Chapter 48: Since the Heavenly King Invited Me, Naturally I Had to Come

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, at Chao Family Manor in Dongxi Village, the atmosphere was tense, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The manor’s head, Chao Gai, had arranged a table full of fine dishes in his main hall, saying he intended to share a joyous drink with the leaders arriving from Liangshan.

Yet every guest had been handed weapons, and among them were some unfamiliar faces disguised as guests, blending in with the crowd.

“Brother Chao Gai, rest assured! When they come, just give me a signal. I, Iron Bull, will send each of them to the afterlife with a single axe blow!” Li Kui had been enjoying himself greatly these past few days at Chao Gai’s manor—good food, good drink, and plenty of gambling.

Of course, Li Kui was terrible at gambling. The twenty taels Chao Gai gave him on the first day were lost in a single evening. The gambling den happened to be owned by Chao Gai himself, and when the servants recognized Li Kui, they took him to a special table where he played for free.

Yet even so, after three days of this, Li Kui ended up owing the den over 160 taels…

Moreover, Li Kui had a bad temper and treated the guests poorly—often cursing, even attempting to strike them. Several complaints had been made against him in the past few days.

If it weren’t for the plan to deal with Liangshan, Chao Gai felt he would never associate with Li Kui in his life.

“Good. Iron Bull, perform well today, and I’ll treat you to more gambling later,” Chao Gai said, trusting Li Kui’s confidence and naturally giving him the opportunity. “Go forth, Black Whirlwind!”

“Captain, long time no see,”

From Yuncheng County, quite a number of troops had been dispatched for this operation. Capturing the bandit leader Ren Yuan would bring great credit to Yuncheng.

Thus, two platoon leaders were sent out together.

The one stepping into Chao Gai’s manor was none other than Lei Heng, the infantry platoon leader of Yuncheng County, known in the martial world as the “Winged Tiger.” Standing seven feet five inches tall, he had a purplish complexion, a neatly trimmed fan-shaped beard, and a powerful arm and fist. Like a hero of the rivers and seas, he was agile, leaping over walls and streams lightly. No one dared challenge this heroic figure from Shandong, famed throughout the world.

This time, he brought twenty spear-wielding leaders and twenty ordinary soldiers as inside reinforcements.

“The platoon leader has arrived. Come, everyone, hard work pays off; let’s have a drink of rice wine first,” Chao Gai said upon seeing Lei Heng, signaling his men to prepare the food.

“Let’s hold off on the wine. Captain, please provide some of your manor guests’ clothing for us to change into. We’ll lie in ambush here today and ensure that pillar of strength has no way out,” Lei Heng said.

Lei Heng was capable and loyal, but he had a narrow mind. Seeing Liangshan prosper recently made him feel his own dignity as a bandit catcher was at stake. He was eager to capture this group to prove himself.

“With Captain Lei here, this matter is assured!” Chao Gai exclaimed joyfully.

Besides Chao Gai himself, Liu Tang, Li Kui, Wu Yong, and Bai Sheng were all ready for battle. Adding Lei Heng to the mix, Chao Gai felt that no matter how formidable Ren Yuan was, he couldn’t possibly defeat six heroes at once!

“All thanks to Captain Lei’s efforts and Mr. Liang’s strategy. I, Lei, am merely following orders,” Lei Heng said respectfully, as Chao Gai was generous and hospitable. Every time Lei Heng patrolled near Dongxi Village, he was invited to eat and drink, naturally fostering goodwill.

After some lighthearted conversation, a guest suddenly reported:

“Master Chao, people from Liangshan have arrived!”

“How many?”

Chao Gai straightened up.

“Three. Three people.”

“Only three? Has Ren Yuan come?”

Chao Gai frowned. Three men seemed too few for what he had planned. Was Liangshan showing contempt for him?

“Yes, Master Chao said the tallest one is him, and two eight-foot-tall men accompany him.”

“Let’s go see!” Chao Gai and Wu Yong exchanged glances before stepping out together. Naturally, Liu Tang and Li Kui followed, while Lei Heng hid quietly.

Outside Chao Family Manor,

Ren Yuan stood with Guang Hui and Mi Yi, three of them holding their horses, surveying the manor’s layout.

“Brother, should we send more men?” Guang Hui asked.

“Master, no need to worry. What kind of people does Chao Gai have? Just a bunch of farmhands and dogs,” Ren Yuan replied confidently.

Today, he wore a silver battle outfit, draped with a black silk robe, his black belt fastened tightly. His hair fell loosely as he rode a tall horse, wielding his three-pointed double-edged blade.

His appearance was strikingly handsome—reminiscent of the god Erlang Shen without armor.

Behind him, Master Guang Hui was dressed as a monk, holding a well-crafted copper staff engraved with swirling dragons and tigers, weighing forty jin—a formidable weapon.

Mi Yi, likewise clad in a battle outfit, shouldered a huge mountain-splitting axe weighing sixty jin. In his hands, the axe was wielded with such force that water couldn’t penetrate its swing.

“That’s right, Master. If Chao Gai pulls any tricks today, we’ll just break in and out seven times over!” Mi Yi said eagerly.

Since coming to the mountain, he hadn’t had a real fight in a long time and was itching for a good battle.

“Is that the Lord of Liangshan?”

At the gates of Chao Family Manor, two figures appeared—one in battle attire and the other in scholarly dress.

Undoubtedly, these were Chao Gai and Wu Yong.

“Indeed, Ren Yuan! I wonder what the Heavenly King’s invitation is about today!”

Ren Yuan’s principle was to return respect tenfold when others showed him honor.

Since Chao Gai was playing by the rules, he wouldn’t tear things apart first.

“I have long heard of the great name of the Lord of Liangshan. Today, I specially prepared wine and dishes in hopes of sharing a hearty drink! I hadn’t expected you to actually come,” Chao Gai said.

“Hahaha! When the Heavenly King invites, how could I not come?” Ren Yuan laughed loudly, his voice ringing in the ears of the manor’s gatekeepers.

“But there are only three of us here, and the Heavenly King is so cautious—it’s a bit disappointing! Lord Chao, if you don’t want me entering your manor, you can say so. We can meet elsewhere,” Ren Yuan added.

“But now you’ve kept us waiting here so long without letting us in, Lord Chao, isn’t that inappropriate?”

Chao Gai wasn’t unwilling to let them in; the problem was that Lei Heng’s men hadn’t yet concealed themselves properly. Otherwise, he would have ordered the gates opened long ago.

“Open the gates! Are you blind? Who are you to stop the Lord of Liangshan?” Chao Gai feigned scolding his men, then ordered the gates to be opened. As the heavy doors creaked open, Ren Yuan and his two companions sensed the deadly aura inside.

Clearly, this was an ambush aimed at the three of them.

“Master, Brother Mi Yi, are you willing to follow me inside for a walk?” Ren Yuan turned to his brothers.

“Brother said it well. Even if it’s the underworld itself, we dare follow him!” Mi Yi swung his axe lightly, eager for battle.

“Amitabha, if I don’t enter hell, who will?” Guang Hui chanted loudly. He was joking—already having died once before, what was he afraid of?

“Hahaha! Very well! Let’s go! Let’s see what kind of welcome Lord Chao has prepared for us!” Ren Yuan declared boldly, spurring his horse forward with his two brothers, striding straight into Chao Family Manor!