Chapter 30: Playing the Saint While Playing the Sinner

"Who is the butcher and who is the meat?"

The murderously cold voice made Zhang Qing’s hair stand on end, as if he were being stalked by a lethal predator. Without a second thought, he instinctively performed a forward roll, snatched up his carrying pole, and spun around into a defensive stance.

He saw Ren Yuan, who had been slumped over the table only moments before, now sitting upright in his chair. One hand remained in a throwing motion, while the other held a waiter in a firm grip, pinning him facedown onto the table. The remaining two waiters, clearly terrified, huddled in the corner, not daring to step forward. Shi Qian stood behind Ren Yuan, holding a broadsword, standing at attention.

"You—you didn't fall for it?" Zhang Qing asked, his voice laced with shock.

"If I hadn't played along, how could I have exposed the flaws of you man-eating monsters? Shi Qian, block the door. No one leaves this shop alive today!"

Ren Yuan didn't waste another word. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the restrained waiter toward Zhang Qing. His natural, immense strength proved particularly useful here; he didn't care what was in his way—he just threw it. Zhang Qing dared not catch the flying body and could only dodge in a pathetic, clumsy manner. After all, the waiter known as Xiaosan was already half-dead from the impact of Ren Yuan’s throw.

After scrambling to avoid the projectile, Zhang Qing attempted to bolt for the door, but Shi Qian’s agility was peerless. He had already intercepted the exit, pointing his blade directly at Zhang Qing’s throat.

"This path is closed. Go back."

Seeing Shi Qian’s prowess, Zhang Qing realized he couldn't easily overcome the thief. With Ren Yuan looming just a few paces behind him, he had no choice but to abandon his escape attempt.

"I have eyes but failed to recognize a true master. May I ask who you are?" Zhang Qing asked, holding his pole horizontally as he eyed Ren Yuan.

"Is that your last will and testament?"

Ren Yuan couldn't be bothered to engage in pleasantries. He snatched up a bench and charged forward with heavy, thunderous strides.

"All together now!"

Seeing that Ren Yuan had no intention of letting him go, Zhang Qing stopped pretending. He shouted for the remaining two waiters to assist, and, brandishing his pole, he lunged forward!

"Is that all you have?"

Ren Yuan felt nothing but contempt. Throughout the entire *Water Margin*, there were few who could rival him in hand-to-hand combat, and in this shop, there was certainly no one capable of standing against him.

Ren Yuan first hurled the bench in his hand, smashing it into the two waiters. The wood shattered upon impact, and the two men collapsed in agony, never daring to rise again. He then caught the incoming pole with one hand; his palm acted like an iron vice, locking the weapon in place. No matter how hard Zhang Qing pulled, he could not budge it.

"You forced my hand!"

Desperate, Zhang Qing jerked the end of his pole. With a sharp *click*, a short blade slid out from within the shaft.

"Die!"

Zhang Qing struck with the blade, aiming for Ren Yuan’s face. Ren Yuan sneered, side-stepped with ease, and raised his hand like a tiger’s claw to seize the man's wrist. With a violent twist, Zhang Qing’s wrist let out a sickening crunch. A piercing scream tore from his throat, and he dropped the blade, unable to hold it any longer.

Ren Yuan pressed his advantage. His other hand, shaped into a claw, clamped onto Zhang Qing’s ribs, and he twisted again with such force that Zhang Qing’s body contorted in agony. Ren Yuan stepped, pivoted his waist, and channeled the strength of both arms to hoist Zhang Qing over his head before slamming him down!

*Bang!*

Zhang Qing first crashed heavily onto the table, but Ren Yuan’s momentum was too great; the table shattered, and Zhang Qing was thrown violently onto the floor.

The martial arts passed down by his master, the "Iron Arm" Zhou Tong, included techniques of grappling. With the help of his maxed-out comprehension, Ren Yuan had mastered these skills to perfection. Dealing with a man like Zhang Qing while fueled by righteous fury was child’s play. Struck by such force, Zhang Qing felt as if every bone in his body had been pulverized; he couldn't speak, only moan in pain.

"Say, Boss, what are you doing? It's so noisy out there—hurry up and bring those two in! Stop dawdling!"

Just as Ren Yuan finished dealing with Zhang Qing, Sun Erniang stepped out from behind the curtain, holding a bone-cleaving knife, followed by three thugs.

The moment she stepped out and saw the scene, she froze. The tavern was in ruins, with debris scattered everywhere. The man who was supposed to be drugged was standing in the center of the room, and under his feet lay her husband, curled up like a beaten dog.

Sun Erniang looked at Ren Yuan, only to find him staring back at her with an expression of disdain and pity. She knew this look all too well; it was the same condescending gaze she wore whenever she looked at the "lambs" tied to her butchery table. To be on the receiving end of such a look was more than she could bear.

"You wretch! You tricked me and wrecked my shop! Come here! Capture this man and skin him alive!"

But she immediately regretted it. Ren Yuan kicked Zhang Qing toward her, causing him to vomit a mouthful of blood in mid-air. Simultaneously, Ren Yuan grabbed a table in each hand, swinging them with such force that they shattered upon her men, knocking them all down before he closed the distance to her.

A heavy punch to the abdomen! A "Phoenix Eye" strike directly into her solar plexus!

This was a lethal technique from the Red Fist style of Guanzhong, and Ren Yuan used it without hesitation. Sun Erniang had no chance to dodge. She took the full force of the blow, her eyes bulging, the knife falling from her hand as she clutched her stomach and collapsed. Ren Yuan kicked her beside her husband.

"Is this all you have? And you dare run a human-flesh inn?"

After the fight, Ren Yuan’s anger subsided slightly. He pulled up a chair and sat down with an air of cold authority, waiting for the pair to recover. Shi Qian, meanwhile, calmly retrieved ropes from behind the counter and began binding the waiters.

"Cough... Who... who exactly are you? Today... today it was us, husband and wife, who... who failed to recognize a true master. We... we hope for your forgiveness." Zhang Qing struggled to support his wife, coughing blood as he looked at Ren Yuan.

"Is this your last will and testament?"

Ren Yuan had no desire to converse with them. He had only sat down to calm himself after the adrenaline of the fight.

"This... this time it was our shop's fault. But you have also injured so many of our men and hurt me and my wife. Let this matter be settled here. Two guests, please, be on your way. We are all wanderers of the martial world; my word is my bond. We will never seek revenge for today." Zhang Qing tried to offer an olive branch as he regained some composure.

Shi Qian couldn't help but laugh at this. "Brother, listen to that. It sounds like if we let them go today, we should be thanking them."

"Let them go? Keep dreaming." Ren Yuan sneered at Zhang Qing.

"If apologies were useful, what would we need the authorities for? You run this human-meat business; you should know that the cycles of heaven are just!"

"Hero, spare our lives! Hero, have mercy! Hero! We are all wanderers of the martial world, please, spare us!" Zhang Qing saw that Ren Yuan truly intended to kill them and began kowtowing frantically. Beside him, Sun Erniang, despite her agonizing pain, joined him in begging.

"Begging for mercy now?" Ren Yuan scoffed. "At the Crossroads of the Big Tree, what traveler dares to pass? The fat ones are turned into bun filling, the thin ones are tossed into the river! Zhang Qing, Sun Erniang, you treat human life like blades of grass and murder for profit as a trifle. You are nothing but beasts. How dare you call yourselves wanderers of the martial world?"

"Since you know our names, we, husband and wife, are willing to serve you! We are willing to follow you!" Zhang Qing continued to kowtow, desperately grasping for a final chance at survival.

"Actually, we are not people who kill the innocent at will. You should know, Hero, in our shop, there are three types of people we do not kill..." Seeing Ren Yuan staring at him without expression, Zhang Qing hurriedly continued: "We do not kill traveling monks or nuns, we do not kill courtesans, and we do not kill those in exile. These people travel across the country, which is not easy, and we have pity for them..."

As he spoke, his tone grew firmer and his eyes seemed to brighten, as if the injuries all over his body had vanished. Ren Yuan thought that if Zhang Qing lived in the modern era, he would certainly be a master of manipulation or a pyramid scheme king.

A ray of sunlight shone through the broken window onto his face, giving this murderous black-shop owner an air of righteousness. Ren Yuan shook his head in frustration. No wonder—no wonder he was able to trick Wu Song in the original story. While it was true that Wu Song was lonely and craving family at the time, Zhang Qing’s talent for performance had undoubtedly played a major role.

Seeing that Ren Yuan remained silent, Zhang Qing grew anxious. He couldn't help but glance at him. In the past, whenever he said these things, those "heroes" would surely express their agreement, and the two sides would turn enemies into friends. This trick had never failed—why wasn't it working now?

"What? Still hoping I'll be moved by your lies, and that we'll cut off a rooster's head, burn yellow incense, and swear to be brothers?" Ren Yuan looked at Zhang Qing and found the scene laughable. Without waiting for Zhang Qing to say more, he stood up, took the broadsword from Shi Qian’s hand, and berated them:

"You two beasts, you treat murder like a game! After robbing people of their wealth, you desecrate their remains! You destroy the fundamental ethics of humanity! For so many years, you have harmed countless people, yet you hypocritically claim there are 'three types you don't kill.' You act like animals but demand the archway of a saint! In all my life, I have never seen such shameless hypocrites who want to be whores while building monuments to their own chastity!"

"Let me ask you: do the travelers you kill owe you anything? Should they be made into meat filling for your profit? Are you Zhang Qing the King of Hell? Or the Jade Emperor? If I don't take your two dog lives today and burn this black shop to the ground, even the Heavens will curse me!"

"Remember! When you reach the underworld, tell the King of Hell that the one who took your dog lives was Ren Yuan of Liangshan!"

He raised the blade and brought it down. The broadsword traced a beautiful arc through the air, sending two heads rolling! The man’s head, even in death, had its eyes wide open, filled with utter disbelief.