Chai Jin Misses Out on a True Hero; Song Jiang Meets a Hero in Cangzhou

The matter in Qinghe County has come to a close, and the lost treasures in Jeju Prefecture have been recovered! Although many mysteries remain unsolved, now is clearly not the time to delve into them!

Song Jiang was not particularly interested in court affairs, but he was in a good mood at the moment, so he led his brothers to Chai Jin's manor in Cangzhou Prefecture!

After traveling for more than two days, the group arrived in Cangzhou.

Song Jiang thought that since he was visiting, he should not go empty-handed, so he brought some valuable gifts to express his feelings!

But then I thought that Chai Jin was from a very wealthy family, so whatever I gave him would probably be meaningless to him. It would be better to be more practical and reliable!

Without further hesitation, they bought some ordinary gifts and headed straight for Chai Village with the group!

Chaizhuang has stood in Cangzhou for many years, not because of anything else, but because Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Zhao family, donned the yellow robe, forcing the orphaned mother and son of the Later Zhou dynasty to abdicate in favor of Zhao Kuangyin!

Feeling somewhat guilty and wanting to silence public opinion, Zhao Kuangyin bestowed upon the Chai family a special imperial edict, granting them special privileges, exempting them from worldly laws, and ensuring that they would enjoy imperial favor for generations. He also guaranteed that as long as the Zhao family existed, the Chai family would enjoy eternal wealth and prosperity!

Walking along Chai Village Road for two or three miles, there is a large stone bridge! This bridge is very wide, which not only shows that the Chai family recruits heroes from all over the world, but also reflects the size and scale of the Chai family. Even an ordinary stone bridge is built so grandly!

After crossing the stone bridge, a broad road appeared before us, flat on all sides. As far as the eye could see, there was a lush green expanse, with all sorts of exotic flowers and grasses, green willows and white poplars vying for attention. A huge manor stood out prominently in the middle of the woods!

The group continued walking forward when two disheveled figures appeared in front of them. One of them was around thirty years old, dressed like a Taoist priest in a Taoist robe, with a sword on his back.

The Taoist robe was somewhat old and covered with patches, but it was spotless and very clean!

Compared to Gongsun Sheng, he lacked some of the otherworldly elegance, but possessed more of a sharp edge!

Beside the Taoist priest was a young man, not very old, but with delicate features and extraordinary heroic bearing. Although his face was pale, his heroic aura could not be concealed!

The Taoist priest also saw Song Jiang and his group, but he didn't say anything. He just glanced at them and walked straight past them!

Song Jiang quickly said, "Taoist Master, please wait!"

The Taoist priest turned around and looked Song Jiang up and down. Although the man in front of him was not tall, he had an extraordinary bearing. The people around him were of all kinds, but the spirit and energy they displayed were exceptionally outstanding!

The Taoist priest bowed and said, "Greetings, sir!"

Song Jiang asked, "May I ask if you and this brother are retainers of Master Chai?"

The young man, impulsive and hot-tempered, immediately retorted angrily, "My uncle and I are not fortunate enough to be retainers of Master Chai!"

The Taoist priest was somewhat shrewd. He didn't know the relationship between Song Jiang and Chai Jin, but seeing that Song Jiang seemed to be going to Chai Jin's manor as well, he didn't want to offend Song Jiang and Chai Jin, nor did he want to gossip about them behind their backs. So he said, "Master Chai isn't at the manor. But that servant at the gate, seeing our ragged clothes, insisted we were beggars and wouldn't let us into Chai's manor!"

Although the Taoist priest spoke casually, Song Jiang knew that the process was not so easy!

It is true that Chai Jin is generous and righteous, but it is also true that the people in his manor have always looked down on others!

Those who come seeking refuge are often met with cold words and sarcastic remarks. Just look at the superiority complex and arrogant attitude of those people when Lin Chong was exiled to Cangzhou!

They came seeking refuge in times of distress, yet they were subjected to open and covert ridicule. How could anyone with pride accept this? Do they really think a tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs? A tiger is a tiger; its kingly aura, even in its most wretched state, is still incomparable to that of a dog!

Song Jiang sighed inwardly. He truly admired Chai Jin's generosity and righteousness, but why was Chai Jin inferior to him in every way? No matter how approachable Chai Jin was, the gap between their classes could never be bridged!

In addition, he was arrogant and unruly, allowing the servants and laborers to run rampant, which disgusted the true hero and resulted in the manor being filled with a bunch of scoundrels who just wanted to freeload!

When they really needed help, they didn't even have a single confidant by their side. Logically speaking, both Lin Chong and Wu Song had received great favors from Chai Jin, but in the end, Song Jiang used Chai Jin's money to do favors and won over Wu Song's heart instead. However, because of the servants, Chai Jin gradually drifted away from Wu Song!

Compared to Lu Junyi, Yan Qing, Li Ying, and Du Xing, Chai Jin, who truly had a large and wealthy family, was all alone and had no followers. He was only ranked tenth in Liangshan, which was no match for Song Jiang's confidants Wu Yong, Qin Ming, and Hua Rong, nor for the glorious ancestors of Guan Sheng and Huyan Zhuo. Although managing money seemed glamorous, Jiang Jing was always there to check on him. At this time, Chai Jin no longer had the prestige and charisma of the "Little Whirlwind of Cangzhou" he once was!

These two men had come to seek refuge with Chai Jin, but were driven away by the servants. If they were ordinary people, it wouldn't be a big deal, but this Taoist priest and the young uncle and nephew didn't seem like ordinary people. It wouldn't be bad to befriend them. If they really had any ability, even if they didn't stay on the estate, wouldn't it be good to make a good connection? Even if they were just pretty faces, how much money and grain could they waste on Chai Jin? It's a pity, a real pity!

Song Jiang bowed again and said to Jiao Ting, "Bring me fifty taels of silver!"

Jiao Ting took out fifty taels of silver and handed it to Song Jiang. Song Jiang took the silver and said to the Taoist priest, "Since you've come to Chai Manor to see Master Chai, you must be in trouble. In the world of martial arts, who hasn't had their share of misfortune? As the saying goes, when you're out in the world, you rely on friends. Please take this silver, Taoist priest, and don't think it's too little!"

The Taoist priest took the silver and thought about the humiliation he had suffered in Chai Village. Looking at the generous and righteous man in front of him, he was filled with mixed feelings.

He began, "Sir, may I have my palm read?"

Song Jiang was taken aback at first, then looked at Gongsun Sheng and smiled at the Taoist priest, saying, "It's alright, thank you for your trouble, Taoist priest!"

The Taoist priest bowed and began to carefully examine Song Jiang's palm.

"The lines on your palm are incredibly astonishing, resembling the shapes of a dragon and phoenix. This is the first time I've ever seen such a palm. You are no ordinary person!"

The already polite Taoist priest became even more courteous after examining Song Jiang's palm! Gongsun Sheng, on the other hand, remained silent and smiled.

"You're too kind, Taoist priest. I'm from Yuncheng, Shandong, and I'm just an insignificant clerk!" Song Jiang didn't know if the Taoist was telling the truth or not, but it didn't bother him to reveal his name.

Hearing Song Jiang say this, the Taoist priest hesitated, wondering if he had misread it. He then took Song Jiang's hand and examined it carefully before sighing and saying, "I haven't misread it. This is truly a strange thing!" However, he wasn't very familiar with Song Jiang and didn't want to reveal too much.

"I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now!" The Taoist priest said, pulling his nephew beside him as they prepared to depart.

This sudden turn of events left Song Jiang completely bewildered. He wondered if he had somehow offended the man.

Gongsun Sheng, who had been completely unnoticed until now, spoke up: "Fellow Daoist, wait!"

The Taoist priest, who was about to leave, turned around when he heard Gongsun Sheng speak and asked, "What advice do you have for me, fellow Daoist?"

Gongsun Sheng smiled and said, "This humble Taoist is Gongsun Sheng. I don't know how to address you, friend!"

The Taoist priest was slightly surprised and said, "So it's Master Yiqing, the esteemed disciple of Master Luo! I am Li Zhu!"

Song Jiang exclaimed, "So it's Master Li, the Golden Sword Master! I've been so rude, failing to recognize a true sage!" He then looked at the young man beside him and said, "This must be Master Li's nephew, Li Huai, right?"

Li Zhu was somewhat surprised that Song Jiang knew him so well. However, in addition to his surprise, he was also pleased, since everyone likes to hear nice things!

Seeing Song Jiang's politeness, Li Zhu didn't want to be pretentious, so he politely replied, "So you are the famous Timely Rain, no wonder you are so righteous."

Gongsun Sheng's earlier attempt to persuade Li Zhu to stay was clearly intended to encourage Song Jiang to recruit Li Zhu. Li Zhu's reputation as a man of both literary and martial talents is no exaggeration!

As Wang Qing's strategist, he was instrumental in helping Wang Qing become a powerful figure, and his swordsmanship was unparalleled and unmatched!

Lu Junyi's only defeat in his life was due to Li Zhu. It should be noted that Li Zhu used swordsmanship, not Taoist magic. Defeating Lu Junyi with swordsmanship forced Gongsun Sheng to use Taoist magic in the end so that he could finally defeat Li Zhu!

This record alone is unmatched in the entire Water Margin!

As for Li Zhu's nephew, Li Huai, as a general under Wang Qing, he commanded the Jishan Army and had many skilled soldiers under his command. Wang Qing's rise to power was mainly due to Li Zhu and his nephew, as well as the Jishan Army. It wasn't that the Duan family wasn't that important, but the main problem was that the Duan family really didn't have any talented people! They were mostly loyal to Wang Qing!

Having encountered such talent, Song Jiang would never let him go. Since he had already intercepted Mi Sheng, he didn't care about having another Li Zhu and his nephew. At worst, he would just treat Wang Qing to drinks and meat later!

Since Song Jiang already knew that these two men were Li Zhu and his nephew, and that they had always harbored rebellious intentions, he decided to be direct and earnest, saying, "Song Jiang aspires to achieve great things. Would you be willing to lend me a hand?" If Yang Zhi hadn't been there and Song Jiang couldn't be too obvious, he would have loved to grab Li Zhu and say, "I'm going to rebel, why don't you come and join me!"

Yang Zhi and Wu Song had no idea what great thing Song Jiang was planning to do. After all, the fact of rebellion was too astonishing, and no normal person would think of such a thing!

Bian Xiang and Mi Sheng were shocked to see Song Jiang being so blunt. They hadn't expected Song Jiang to trust them so much and speak so frankly to them upon first meeting. It was rather hasty!

But then Bian Xiang thought about it again. Song Jiang treated him the same way, and his judgment was always incredibly accurate. He figured that even if the two of them didn't want to be together, they weren't the kind of people who would secretly hinder him. He felt more at ease.

However, one should always be wary of others. Bian Xiang gave Mi Sheng a wink, signaling that if the Taoist priest made any unusual moves, they should risk everything to keep the two of them here!

Li Zhu and his nephew were also extremely surprised. They exchanged glances, and Li Zhu, being a shrewd man, spoke first: "This humble Taoist is willing to follow the clerk for a period of time to see if he is worth following."

Although he didn't express his opinion directly, the implication was pretty much there. After all, rebellion was a serious matter and not to be taken lightly. If Song Jiang was really just a good-for-nothing, Li Zhu would naturally leave without hesitation to avoid losing his life in vain. But if Song Jiang was truly a dragon among men, then he would be a great hero in the future!

Considering what Li Zhu said after looking at Song Jiang's palm, if it were anyone else, they would have left long ago. Why waste another word with him?

Song Jiang was overjoyed, bowed, and said, "I will certainly not disappoint you, Daoist!"

Li Zhu smiled slightly and said frankly, "My uncle and I originally wanted to become servants of Master Chai, but unfortunately we couldn't get into Chai's manor. We were planning to go to Huaixi to take a look. Since Clerk Song thinks highly of my uncle and me, we'll follow Clerk Song and see what happens!"

The group talked for a while longer before continuing their journey to Chai Village!

At the entrance, it was the same servant who had driven Li Zhu away before. Seeing Li Zhu and his nephew return, he roared, "It's you again, you fake Taoist! Although our Chai Manor is rich, we don't need freeloaders like you. I advise you to leave quickly, lest you cause trouble and risk your life."

These words were both harsh and malicious, but Li Zhu just smiled and didn't say anything. It wasn't worth it to deal with a gatekeeper like this!

But Song Jiang didn't think so. Since Li Zhu had followed him, regardless of whether he fully joined or not, he couldn't let people insult him!

The atmosphere in Chai Village really needs to be rectified. Since Chai Jin isn't here, he doesn't mind helping him out this time.

He gave Jiao Ting a look, and Jiao Ting understood. He grinned maliciously and slowly walked towards the gatekeeper!

The gatekeeper naturally saw Song Jiang and his group. Song Jiang's group was not as poor and destitute as Li Zhu. He originally wanted to drive Li Zhu away and then ask Song Jiang where he came from, but he did not expect that Jiao Ting would walk over with a murderous aura!

Looking at the burly man before him, who resembled a mountain, he felt a sudden pang of panic, but still managed to threaten, "This is Chai Village. I advise you not to be so insolent!"

Jiao Ting didn't care about any of that; he would just do whatever Song Jiang ordered!

"Slap slap slap slap!" Before the gatekeeper could react, he received four slaps to the face, and his already chubby face instantly swelled up like a pig's head!

At this moment, a group of people and horses also came to the village, with an official sitting in the middle riding a snow-white curly-haired horse.

The man was handsome with dragon-like eyebrows and phoenix-like eyes, white teeth and red lips, and a three-pronged mustache. He was about thirty years old and wore a black gauze turban with embroidered flowers at the corners, a purple embroidered robe with a rounded chest, a delicate sash inlaid with jewels around his waist, and a pair of black court boots with gold thread and green trim.

The gatekeeper rushed over, looking aggrieved, and said, "Master Chai, some people came to Chai Manor and caused trouble. I couldn't stop them, and I even got a good beating!"

The man on horseback frowned slightly, spurred his horse forward, and asked, "Who are you?"

Song Jiang bowed and smiled, "I am Song Jiang from Yuncheng County!"

Upon hearing this, the man on horseback hurriedly dismounted and knelt on the ground, saying, "So it's Brother Gongming! You really want to kill Chai Jin!"

Song Jiang was puzzled as to why Chai Jin bowed to him upon seeing him. In terms of wealth, Song Jiang was far inferior to Chai Jin, and in terms of status, they were worlds apart. He was just a minor official in Yuncheng County, while Chai Jin was a descendant of the famous Later Zhou imperial family!

Although he couldn't understand it, Song Jiang couldn't let Chai Jin actually bow to him, so he quickly helped Chai Jin up, saying, "Sir, you mustn't be so polite, you're making Song Jiang feel ashamed!"