Moma Liangshan

Chapter 44 Dusk Has Passed, Battle in the Mountain Valley

When Lu Qian and his group arrived in Cangzhou, they did not enter the city directly, but instead patrolled outside the city. Seeing Lu Qian's hesitation, Liu Hui impatiently said, "Lord Lu, Cangzhou City is right in front of us, so why have we been wandering around outside the city for two days?" Lu Qian inwardly cursed him, but smiled and said, "Commander Liu, do you perhaps intend to start a massacre in Cangzhou City?" Knowing that fighting within the city was unwise, Liu Hui said, "Fighting within the city is indeed unwise, but fighting outside the city can be done in a secluded spot. Why go to such lengths?" Lu Qian said, "Commander Liu, do you believe the six of us can defeat Lin Chong honorably?" Liu Hui retorted, "Why not? We outnumber him! We can overwhelm him and, no matter how powerful Lin Chong is, he'll be bloodied!" Lu Qian ignored Liu Hui and instead looked at the other four, asking, "Do you also believe we have a sure chance of victory?" Xie Sheng looked around and said, "Killing isn't a martial arts contest. Skill is secondary; the key is who seizes the initiative." Lu Qian surveyed the crowd. Thinking to himself, "I am already the leader of the six. As long as I can kill Lin Chong, the Grand Commandant will surely look at me with new respect. With the Grand Commandant's favor, how can I not trample you all under my feet and hold you in my hands? I will endure for a while!" His expression suddenly changed, and he said with a smile, "We are all serving the Grand Commandant. As long as we can kill Lin Chong, the credit will be shared equally among us, without any order of priority. The Grand Commandant has appointed Lu Qian as this temporary leader, so Lu Qian dares not slack off in the slightest or take any unnecessary risks. We are all soldiers. My caution may be seen as indecisiveness by you, but the Grand Commandant has entrusted 'Half a Foot Pine' to Lu Qian, so Lu Qian must shoulder the Grand Commandant's heavy responsibility. If it is to brainstorm, Lu Qian would be more than happy to do so; if it is just to complain and grumble, Lu Qian asks him to shut up, otherwise, I will use this knife to cut out his tongue, and if that doesn't work, I will chop off his head!" As soon as he finished speaking, the steel knife was drawn three inches from its sheath.

In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second. Lu Qian's twenty-three consecutive victories in the year-end martial arts competition were certainly not undeserved. Furthermore, with Gao Qiu personally instructing him on how to use a sword, the crowd, though resentful, had no choice but to submit, saying in unison, "We will obey Lord Lu's orders!" With everyone in submission, Lu Qian was satisfied and said, "As long as we work together, what is there to fear about not eliminating Lin Chong?" At this moment, the group arrived at a sheltered mountain hollow. In the hollow was only a courtyard, with smoke rising from its chimney, indicating that someone lived there. Lu Qian led the group into the courtyard, where they saw a man, a woman, and a child cooking. Seeing the six men approaching menacingly and with murderous intent, the man carefully shielded his wife and children behind him and said, "May I ask what brings you gentlemen here?" Lu Qian looked around and said, "Your little courtyard is quite nice. I'd like to borrow it for a month. Is that alright?" The man replied, "I'm just a porter, poor and destitute, with nowhere else to stay." With a glance from Lu Qian, Liu Hui swung his sledgehammer, smashing it into a stone slab, shattering it into pieces. As the dust settled, the child cried loudly, the wife sobbed, and the man was covered in sweat. Lu Qian threw out a piece of silver and said, "Take this silver and get out of here now, or I'll rape and kill your wife and eat your son!" The man was already terrified. He grabbed the silver, dust and all, stuffed it into his pocket, picked up his child, grabbed his wife, and scrambled out of the courtyard. By then, the food in the pot was ready—a rice porridge with wild vegetables and meat. Lu Qian brought out bowls and chopsticks and said, "Let's eat our fill with this dry ration and get some rest so we can finish off Lin Chong tomorrow." Liu Hui asked, "Lin Chong is back here?" Lu Qian smiled wickedly and said, "I'll find a way to bring him here." Lu Qian made his promise, and since the group didn't have much of a relationship, they ate their fill and went to sleep.

The next day, Lu Qian said, "Today I will enter the city. Have the guards of Cangzhou City send Lin Chong here. We'll lay an ambush; as soon as Lin Chong steps through this gate, he'll never return!" Everyone agreed. Lu Qian led his horse towards Cangzhou City. Entering the city, Lu Qian headed straight for the prison camp. At the camp gate, Lu Qian sat high on his saddle and said, "A man from Dongjing has arrived. The camp commander must come immediately." Lu Qian, clad in brocade robes and carrying a tall horse, was not to be neglected by the guards. One ran to report, while another led Lu Qian to the guardhouse and served him tea. A moment later, the camp commander arrived. Lu Qian looked at the guards, then at the commander. The commander understood and said, "You all stand guard outside; no one is to disturb you." After the guards left, Lu Qian revealed the back of his waist badge, which read "Imperial Guard." Observing Lu Qian's words and actions, the camp manager became even more convinced that Lu Qian was no ordinary person. He cautiously asked, "Sir, you have come all this way, what are your orders?" Lu Qian did not mince words and asked, "Is Lin Chong being held here?" The camp manager replied, "He is currently being held in the Heavenly King Hall." Lu Qian replied, "Have Lin Chong go to a courtyard twelve miles west of the city, at the foot of the hill, to retrieve a bundle this evening. It was sent by someone from the Zhang family of Dongjing." The camp manager said, "Such a small matter, why bother you, sir, to personally convey such a message?" Lu Qian said, "How dare a lowly city official like you inquire about matters of the capital?" The camp manager, not daring to cause trouble, said, "I was being nosy!"

After Lu Qian left, the camp manager summoned Lin Chong and said, "Someone just sent a letter. Zhang from Dongjing (Kaifeng) has sent a package, which is being kept at a courtyard twelve li west of the city, at the foot of a hill. Please pick it up this evening." Since his exile to Cangzhou, Lin Chong had been constantly thinking of his wife at home. Now that a letter had arrived from Dongjing, he wished he could fly there. However, the camp manager said, "Official business cannot be delayed. Do not leave early!" Lin Chong had no choice but to wait patiently. The sun had already set behind the western mountains. Lin Chong bid farewell to the servant, passed through the west gate, and ran off. Lu Qian estimated the time. As night fell, to prevent Lin Chong from not being able to find the courtyard, he ordered lights to be lit. Lin Chong ran quickly, and by nightfall, he had only gone five li outside the city. After running for about half an incense stick's time, he saw bright lights ahead. He took a few deep breaths, swallowed hard, and waited for his strength to recover slightly before continuing his brisk pace. A moment later, he arrived at the courtyard gate and gently knocked on the door. Lin Chong looked at Liu Hui, who called out, "Is the man here Instructor Lin?" Lin Chong, panting, replied, "It is indeed Lin Chong." The others exchanged glances. Wang Xiu, bow in hand, was thrown onto the roof by an arrow. The others exchanged glances and hid in all directions. Lu Qian, holding his precious sword, stood in the center of the courtyard and called out, "Please come in." Lin Chong felt the voice was familiar, but he had no time to recall and pushed open the door. Five steps into the courtyard, Lu Qian slowly turned around and said, "Instructor Lin, do you still recognize Lu Qian?" Lin Chong, seeing it was Lu Qian, gritted his teeth and said, "Shameless scoundrel! I treated you like a brother, yet you are ungrateful and framed me!" Lu Qian remained calm and said, "You've offended Grand Commandant Gao; you have no choice but to die." Lin Chong sneered, "How arrogant!" Lu Qian's face was sinister as he said, "Whether I'm arrogant or not, you'll soon find out." After a pause, he shouted, "Attack!" As soon as he finished speaking, the piles of firewood on both sides of the courtyard gate collapsed simultaneously. At the same time, two jars of oil were thrown from a short distance, hitting the firewood piles. Immediately following, a rocket ignited the oil-soaked firewood piles, causing them to burst into flames. At this moment, the other five men appeared.

Lu Qian and his six men, heavily armored and well-equipped, awaited their attack. Lin Chong, unarmed and exhausted, was the first to strike. Liu Hui, his thick beard bristling over his fleshy face, looked like a demon descended to earth, trampling humanity, illuminated by the firelight. Liu Hui took a half-step forward, his meteor hammer flying out to strike Lin Chong's knees. Unarmed, Lin Chong could only dodge. Seeing an opening, Liu Hui pulled back, the hammer bursting from the ground, spinning in mid-air before crashing down on Lin Chong's chest. Lin Chong turned, reaching for the chain holding the hammer. Xie Sheng, seeing this, thrust his spear straight at Lin Chong's palm. Lin Chong withdrew his hand, hastily dodging. Forced to the side, Lin Chong seized the opportunity to join the fray, slashing left and right with his saber. Seeing no way out, Lin Chong, in desperation, swept his leg, knocking Liu Hui to the ground. As Liu Hui fell, he lost his balance, yet his meteor hammer continued to fly rapidly. Xie Sheng and Sun Mo, to avoid being accidentally injured, quickly moved to defend themselves. Lin Chong seized the opportunity to slip through a gap. However, before Lin Chong could regain his footing, a cast iron sickle hooked towards his ankle. Lin Chong dodged left and right, but the sickle relentlessly pursued him. In his dodging, Lin Chong used his toe to flick a stone and smash it towards Tian Heng's forehead. Caught off guard, Tian Heng was struck squarely in the forehead, momentarily dizzy and disoriented, his spear technique disrupted. Lin Chong tried to disarm him with his bare hands, but a sharp arrow grazed his chest, tearing through his clothes. Lin Chong was startled, but he didn't forget to reach for the arrow's tip. At that moment, Sun Mo's horse-slaying saber slashed down from behind Lin Chong. Hearing the whistling of the blade cutting through the air, Lin Chong gripped the arrow in his hand, and without turning around, thrust it diagonally, striking Sun Mo's thigh. Sun Mo screamed in agony as his horse-slaying saber fell from his hand. Lin Chong, seeing this, quickly tried to seize it. Before he could even grasp the saber, Lu Qian's killing intent arrived, and his "Half-Foot Pine" sword struck the saber with tremendous force. The saber, struck by the force, flew diagonally, slicing Lin Chong's arm before falling into the flames.

Sun Mo, wounded, rolled to the corner groaning. Lin Chong tore off his sleeve and wrapped it around his wounded arm. Lu Qian, Liu Hui, Xie Sheng, and Tian Heng surrounded him again. Lin Chong retreated, stepping onto a log. Looking down, he saw a carrying pole. Sun Mo had knocked over the pole the porter had placed in the corner, one end landing behind Lin Chong. Lin Chong stepped into the groove at the end of the pole, the pole springing up under his grasp. Lu Qian smirked, "The instructor of 800,000 Imperial Guards, clinging to life with a carrying pole, how laughable!" Lin Chong gritted his teeth, "This carrying pole alone is enough to keep you shameless bastards here." With that, the pole swiftly struck, attacking the four men's lower bodies. The four tried to counterattack, but Lin Chong's speed was too fast; they couldn't find a moment to catch their breath and could only retreat. Seeing this, Wang Xiu nocked an arrow. Lin Chong suddenly changed his attack, stabbing one end of his carrying pole into a tattered basket and sweeping it horizontally, raising a cloud of dust. At the same time, the basket flew off, heading towards the roof and landing on Wang Xiu's head. Lin Chong powerfully pushed off the ground, taking three large strides, using the carrying pole for leverage, and flipped himself onto the roof. Almost simultaneously, he swung the pole, smashing it down on the basket. The basket detached from its bottom, hanging on Wang Xiu's shoulder; his brains splattered onto the roof.