stonecrandall Page 23
Page 23
At the same time, Du Qian made a fierce decision, and the two heads on his shoulders roared to the sky. More than twenty cannibals laughed loudly, raising their hands to slap their shiny, juicy bellies to express their joy and approval. The sound was like twenty giant drums made of human skin, exploding in unison in the cave! The terrifying sound waves caused the rocks on the cave ceiling to fall down, and the sound waves crashed against the stone walls. The entire huge cave was almost overturned by the symphony of the fat men's bellies.
Chapter 44: A Gathering of Worthies at the Guan Gong Temple
And so, half a day after Zhu Gui sent out the two letters, Du Qian and Song Wan both expressed their willingness to join, and the matter of the gathering was discussed in detail at the Guan Temple in the underground city!
Wu Song, Liu Hong, Li Cunxiao, Pan Jinlian, and Zhu Gui immediately set off with some wine and meat as offerings. Wu Dalang, not being a logistics staff member, stayed at the inn for the time being.
After some twists and turns, the group once again entered the dark and stuffy underground world. This time, Zhu Gui led them along a new path, seemingly a sacrificial area. The rock walls on both sides were densely covered with murals and sculptures of various gods and Buddhas, among which the Void Sun Rat from the Twenty-Eight Mansions was the most common. However, this rat-headed, human-bodied giant rat had a long, forked tail, its head covered with sharp horns resembling those of cattle, sheep, or demons, and it held a strange crystal weapon in its hand.
The oars lapped against the water hundreds of times before the group anchored in a new body of water. They moved forward, stepping on moss-covered stone steps and pushing against the constantly seeping rock ceiling, as if there were a river above their heads. Their elbows were wet as they brushed against the rock walls, like touching the belly of a giant snake.
After turning the seventh bend, a blazing fire suddenly appeared in the darkness, illuminating a glimmer of light.
It was a fairly spacious underground open space. Two braziers illuminated the bronze statue of Lord Guan. The offering table was filled with incense sticks and laid out a sumptuous feast of chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and even a whole pig's head. In the darkness on both sides, many people were already standing indistinctly. Clearly, these offerings were brought by them.
Upon hearing the sound, the crowd turned their heads, and countless eerie fireflies suddenly appeared in the darkness.
"Sister Zhu Gui, it's been a long time."
A soft, sticky female voice pierced through the thick darkness, and Song Wan's figure gradually emerged from the shadows.
Before her figure appeared, two eerie, dark green spots flickered in the thick ink, like two clusters of phosphorescent fire floating in a deep pool. The swaying flames gradually licked her pale, porcelain-like cheeks, her slender, willow-like waist, and her long, beautiful legs, which were faintly visible beneath her tattered black robe.
Her tall, slender figure cast a sharp, blade-like silhouette on the ground—as the last ray of light swept over her fingertips stained with dark green nail polish, a complete human form finally emerged in the dense darkness.
Behind her was a girl in a red robe carrying a halberd, appearing and disappearing in the darkness, her features unclear.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
Zhu Gui gave a professional smile and introduced the two parties.
"This is Song Wan, the Black Gloves of the largest pharmacy in Daming Prefecture."
"Are you the legendary Liu Hong, who angrily killed Master Zhang in Qinghe County and helped the common people? And Wu Song, the wandering monk who stormed the brothel and killed the madam? I've heard so much about you! I've heard so much about you!"
Song Wan politely bowed to the two of them.
"Me too! I went to a brothel with my older brothers and sisters! I'm quite famous too!"
Seeing that the bandit leader was ignoring him, Li Cunxiao became unhappy. His small body, which was just over a meter tall, bounced around and waved his cobalt blue little hands, trying to make his presence known.
"Ah, yes, and our famous Little Delinquent. I was wondering why you disappeared the other day. Turns out you joined them. I've heard so much about you."
Seeing Li Cunxiao's adorable appearance, Song Wan couldn't help but laugh. He bowed to her, which finally calmed her down.
After a while, the sound of drums shook the heavens and the earth trembled. Another group of soldiers arrived. The leader was tall and strong with dark blue skin. He carried two identical heads on his shoulders. Behind him were about twenty ogres, each three or four meters tall, with broad shoulders and thick waists. It was none other than Du Qian, the one who touched the sky.
Beside her were two beautiful, graceful women in white, one holding a flowing cloud fan and the other holding a halberd.
Before Du Qian could speak, the woman holding the Flowing Cloud Fan stepped gracefully out of Du Qian's group, bowed to everyone, and behaved with utmost courtesy.
A moon-white silk robe draped her sexy and graceful skin, her swan-like neck supporting her beautiful and dignified face. Her black hair was tied into a cloud-like bun with silver threads, and her thin lips were painted with rouge like peonies. With a "whoosh," the folding fan in her hand unfolded, revealing a landscape painting that half-concealed her smiling face.
"I am Wang Lun, a scholar in white robes. I have come here at the invitation of Chief Du Qian to help you heroes and valiant men resolve your troubles."
Liu Hong was somewhat surprised. Wang Lun, the first leader of Liangshan Marsh, who was extremely jealous of talent and ability, was actually here!
In the original story, she was terrified of the birthday tribute. When she heard that Chao Gai had stolen the birthday tribute and offended the court, she was almost scared to death. How could she dare to appear here?
Could it be that the birthday tribute was indeed robbed by the first generation of Liangshan, but she was terrified by the Song army's retaliation and investigation, and thus took over Liangshan with Chai Jin's help?
"I am Du Qian, the one who touches the sky! Song Wan, Zhu Gui, these are all familiar faces, we see each other all the time. And these few, are they the famous Wu Song and Liu Hong siblings?"
[So tall! But compared to us cannibals, we're still short...]
Du Qian clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, but the head on the right side was still making a racket. Helpless, Du Qian had to punch the head on the right side to shut it up, and then he smiled apologetically at everyone.
"Please excuse my rambling; my other head is just a bit more talkative."
[Woo——]
"So it's the famous white-robed scholar, Sister Wang Lun."
Zhu Gui and Song Wan returned the greetings, and the three groups placed their offerings on the altar for worshipping Lord Guan. They then tacitly divided into three teams, forming a tripartite balance: Wang Lun and Du Qian on one side, Song Wan on the other, and Zhu Gui and Liu Hong's family on the other. Each side watched the other's sides warily.
"Before we formed an alliance and robbed the birthday gifts, our three groups had two very, very important problems that needed to be solved."
Du Qian's towering four-meter-tall figure overwhelmed everyone present, like a massive blue mountain overlooking the other two forces, making the atmosphere in the Guan Gong Temple increasingly tense. The charcoal fire in the brazier crackled and popped incessantly. The flickering flames made everyone present even more on edge.
"First! Who's the boss?! Second! How are we going to divide this ill-gotten wealth?!"
Chapter 45: Little Marquis Wen's Fiery Demeanor as Fengxian (Bonus Chapter for 1000 Monthly Tickets!)
"The leader should naturally be someone with the strongest fist and the highest prestige."
Song Wan, hidden in the darkness, let out a sinister and alluring chuckle, a stark contrast to Du Qian's fiery roar.
"As for the birthday tribute, it will naturally be distributed equally according to the number of people."
"Pah! We cannibals can take on five or six of your rats by ourselves! If we divide the spoils by headcount, we'll be at a disadvantage! Your rat horde, Song Wan's, will benefit the most!"
Upon hearing this, the Khitan cannibal criminals were outraged, roaring and spitting as they spoke. Song Wan's rats also chirped and squeaked, and the two sides were on the verge of exchanging blows.
"Then let's divide it according to power. We'll split the birthday gifts into three parts: one for me, one for Du Qian, and one for Zhu Gui, Liu Hong, and the others. Then we'll all go home and divide it however we want."
Seeing that his proposal had been rejected, Song Wan actually sneered and immediately put forward a new suggestion.
"But I want to be the leader of this operation! After all, I have the most men, and my swarm of rats knows half the secrets of Daming Prefecture!"
"Hmm... the birthday gifts can be distributed like this, but you can't be the boss! We've been fighting for years, and it's always a draw. What makes you think you can put me above you? Didn't you just say that the boss should be the one with the biggest fist and the highest prestige? Fine! Let's do it that way!!!"
Du Qian glanced at Wang Lun, the white-robed scholar beside him, and then at the white-robed woman holding a halberd, and said confidently.
Hmph, I can't beat you, Song Wan, it's always a draw, but this time, I've brought in a powerful outsider!
"Okay! It's a deal!!!"
But to everyone's surprise, Song Wan was also very confident about it.
Hmph, I can't beat you, Du Qian, it's always a draw, but this time, I've brought in a powerful outsider!
Before Liu Hong could speak about how he planned to rob the birthday tribute, the two groups of people took their positions and created an opening. A ball of fire shot out from Song Wan's sinister rat swarm, while a terrifying frost flashed from Du Qian's fiery Khitan.
The female general who emerged from the gloomy rats had a sexy and fiery figure, an arrogant and flamboyant smile, and a bright red beauty mark under her left eye.
She wore a majestic phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, a Suzhou brocade robe with slits up to her waist, and a crimson Confucian robe that stretched taut over her chest, making her two mounds of snowy flesh almost spill out. A gilded waist chain jingled on her peach-shaped buttocks, and her two thighs, taut in crimson stockings, drew a breathtakingly perfect curve in the air, with only two alluring patches of snowy white peeking out from the top of her thighs.
The female general who emerged from the fiery cannibals was slender and tall, with an exquisitely beautiful and cold face. Her serious expression was like an iceberg, chilling to the bone, and the beauty mark under her right eye was as white as frost.
She wore a white tiger seven-star cloak that fluttered in the wind, and a conservative and solemn Shu brocade cold moon robe. The white clothes completely covered her slender and graceful figure, but a crescent-shaped hole appeared in the middle of her collarbone, revealing a patch of flawless, icy skin on her flat chest, and a captivating, intoxicating glint of cold light.
Upon closer inspection, Liu Hong discovered that both of them were demons, and their attributes were exactly the same. In fact, due to his viewing angle, they even appeared to overlap.
Lui Fong/Kwok Sheng (The Devil)
Level: 4 (Level 4 Warrior)
Life: 35, Psionic Energy: 0
Strength 20, Agility 14, Constitution 14
Intelligence 10, Perception 10, Charisma 10
【Demon Messenger - ? ? ?】
These are fairly normal attributes. Liu Hong has seen too many strange and bizarre things lately, so seeing the attributes of two normal people all of a sudden feels a bit strange.
Before the two female players could even speak, Du Qian couldn't hold back any longer and roared with both heads raised.
"Song Wan! What do you mean?! Sending a subordinate I've never seen before to fight me?!"
Cheating! Cheating!
"Du Qian, didn't you also send a subordinate I've never seen before to fight me?"
Song Wan frowned as he sized up the white-clad young general sent by the other side. "As expected of my old rival with whom I've had a love-hate relationship for so many years, we've come to the same conclusion: to hire a powerful outsider to help me seize the leadership position."
"Since we all have faith in the outside help we've each hired, why don't we let them fight it out? Whoever wins will be in charge of this robbery of the birthday gifts?"
Song Wan tentatively asked.
"Fine, I'm too lazy to argue anymore. If I lose, I lose. Anyway, I'm just following your orders when robbing the birthday gifts, not being your subordinate for life."
Hey! We can win!
Du Qian was also annoyed and nodded in agreement. The other party was about to set off, and we hadn't decided who would be in charge or how to rob them yet. Anyway, it was only a matter of a few days, and we had already determined the division of the spoils, so let's not waste time on such trivial matters.
As for the henchmen, Lü Fang and Guo Sheng, they didn't care. Although they were powerful, they were still local bullies. In addition, they were unlucky and had their boats capsized in the Yellow River torrential rain. Now they were almost penniless. Since the local snakehead offered them a chance to make money, they naturally rushed to take advantage of it.
"I am Lu Fang, Marquis of Xiaowen, from Tanzhou. My caravan was wrecked by the torrential rains on the Yellow River these past few days. I wish to join you all in robbing the birthday tribute to make up for the losses. Since Sister Song Wan has asked me to come up and have a martial arts contest, then I will make a fool of myself!"
Lu Fang introduced himself enthusiastically and generously, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter. He brandished his halberd with dazzling skill, the red tassel on the halberd bursting with terrifying waves of fire.
"Sai Rengui, Guo Sheng."
Guo Sheng arrogantly raised his chin, coldly announced his name, and didn't want to say a single extra word. His voice was terrifyingly cold, and his beautiful, icy face was expressionless. He also entered the arena holding a halberd, with strings of condensed frost trailing behind the white tassels on the halberd.
Seeing that both sides had agreed, Lü Fang and Guo Sheng attacked together, their two halberds, each wielding a weapon of blazing flames and frost, clashing fiercely! Their weapons clashed three or four times in the blink of an eye, creating a flurry of halberd shadows and the clanging of metal.
The two have very similar moves and routines, and they also use the same halberd. One is enchanted with fire, and the other is amplified by frost. They are evenly matched and have met their match. One halberd stirs up the sky with fire and burns the clouds, while the other sweeps away the ground with freezing frost.
As Lü Fang swung his halberd, it seemed as if a phoenix rising from the ashes was flapping its wings and crying out from the tip of the halberd. Crimson clouds illuminated the darkness, melting the entire cave into a boiling, gilded furnace. Wherever the halberd blade moved, fiery red lotuses bloomed on the black, scorched earth, and each fiery petal exploded and flew everywhere like stars.
As Guo Sheng gripped his halberd and swept it horizontally, it was as if a cold tiger had leaped from the abyss. Frost condensed into thousands of ice crystals, which refracted into a seven-colored aurora in the firelight. Wherever the blade swept, the frozen earth was instantly covered with layers of frost and ice, and the entire cave floor was covered with a layer of cold, bone-chilling frost.
As the battle raged on, a towering inferno erupted from the frozen world, its heatwave engulfing everything. Amidst the raging inferno, a solitary, snow-covered mountain stood alone, its chilling aura biting. Lü Fang's flames relentlessly melted Guo Sheng's ice, while Sai Rengui's extreme cold continuously froze the raging flames of Little Wenhou!
The two fought evenly, neither gaining the upper hand. One halberd was wielded like a blood-red phoenix soaring into the sky, while the other halberd was swung like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. In the heat of the battle, the small branches of the two halberds became entangled with the red tassels and white tassels. Both sides strained together, but found that neither could pull their weapon away.
Chapter 46: Sai Rengui's Frosty White Robe
"Does my sister wish to compete for the leadership position?"
Seeing how brilliantly Lü Fang and Guo Sheng fought, and how simplistically and directly Song Wan and Du Qian understood their boss, Liu Hong was also somewhat tempted.
"It's pointless. Even if I become the boss, what then? Song Wan and Du Qian both have their own factions and loyal followers. Even if I fight my way up, I'll just be a figurehead general with no real power. Only my younger brothers and sisters will stand by my side."
Wu Song shook his head, having no interest in this temporary leader.
“Then let’s give it a try, little brother. Maybe I can turn this game around.”
Liu Hong was eager to try. Others might not know, but he did. He knew that Lü Fang and Guo Sheng couldn't possibly be Du Qian and Song Wan's subordinates. They must have been temporarily recruited. In "Water Margin," they were both merchants who lost their goods and were penniless, so they were forced to become outlaws and eventually joined Song Jiang's ranks.
Now that it has appeared before me ahead of time, I must try to subdue it!
"Okay, then be careful, little brother. If things get really bad, just retreat, and your big sister will help you."
Wu Song nodded and told his younger brother to be careful when he did it.
On either side of the arena, seeing that Lü Fang and Guo Sheng were locked in a fierce battle with no clear victor and the leader's position was yet to be decided, Du Qian and Song Wan remained calm and confident, as if they were certain of victory.
"Sister, are you really that confident? Is this Lü Fang really that amazing?"
Zhu Gui watched the two unfamiliar faces fighting on the stage and asked them some questions out of curiosity.
"To be honest, my helper is not only exceptionally skilled in martial arts, but she is also a [Demon Messenger], and her demonic abilities are extremely powerful."
Song Wan said confidently.
Zhu Gui nodded and went to ask Du Qian, only to receive the exact same answer: both of them had their own unique trump card.
At this moment, the halberds entangled between Lü Fang and Guo Sheng were still not untied. The two tried to attack and retreat, and finally, using the midpoint where the two halberds intersected as the center, they spun wildly like a carousel, creating a dazzling line of fire and a chilling frost in the cave, but they still could not untangle their entanglement.
"Watch out! Sai Rengui! I have no grudge against you, don't let this move kill you!"
"You're the one who should be careful, Little Marquis Wen."
Amidst the clanging of metal, Lü and Guo suddenly erupted in a deafening roar. The veins on their right arms, where their halberds clashed, bulged, while the fingertips of their left hands emitted distinctly different lights!
The crimson flames dancing between Lü Fang's five fingers coalesced into an ancient taotie-patterned mask, and where the flames licked, the fiery patterns of the Vermilion Bird appeared.
The icy blue frost crystals that burst forth from Guo Sheng's palm etched exquisite peony patterns on his face, and the refracted ice crystals transformed into icy frost flowers resembling a white tiger.
The moment the two hideous masks were placed on the two women's faces, two extremely terrifying subspace energies burst forth from their bodies!
Lu Fang's hair bun exploded instantly in the burst of energy, and crimson flames surged upwards along his three thousand strands of hair, each burning strand transforming into a Vermilion Bird feather holding sparks.
Guo Sheng's disheveled frost-covered hair condensed into tens of thousands of ice crystal chains, which collided with each other in the turbulent air currents, producing a soul-stirring tiger roar.
The entire cave was suddenly divided into a balanced Yin-Yang Tai Chi pattern by the surging polarities of ice and fire.
Suddenly, crimson-gold flames several meters high erupted around Lü Fang, the scorching flames distorting the air and solidifying in mid-air into the ghostly half-body silhouette of Lü Bu from the Three Kingdoms period, enveloping Lü Fang within them. Every dragon scale on his beast-faced chainmail pulsated with a destructive, molten lava-like quality, and when he swung his giant halberd, formed of flames, the trailing fire resembled a crimson comet's tail.