Chapter 37: Your surname is Pan? Which Pan?

"So, Big Brother Ren cares about saving face, too."

Hua Yun looked surprised. She had assumed that this "Pillar of Heaven," whose fame in the pugilistic world surpassed even her own brother's, would be a stuffy old traditionalist. She never expected him to have such a charming side.

"I am older than your brother; of course, it would be embarrassing to lose. What’s so strange about that?" Ren Yuan shrugged. Losing an archery contest to Hua Rong was nothing to be ashamed of—after all, in the entire *Water Margin*, there was no one who could beat him. Perhaps in the future, his own young junior brother, Yue Fei, might have the ability to go toe-to-toe with Hua Rong, but other archery experts like Pang Wanchun, Tang Bin, or Yang Zhi were all a cut below Hua Rong.

"Then why didn't you go looking for my brother again later?" Hua Yun asked, puzzled.

"I didn't win, so I didn't really go back. By the way, I have a question: has your brother ever met a short, dark man with the surname Song?" Ren Yuan asked nervously. Zhu Wu and the others nearby, hearing the mention of a "short, dark man named Song," exchanged glances. It seemed someone was looking to make trouble for their brother.

"This... no. Many people come to challenge my brother, but none with the surname Song. As for others, my brother doesn't see many people, and definitely no one short," Hua Yun said after some thought, shaking her head.

"That's good." Ren Yuan let out a sigh of relief. He looked at Hua Yun, thinking to himself that this "Song" was the very person who had ruined her brother and her in the original story. According to the records of *Water Margin*, although Hua Rong was Song Jiang's confidant, the two had not seen each other for five or six years before Song Jiang was rescued to Mount Qingfeng. This suggested that when they met five or six years prior, Song Jiang must have done Hua Rong a great favor, or held some debt of gratitude over him, which explained Hua Rong's intense loyalty. Song Jiang’s legal troubles began around 1117, and if one followed the "five or six years" timeline from the original work, this year was exactly when they were destined to meet.

Ren Yuan had always wondered why Hua Rong was so submissive to Song Jiang—even going so far as to bring his wife and sister to pay respects to Song Jiang after harboring the fugitive at Qingfeng Fort, and not opposing it when Song Jiang arbitrarily promised Hua Yun to Qin Ming. Seeing Hua Yun now, Ren Yuan began to suspect something. Was it possible that in the original timeline, Hua Yun had encountered some crisis while traveling the world and was saved by Song Jiang? A life-saving grace is heavier than heaven itself. Since Hua Rong only had this one sister, that would explain why he became Song Jiang’s puppet and why Hua Yun accepted being married off to Qin Ming without complaint. It was because he was their savior!

That made perfect sense! And so... as for Hua Yun now...

"Wait a moment, Sister Hua Yun. Tell me honestly: does your brother know you came out this time?" Ren Yuan could guess the answer. If his theory held, everything would fall into place.

"He..." Hua Yun’s eyes darted to the left, and she batted her clever, mischievous eyes. Ren Yuan knew exactly what that meant.

"Brother Shiqian."

"At your command, Brother."

"I must trouble you to make a trip. This young lady, Miss Hua, ran away from home in secret. I will write a letter immediately; you must ride with all haste and deliver it to Commandant Hua at Qingfeng Fort. It must be done quickly—can you arrive within five days?" Ren Yuan ordered directly.

"Understood. Leave it to me, Brother. If I can change horses as I please, I can make it in two or three days." Although Shiqian lacked the supernatural speed of Dai Zong or Ma Ling, Ren Yuan had authorized him to push his horse to the limit and swap mounts along the way, and with his own mastery of lightness skills, he was confident.

"Good. Go draw 500 taels of silver for expenses. Ride fast."

"Hey! Brother Ren Yuan, I ran away on my own, didn't I? If you let my brother know, he'll make me go back. I still want to act as a hero and uphold justice!" Hua Yun pouted, unhappy. Though Ren Yuan felt familiar to her, it felt a bit rash to inform her brother without her consent.

"You can uphold justice all you want, but you left without telling your brother—do you know how worried he must be? A true hero brings peace of mind to others, not anxiety. Do you think it’s what a hero should do to leave your brother in such a state of fear for you?" Ren Yuan said earnestly. Of course, what he didn't say was that if he didn't, her brother might end up on the pirate ship of "Darkie Song." And that was something Ren Yuan would not allow.

"Oh..." Hua Yun was still just a young girl; hearing Ren Yuan put it that way, she realized he had a point and stopped objecting. Ren Yuan felt relieved and quickly asked the innkeeper for paper and ink.

"Brother Ren Yuan, if you're writing to my brother, it would be better to include a token. Otherwise, he might not believe you," Hua Yun reminded him as he prepared to write.

"Don't worry, once I describe the archery contest, he will believe it." Ren Yuan began to write furiously. As for his penmanship... well, it would have to do. At least it was neat and legible, stroke by stroke, right?

"Hey, aren't you going to stop me?"

"Why would I stop you? I can't beat you, and I'm surrounded by your people anyway. Besides, you're right; running away from home like this was indeed my fault." Hua Yun hung her head, kicking the floor in frustration. The young girl beside her quickly grabbed her hand to comfort her.

"Exactly, just admit your mistake and change your ways." Ren Yuan didn't dwell on it; his mind was entirely consumed by the situation with the Hua siblings, having almost forgotten he had rescued another person as well.

"Here. Take this and give it to him as well. Once my brother sees this, he will know the letter is genuine." Encouraged by the girl, Hua Yun seemed to regain her spirit. She looked up at Ren Yuan and said seriously.

"You have a token? Excellent! Quick, have Shiqian take it with him." Ren Yuan was overjoyed; this would make his letter even more persuasive.

Hua Yun looked at Ren Yuan, then suddenly reached up to her face and pulled hard! With a flourish, a layer of skin-like mask fell away, and Ren Yuan stood frozen in place! When he had first met Hua Yun, her appearance had been quite ordinary, and he hadn't thought much of it. He never expected she had been wearing a mask!

What was Hua Yun's true appearance? She wore no makeup, yet her natural posture was enchanting; she needed no finery, for her inherent beauty was breathtaking. Her hair flowed like a dark waterfall, and her face possessed the elegance to shame the moon and put flowers to shame. She was like Chang'e descending from the Lunar Palace or the Weaver Girl stepping down from the Jasper Pool. Ren Yuan was stunned for several seconds.

"Brother, if you keep staring at me like that, will I have to send an extra betrothal gift along with this letter?" Among the group, Shiqian had been with Ren Yuan the longest (even if only by a few days) and was the most familiar, so he dared to joke.

Ren Yuan finally came to his senses, feeling a sudden shyness and not daring to look at Hua Yun. Hua Yun, being the daughter of a military family, was initially bashful, but she quickly adapted. Seeing such a large man acting so shy, she found it all the more amusing.

"What's wrong, Big Brother Ren? Am I not pretty enough?"

"Pretty, very pretty. Ahem, wait—I suddenly remember, why were those Zhang family members chasing you?" Ren Yuan picked up his teacup and took a tactical sip, forcing a change of subject to mask his slight embarrassment.

"Ah, I almost forgot! Sister, this is the famous hero of the pugilistic world, the 'Pillar of Heaven,' Big Brother Ren Yuan. Rest assured, he is a true righteous man and will surely stand up for you." Hua Yun suddenly remembered the young girl by her side!

Encouraged by Hua Yun, the girl gathered her courage, bowed to the heroes present, and said, "My surname is Pan, my given name is Jinlian. Greetings, my benefactors."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Ren Yuan, who had just been drinking, choked violently, causing everyone around to look on with confusion. What was wrong with their brother? Was there something the matter with this young girl?

Ren Yuan didn't bother to explain. He set down his bowl, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and stared at the young girl in astonishment, asking in disbelief:

"Your surname is Pan? Which Pan?"