: Encountering Heroes Again, Fame Spreads Across Qinghe, the Road Ahead

The burly man before him was clearly a hero, and Song Jiang was secretly delighted with his incredible luck! It seemed he really needed to go out more often to meet different heroes. How could he see these fierce generals if he always stayed at Liangshan?

But what reason could they have for leaving Yuncheng and wandering around outside?

While thinking to himself, Song Jiang said aloud, "Brother, we've been traveling late, and if we rush to the town now, it will probably be tomorrow. Why don't you do us a favor and let us stay for the night? We'll pay you the price of an inn room!" He then took out twenty taels of silver and handed it to the big man.

The burly man refused the money, saying with feigned difficulty, "My home is too small; I'm afraid it can't accommodate so many friends!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "We are also frequent travelers in the martial world. As long as we have a place to sleep, that will suffice. We can sleep in the woodshed or the main hall!"

Upon hearing Song Jiang's words, the burly man waved his hand and said, "To do others a favor, there's no need for money. Please follow me!"

The big man refused the money, and Song Jiang secretly admired him. This man was not a wealthy person, but he was not swayed by the money at all. He must be a person with his own principles!

The group followed the burly man into the village. By this time, night had already enveloped the entire village, and it was almost impossible to see anything around them. It was as if they were walking on a dark road!

Not long after, a small manor house appeared in a corner of the village, which should be the big man's residence!

The burly man turned around apologetically and said, "Gentlemen, I'm so sorry! The courtyard is small, and there simply isn't enough room for the horses!"

Song Jiang nodded and said, "We've already troubled you; just let the horses out!"

The burly man added, "The villagers are honest and simple; there are no petty thieves or scoundrels among them. You can rest assured!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Brother, you're so generous and hospitable; I imagine the other villagers are the same!"

The big man smiled, but did not answer!

The courtyard wasn't large; a fence and a well took up two-thirds of the space! A hoe, a rake, a sickle, and other farm tools were neatly arranged in the corner, clearly proving that this big man was indeed a farmer!

Upon entering the room, it was even smaller. A table, two chairs, and a bed were all the furniture. On the bed was a tattered mat, a worn-out quilt, and a few sets of clothes were haphazardly placed at the head of the bed. Apart from that, there was nothing else in the room!

Song Jiang sighed, never expecting this burly man to be so impoverished. Hearing Song Jiang's sigh, the man nonchalantly replied, "Even with a thousand rooms, I only need seven feet to sleep in. A house is merely a place to shelter from the wind and rain; for me, the size of the room I sleep in doesn't matter!"

Song Jiang said thoughtfully, "I was too attached to appearances!"

The burly man laughed and said, "I imagine you're all quite hungry. I have some beans and flour here; if you don't mind, I'll make it right now!"

Song Jiang hurriedly refused, saying, "It's already inconvenient to stay for one night, how can I eat my brother's food?" After saying that, he asked Jiao Ting to bring out some dry food and dried meat and put them on the table! In no time, the table was full of food!

Seeing this, the burly man opened the door and went out. A moment later, he returned carrying a jar of wine and laughed, "Food without wine is rather bland. This is my treasured top-grade Daughter's Red wine, which I've kept for many years. Let's drink it today!"

Upon opening the lid, the aroma of the wine instantly filled the air. Eight empty bowls were filled with clear, fragrant, and pure Shaoxing wine. Everyone quickly finished a bowl and began to eat and drink!

The burly man ate a piece of meat, downed a large bowl of wine, and exclaimed with delight, "I'm carrying my three-foot-long Longquan sword!"

Song Jiang's heart skipped a beat. This line of poetry came from the Tang Dynasty poet Gu Kuang, so he downed a bowl of wine and replied, "I will not rest until the wicked are slain!"

The burly man laughed heartily, drank another bowl of wine, and proclaimed loudly, "Fine wine in a luminous cup, I long to drink, but the pipa urges me on!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "Don't laugh at me for being drunk and lying on the battlefield; how many have returned from ancient battles!" This is from Liangzhou Ci by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Han, which Song Jiang naturally knew!

The burly man was in high spirits today. He drank his third bowl of wine and shouted, "Ten years to forge this sword, its frosty edge yet to be tested!"

The Tang Dynasty poet Jia Dao described his sword, and Song Jiang declared in a clear voice, "Today I show it to you; who has a grievance to redress?"

The burly man picked up the wine jar, took a large gulp, and said, "Enjoy life while you can, for tomorrow you may die!"

Song Jiang didn't respond to the poem, but just laughed and said, "Brother, you are indeed a man of great courage and righteousness!" From this big man's speech and insights, his way of dealing with people and things was far beyond that of an ordinary farmer!

The burly man laughed and said, "This gentleman certainly has a raging fire in his heart, yet his face remains as calm as a still lake!"

Song Jiang smiled faintly and asked, "May I ask your esteemed name, brother?"

The burly man gave a bitter smile and said, "I'm just a country bumpkin, an unknown nobody. What esteemed name do I have to speak of!"

Song Jiang actually had a guess about his identity, but before he could be sure, he would first ask for his name. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing to guess wrong. It's like if you see Wu Song, you don't have to have heard of Wu Song's name, and you can ask him for it. He doesn't care. But if you ask if Wu Song is Lu Zhishen, he will probably be furious and come to beat you up. At the same time, Lu Zhishen will also beat you up. You should know that these heroes value their reputation very much, and misidentifying someone is a big taboo!

Song Jiang was about 70% certain about the burly man's identity, so he didn't hesitate and asked directly, "Brother, you must be Bian Xiang!"

The burly man was greatly surprised and asked in astonishment, "How did you know?" He was certain that he did not recognize the group of people in front of him and had never seen them before. How could they accurately identify him?

Song Jiang laughed and said, "I have a special characteristic: I know all the heroes in the world."

Bian Xiang wasn't stupid, but he really couldn't understand it, so he could only be half-believing and half-doubting!

When Song Jiang saw that Bian Xiang had admitted that he was Bian Xiang, he was overjoyed, just like winning the lottery and then the shopkeeper telling you that your prize has doubled. How surprised and unexpected would that be!

In just one day, he not only subdued Mi Sheng, but also encountered Bian Xiang. If Mi Sheng had the strength of the Eight Tiger Generals, then Bian Xiang was definitely one of the Five Tiger Generals, without a doubt!

Bian Xiang's two achievements are the most outstanding. One is that he fought to a draw with Shi Jin and Hua Rong, and the other is that he killed Feng Tai in ten rounds. Feng Tai killed Shan Shiqi, who fought Lin Chong for fifty rounds. These achievements alone are extremely outstanding among the Five Tigers!

Bian Xiang was not only a pure military general, but also Tian Hu's Right Grand Tutor, who strongly advised Tian Hu not to surrender to the Jurchens! Such a hero, skilled in both literature and martial arts and deeply understanding of righteousness, was someone Song Jiang wished he could immediately bring under his command!

That blockhead Tian Hu is probably hiding somewhere out there right now. Thinking of Fang La's Pang Wanchun and Wang Qing's Mi Sheng, Song Jiang thought, "Tian Hu, giving me Bian Xiang wouldn't be a bad deal, would it? Otherwise, Fang La and Wang Qing would be at a disadvantage. One for each of the three rebels, that's fair." Thinking this, Song Jiang couldn't help but laugh out loud!

Sensing strange looks, Song Jiang quickly stopped smiling and reverted to his harmless demeanor!

Bian Xiang bowed and asked, "May I not know your esteemed names?"

Song Jiang smiled and said, "I am Song Jiang, and these gentlemen are..." He then introduced them one by one.

Bian Xiang was taken aback at first, then overjoyed. He bowed to the ground and said, "I have long heard of your great reputation for being righteous and generous, helping the poor and needy. I only regret that we have not had the chance to meet you. Today, by the grace of Heaven, I am fortunate to meet you. I am truly delighted!" It must be said that Song Jiang's reputation may not be effective throughout the entire Song Dynasty, but it is indeed effective in Shandong and Hebei!

Bian Xiang had no intention of becoming close to these people. After drinking and eating, he stayed overnight and said goodbye the next day. He feared that he would never see them again because of the long distance ahead.

But after drinking some wine and exchanging a few poems with Song Jiang, he was able to express the heroic spirit in his heart. When he learned that the unassuming man in front of him was actually Song Jiang, his joy was beyond words!

Song Jiang hurriedly helped Bian Xiang up, saying, "We're all brothers, why be so polite?" In his heart, he thought to himself, "A good reputation is really useful. If I were an unknown person, these heroes would be lucky if they didn't tell me to get lost, let alone bow down to me!"

Bian Xiang stood up and said, "If my brother says we won't bow, then we won't bow!"

Song Jiang knew that Bian Xiang was not a peaceful person at heart, otherwise he wouldn't have joined Tian Hu in the rebellion. However, Yang Zhi was by his side now, and it was inappropriate to say these things in front of him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Brother Bian Xiang, it's really a pity that you're still in the village. Would you be willing to come with me to Qinghe County?"

Bian Xiang lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "This matter is not difficult. I am willing to follow you, brother. However, I still have thirty or forty brothers in my village. If I leave, I'm afraid they will be bullied by the village head!"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "That's not difficult at the moment. They can head west first. There's a village called Yunmeng over there. The people in that village owe me a huge favor. These brothers can rest there for a while. When we return from Qinghe County, we'll pass through Yunmeng Village and pick them up to go to Shandong together. What do you think?"

Bian Xiang was overjoyed and said, "That's wonderful!"

Song Jiang took out five hundred taels of silver and said, "This money is for their food, lodging and travel expenses. I think a dozen taels for each person should be enough!" Song Jiang was not stingy with money. This money was taken on the side while suppressing bandits, so it was perfect for doing favors, especially for a loyal and righteous person like Bian Xiang.

Bian Xiang had never seen so much money before. Seeing how much Song Jiang trusted him, he didn't hesitate to take out five hundred taels of silver, saying with emotion, "Brother trusts me so much, I will never let you down!"

That night, everyone chatted for a long time before finally resting. With Bian Xiang by their side, the trip to Qinghe was much less stressful!

The next morning, Bian Xiang went out, while Song Jiang and the others waited at home for a whole day. It was still dark when Bian Xiang finally returned home, accompanied by four burly men!

Bian Xiang explained, "These four are my good brothers. They insisted on going with me to Qinghe County to protect my brother. As for the other brothers, they have already set off for Yunmeng Village!"

After exchanging greetings, the group spent another night without speaking. On the morning of the third day, they finally set off again for Qinghe County!

I made up for the missing words today and will resume updates tomorrow. To say that this Omega is like a cold is truly ridiculous. I still haven't regained my sense of taste and smell, and my whole body is still sore. I just don't have a fever anymore, and my throat doesn't hurt as much, but I still have a cough, feel dizzy, and have a runny nose!

For the past two days, my head has been hurting like it's being drilled by a chainsaw. I wake up automatically every half hour or so, feeling weak all over and not even having the strength to touch my phone!

Everyone should take precautions. Don't assume that you're positive just because you've tested positive. Taking medication is essential, otherwise you'll recover too slowly and various symptoms will catch you off guard!