the first time I started to focus on you was a month ago, when I made a show of trying to escape from the mountain…”

“The strategist, like everyone else, understood that there was a mole among us, and also understood the mole’s destructive power. But he was hiding among the leaders, and we couldn’t investigate him. However, I was certain of one thing: I was someone Ning Liheng wanted to kill. If I wanted to escape, the mole would definitely notice me. I used myself as bait to lure him out and identified some people. Brother Yan, you were the most suspicious to me…”

As he spoke, Xi Junyi’s voice became clearer, and he even exuded a demeanor similar to Ning Yi. Since the battle hadn't started yet, Song Jiang and the others didn't mind spending some time here, enjoying the thrill of catching a traitor red-handed before the fighting began.

“Once you start asking questions and investigating, you can always find some clues. Many people wouldn’t allow me to leave, which isn’t strange. Being half-hearted doesn’t mean you’re a traitor. But you actually cared about it, why? After Master Lu’s death, you were only thinking about revenge, focusing your attention outside Liangshan, which wasn’t unusual. But you cared about the internal affairs of Liangshan, which was suspicious. Of course, you had good relationships with everyone, and occasionally asking about some things didn’t necessarily mean you were doing it intentionally. And it was possible you wanted to kidnap me and take me to Ning Liheng to seek revenge, which wasn't impossible… So, I couldn’t be sure at the time.”

Xi Junyi tilted his head, pausing for a moment with a wry smile. “But once I had doubts, I had to think about some things… We looked back at the entire development of the Dulinggang affair and compared it to Ning Yi’s movements. The Jiangning massacre happened at the end of March, and he set off for the capital in mid-April, later encountering Brother Zhu Wu and others robbing the Grand Canal. He entered the capital in late April or early May. Even building relationships takes some effort. He came to Shandong in May, and we attacked Dulinggang at the end of May. In such a short period, how much could he have done?”

Yan Qing smiled and shook his head. “He defeated you in three days.”

“That’s right.” Xi Junyi said leisurely, “But at the beginning of the Dulinggang battle, we didn’t expect to have a mole serving as a leader on the mountain. Looking at the whole thing, if there hadn’t been such a mole, he couldn’t have succeeded later. And to succeed, this mole couldn’t have been hastily recruited. He put himself in danger, and the most risky part was entrusting his chances to a mole. So, this mole had to be capable and clever. He had to be skilled in martial arts, have brains, have the ability to act, and be trustworthy! At that time, I had a whimsical idea: What if the mole wasn’t planted after he arrived in Shandong, but if he had already laid the groundwork in a place we overlooked? Then there was only one place possible…”

“The Grand Canal.” Xi Junyi nodded, raised his chin, and looked down at Yan Qing. “Four people came back from the Grand Canal operation. Brother Zhu Wu couldn’t be the one because he wasn’t present. Brother Zhang Shun was killed at Dulinggang. That left you and Brother Yan Shun. I suspected both of you. When I suspected you, I even laughed at myself for overthinking. According to Brother Zhu Wu, he saw Master Lu’s death with his own eyes and was only captured for half a day. How could Master Lu have been turned in such a short time? When we went down the mountain, Brother Yan Shun didn’t come with us, and I once thought I was wrong. But I never let my guard down on you. And when we were in Fengping County, you put a note in the arms of a dead yamen runner… That’s when I knew it was you.”

“Smart all your life, but you went overboard, it really can only be you!” Xi Junyi pointed at him and laughed. “Capable, clever, skilled in martial arts, with the ability to act, and you have good relationships with most of the brothers on Liangshan! And only you can fill the last piece that I’ve been wondering about. Why was he willing to bet on this mole? If we exclude the fact that he’s all-powerful and has many plans in place. Yan Qing… because between you and Master Lu, it wasn’t brotherly affection… but a love affair! You catamite…”

As soon as these words came out, some people looked strange, while others almost laughed. Yan Qing’s expression, which had been somewhat casual, now lowered slightly, and his entire aura revealed a murderous intent.

Yan Qing had a gentle temperament, but his appearance was handsome without losing his masculinity. Coupled with his high martial arts skills, many people on Liangshan had good relationships with him. But the fact that his relationship with Lu Junyi was not just master and servant was vaguely known by some people on the mountain, but they didn’t say anything. Yan Qing was Lu Junyi’s servant, and in his early years, he was indeed a catamite.

But in those days, even if there was something between two men, it was considered an elegant affair, just not to be spoken of casually. It was for these reasons that Yan Qing learned many skills that allowed him to thrive in brothels, earning the reputation of “The Prodigal.” But after he came of age, his relationship with Lu Junyi was no longer necessarily physical, especially after he saved Lu Junyi and brought him to the mountain, he was considered a proper brother, and no one brought it up anymore.

But when Xi Junyi said it at this time, it was outright humiliation, tantamount to pulling the tiger’s whiskers and touching his reverse scale.

Xi Junyi was not afraid of Yan Qing at this time, but just smiled smugly. Only Yan Qing’s eyes became cold, and Dai Zong, Wu Song, and others took a step forward.

Song Jiang said in a deep voice, “You can know a person’s face but not their heart. Brother Yan, I, Song Jiang, ask myself that I have not mistreated you, yet you treat me like this. Good and evil will eventually be rewarded. It’s not unfair that you’ve been exposed by us today! That Ning Liheng is at Zhanjia Ao today. We’re going to kill him and put him to death. This is not Dulinggang. The surrounding terrain is open. We’re not going to annihilate those two thousand people, but to use three thousand people to kill him with all our might! He has little chance of surviving. If you repent, surrender early and be captured. Perhaps some brothers will intercede for you.”

After Song Jiang said these words, someone led a horse over. He ignored Yan Qing’s reply, mounted the horse, and prepared to leave. Behind him, Yan Qing lowered his head and laughed, “Hehehehahahaha—Song Jiang…”

The laughter seemed absurd. Song Jiang tilted his head. Behind him, Yan Qing said in a deep voice, “You’ve been shouting the ghost talk of ‘acting on behalf of heaven’ so much that you believe it yourself!?”

These words were almost spat out through clenched teeth. Song Jiang glanced at him. Yan Qing stood there, straightening his back, and took out a roll of oiled cloth from his arms, slapping it on his hand and slowly wrapping it around. He took a slight step, and Dai Zong and others changed direction to prevent him from escaping.

“That’s right, I, Yan Qing, am a person of humble status. But Song Jiang, you’re just a bandit! Never mistreated anyone!? Do you think everyone is a fool!? My master was a wealthy merchant from Daming Prefecture, with houses, fields, family, and a home. You say he’s a hero? So, he has to go up the mountain and become an outlaw? A rebellious poem and a scheme ruined the master's family! Do you know that the first time the master went out, I bitterly persuaded him not to come to Liangshan out of momentary impulse…”

The oiled cloth wrapped around his hand, Yan Qing clenched his fist, making a “crack—” sound. Under the moonlight, his eyes were as sharp as a tiger’s.

“The master didn’t listen to my advice and ultimately fell into your scheme, with no way out. I had no choice but to persuade the master to go to Liangshan… Yan Xiao Yi is indeed a person of humble status and doesn’t care where he is. But I can tell right from wrong and know who did this! Song Jiang! How can you shamelessly say that you have never mistreated anyone! You ruin other people’s families and still righteously want others to thank you! How many people like this are there on Liangshan! How were Qin Ming’s family members harmed! What about Xu Ning! Are they like pigs and dogs, what they think, I don’t know. But I tell you, since Yan Qing went to Liangshan, he has been hoping that you all die!”

He tightened the cloth strips wrapped around his hand with his teeth, his bones creaking slightly, and his eyes fixed on Song Jiang, revealing a wolf-like cold smile. Song Jiang pulled on the reins, “Kill him!”

“Heh.” Clenching his fist, releasing it, Yan Qing took a step and switched his palm. The aura around him had become truly dangerous. From beginning to end, this young man who had always been gentle on Liangshan, at this moment finally adopted the most ferocious attacking posture, showing that he would never surrender here. In front of him, Wu Song and others stepped forward. They weren’t afraid of Yan Qing, but at this moment, no one dared to be careless in front of him.

Song Jiang spurred his horse away, and some people hidden in the surrounding darkness also began to follow him. Here, Yan Qing, in the next moment after opening his stance, suddenly rushed towards Song Jiang!

Welcoming him in front was a powerful fist with the sound of wind breaking. This was one of the best fighters on Liangshan, even killing a tiger with his bare hands, “The Pilgrim” Wu Song. Behind him were Chai Jin, Guan Sheng, and more than a dozen elite Liangshan warriors with high martial arts skills.

But his figure didn’t stop. His body charged out, and as he strode forward, his hands suddenly grabbed forward from both sides, like a fierce tiger pouncing. With a bang, two figures collided. Guan Sheng swung his broadsword, Chai Jin came forward, and more than a dozen figures came forward. Dai Zong jumped from behind, and his short knife silently stabbed out. Countless collisions, malice, killing intent, mixed together, obscuring the moonlight.

Thousands of miles away in the capital, Lu Junyi stopped practicing martial arts in the courtyard. Sweat dripped from his naked body. He raised his head, the moon hanging in the sky, particularly bright… He walked towards the room, thinking, I wonder how things are going on Liangshan…

***************

I kidnapped Yan Qing, uh, this is my first kidnapping.

A man is asking for monthly tickets, but I believe everyone will give them… right?

Let me add that I'm a normal man who likes mature women, uh, that's it…

Seeking monthly tickets ^_^

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