Chapter Nine, the White Tiger cannot be bound by the golden lock

Suddenly, he quickly turned his gaze to Liu Yan and said, "Bosheng, regarding this matter, it is not enough for just the two of us along with a few children; we need to find additional help. Otherwise, even if we manage to hide Ma Wuzang, we will not be able to leave Jiyang County."

If it were someone else, they would have probably died long ago; however, Ma Wu's life is remarkably resilient. Liu Yan snorted coldly and said, "I guess he is afraid that the road to the underworld is too lonely, waiting for us to accompany him!"

"Rest assured, Bo Sheng, Gongsun and the others are just like you; they are extraordinary heroes! They have already noticed Ren Guang's actions just now. Therefore, at the moment I was going upstairs, they made a promise to be willing to advance and retreat together with us!" Deng Chen, noticing Liu Yan's concerns, smiled and stated a fact.

"You really are like a roof being lifted after three days without a beating..." Liu Yan's face immediately turned angry, and he raised his hand, ready to give Liu Xiu a sharp slap. Seeing this, Deng Chen quickly reached out from the side to stop him. Turning his head, he smiled slightly at Liu Xiu, "You foolish boy, don't you know who your brother is? At this moment, he has probably already made his decision. What he just said was meant for me. He is afraid of implicating me, so he clarified the pros and cons first, allowing me to choose for myself."

The owner of the Wu Mei stove raised her hand to wipe her face, revealing a remarkably beautiful countenance. If it is not Ma Sanniang, then who could it be? She quickly dashed into the room, her eyes brimming with tears, and bowed deeply to Liu Yan and Deng Chen, saying, "Thank you, benefactors. The great kindness and virtue of both benefactors will be remembered by Sanniang and my elder brother for a lifetime"

Deng respectfully followed the teachings of several elder brothers! Deng Chen blushed and nodded vigorously. Immediately after, he turned and walked away quickly, fearing that if he moved even slightly slower, the tears in his eyes would fall in public.

Is there still a need to say it?" Deng Chen raised his hand and gave his nephew a playful punch, then shook his head with a smile, "Of course, I will stand together with Bo Sheng through thick and thin.

Before his words had finished, Liu Yan had already taken a swift step forward, pushing aside his shoulder and quietly admonishing, "Wei Qing, do not listen to his feigned pity! The accounts from tonight must be settled clearly with those few!"

Go see for yourself! If he hadn't mentioned it, it would have been fine, but once he did, Liu Yan's expression grew increasingly grim. He forcefully pointed at the bed and whispered sharply, "At such a young age, you actually took it upon yourself to harbor thieves. You truly don't know how to write the word 'death'!"

Hmph! Liu Yan withdrew his hand, turned his head, and deliberately refused to show him a good expression

Before Ren Guanglin left, his strange smile was noticed by everyone. Liu Yan's hurried actions as he rushed upstairs were also clearly seen by all. It was evident that while Liu Yan was engaging with the county soldiers, those few young boys upstairs had caused trouble. However, the county soldiers had already struck, and the county magistrate had already been offended. At this point, if they claimed ignorance of what had happened on the second floor, no one would believe them. Therefore, it was better to be straightforward; whatever happened, they would face it together. After all, they could still maintain a reputation for righteousness in the end, avoiding a situation where they would be left with nothing and end up displeasing everyone.

Hurry, hurry, there are those of us waiting here

It turns out that just now, Liu Yan and Deng Chen's conversation was overheard by her, word for word

"We cannot hand over Ma Zizhang to Cen Peng!" Before the sentence could be completed, Liu Xiu was interrupted, her face flushed. "Brother, brother-in-law, although Ma Zizhang has turned to banditry, he only executes corrupt officials and never harms the common people. If we hand him over to the authorities, it would be akin to aiding a tiger. Your reputations will become so foul that the stench will carry for hundreds of miles against the wind, from then on..."

Suddenly realizing, Deng Feng had previously pretended to study diligently, but in reality, he was also involved in certain unspeakable matters alongside Liu Xiu. Deng Chen's heart began to race. If Cen Peng had barged in just now and discovered something inside the room, everyone present today would likely be dragged into the fire pit by these few wild boys! They deserve a beating; they truly deserve it. If they are not punished, it would not be sufficient to explain to the brothers!

Together, together, brothers united, their strength can cut through metal

Ah?" Deng Chen was slightly taken aback, and only then did he remember the purpose of Liu Yan and himself going upstairs one after the other. He quickly tightened his expression, feigning an official demeanor, and said in a deep voice: "Yes, you few, no one is allowed to get away with this tonight. Bo Sheng, what exactly happened just now? Where did the blood on Liu Xiu's face come from?"

Since we have already gone through this together, we must see it through to the end

"Why must you be so courteous, Brother Wei Qing!" Feng Yi, Liu Zhi, and others all stepped aside and returned the bow. "We have a few brothers watching downstairs, so you should go upstairs quickly. Tell Brother Bo Sheng not to be too harsh on the children. While studying is certainly important, what is even more crucial in being a person is not to lose one's conscience"

It is extreme, it is extreme, books must be read, but one cannot read them to death, nor can one, like some people, lose their conscience while reading! Feng Yi had long noticed his strange demeanor, yet he did not expose it, instead smiling and loudly promising: "Tonight, we will join hands to repel the thieves, whether it is a merit or a fault, it is already the case, and certainly no one can escape. Therefore, if Wei Qing and Brother Bo Sheng have any needs for assistance, please feel free to speak up. With the three-foot green blade in hand, let the two brothers command it as they wish!"

Liu Zhi, Zhang Jun, Xu Yu, Qu Yang, and others followed Feng Yi's lead, smiling as they made their promises. On each young face, pride was clearly written.

"You say it again, say it again!" The more Liu Yan listened, the more alarmed he became, and the more he could not suppress his anger. With a surge of strength in his hands, he forced Liu Xiu to cower and cover his head. "You really have become quite capable, learning to calculate the thoughts of others. You, today I must teach you a lesson to remember..."

"Uncle, uncle, I am the youngest here, and no one listens to me!" Deng Feng felt very wronged after being kicked and did not dare to retort. He could only curl up on the ground, holding his head and rolling around, "They are all older than me, why do you only hit me every time!"

At this thought, a surge of anger rushed to Deng Chen's head. He kicked his own nephew, Deng Feng, to the ground, shouting, "Go to hell! This is what you get for blindly joining in the ruckus! This is what you get for blindly joining in the ruckus! Tomorrow morning, you are to go home! You are not to set foot in Chang'an again. If you do, who knows what trouble you might cause!"

Cen Peng is a well-known filial son. After the county office recently suffered a fire, he would never feel at ease entrusting his elderly mother to anyone else. Liu Xiu raised his hands high, shielding himself while dodging behind his companions. Secondly, even if Cen Peng suspects that we are harboring Ma Wu, he would not believe that we would dare to keep Ma Wu here, waiting for him to come and search again. Therefore, we should act contrary to his expectations. Thirdly, I just secretly observed through the window; Cen Peng is proud and arrogant, and he is an outsider. He would absolutely refuse to admit in front of his subordinates that he has fallen for someone else's ruse to draw the tiger away from its mountain lair.

Ah? Liu Xiu finally awoke from his dream, staring wide-eyed and softly calling out, "Brother—"

Liu Bosheng, my brother-in-law, has always regarded his younger brother Liu Xiu as a treasure, and even a minor scrape would cause him to feel distressed for quite a while. How could he possibly be rough with him? ... However, his nephew Deng Feng! ... He deserves a beating. Once this matter is settled, I must give him a good thrashing!

Deng Feng, who had previously been lying on the ground pretending to be dead, quickly took the opportunity to get up and grabbed his uncle Deng Chen, his palms sweaty with anxiety, "Uncle, what about you? How will you choose?"

"What other options do we have?" Liu Yan had calmed down considerably by this time. He stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Ma Wu on the bed, and said breathlessly, "At present, we have only two paths to choose from. The first is to atone for our sins by directly handing Ma Wu over to the authorities. Although Cen Peng is treacherous, he is also proud and values his reputation greatly. If we were to hand Ma Zi Zhang over to him, even if he harbored some doubts in his heart, he would not pursue the matter further in public..." If we were to hand Ma Zi Zhang over to him, even if he harbored some doubts in his heart, he would not pursue the matter further in public..."

He was very clear in his heart that everyone had already noticed the strange behavior of both Liu Yan and himself. However, no one chose to withdraw; one by one, they all took the initiative to stay, willing to share both fortune and misfortune with Liu Yan and himself

Ah? Upon hearing this, Liu Yan was momentarily taken aback. He then nodded with satisfaction and said, "Alright, please invite those few individuals up! I have made arrangements with these friends!"

"What is wrong? Did I hit you incorrectly?" Upon hearing this, Deng Chen's anger surged even more, and he raised his large hands, akin to two big fans, and struck his nephew's backside fiercely.

Thank you, brothers! Deng Chen felt a surge of excitement in his heart, bent down, and bowed deeply to everyone. From now on, if there is any need for me, Deng, I will not hesitate to go through fire and water!

"That's enough, we will settle the score with them later!" Liu Yan was extremely rational in his actions and could not bear to see Deng Feng punished alone. He stepped forward, raised his hand, and grabbed Deng Chen, saying, "Even if we were to kill a few of them right now, it would not clear our suspicion of harboring thieves and resisting the authorities! Hurry up and think of a way to help me move Ma Wu, otherwise, if Cen Peng returns..."

"You little brats!" Deng Chen suddenly turned around, gritting his teeth, yet he did not know how to reprimand the other party appropriately

Just as I was feeling a deep-seated irritation, the thick voice of Feng Yi came from beside my ears, "Brother Wei Qing, what exactly happened upstairs? Is there any way I can be of assistance?"

"Weiqing, please greet the brothers for me; I will be back shortly." As he watched Ren Guang leave, Liu Yan's expression quickly darkened. Suppressing his anger, he briefly instructed Deng Chen, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and strode towards the second floor.

Upon hearing these words, Deng Chen felt a surge of anger and anxiety, which instantly transformed into pity. He quickly crouched down and pinched Liu Xiu's nose several times with force, whispering, "This won't do, just using cold water is not enough! I'm afraid we need to use white yam to block it up, otherwise..."

At this moment, where is the time to pity others? Protecting thieves and bandits should be punished according to their crimes. Just a moment ago, it was only a hair's breadth away; myself, Liu Yan, and the several brothers I had just met downstairs, along with our respective families, would have all fallen into a tremendous and unwarranted disaster! If that county magistrate, Cen Peng, had barged into this room and discovered Ma Wu on the bed, then those few people would truly have found themselves in a dire situation—either dead or facing death.

Unfortunately, he possesses great martial skills, yet is constrained by the narrow confines of the room, rendering him unable to fully utilize them. When his two large hands struck his own younger brother Liu Xiu, it was only a few blows, but it instead caused Yan Guang and Zhu You to suffer quite a bit, each of them grimacing in pain.

Liu Xiu covered his nose, feeling both amused and helpless, "It was because you just pushed the door and bumped into Zhu You, and he knocked his head right into my nose! Oh dear, this blood, it really won't stop. Yan Guang, hurry and bring me some cold water."

Brother! Liu Xiu realized that he had misunderstood his elder brother, his face flushed, feeling at a loss.

Before long, he had arrived at the door of Liu Xiu and the others' room. He reached out and pushed forcefully, and with a loud "bang," followed by a series of low, mournful cries, "Oh no, my nose, my nose, it's really bleeding this time!"

As long as we don't break the sky, the few of us can bear it together

No, no need. A few wild children refuse to study diligently, wasting their time, and Bo Sheng wants to go up and hit them! Deng Chen's heart suddenly trembled again, and he quickly put on a calm demeanor, smiling and shaking his head. "Alas, Bo Sheng is also right; they are just children, and they should have some spirit. If they only hold books every day aside from eating and sleeping, wouldn't they become bookworms? What future would they have in this life?"

Good! Deng Chen nodded, smiling as he stood up. Before he could take a step, with a creak, the door was gently pushed open from the outside. A head with dark eyebrows and deep-set eyes cautiously peeked in.

"Bo Sheng, we must find a way to deal with Ma Wu!" Deng Chen, unable to bear it any longer, stepped in sideways, placing Liu Xiu behind him. "What you just said is correct; even if we kill a few of them, it won't clear the suspicion from everyone else."

Only relying on your esteemed self to command

"Are you referring to them?" Liu Yan's heart stirred, and he immediately understood that Deng Chen was talking about Feng Yi, Liu Zhi, and others downstairs. In fact, he had also considered asking everyone to join in. However, harboring bandits is a crime that cannot be forgiven, and he had only met Feng Yi and the others by chance; how could he casually involve the innocent? With this thought in mind, he couldn't help but sigh and shake his head, "Let's just stick to the six of us, that's enough!"

Ah! Even though she was somewhat prepared in her heart, Deng Chen still couldn't help but exclaim. She quickly abandoned Liu Xiu and hurried to the bedside, pulling back the curtain to take a closer look. There lay a burly man on the bed, his eyes tightly shut, his face as pale as paper, and the blood all over his body had congealed into black. "Is he, is he Ma Zizhang? Is he, is he really dead or not?"

Brother Wei Qing, we few are like old friends upon first meeting; feel free to speak up if there is anything! If the sky were to fall, we would all bear it together

Bersheng ... ... '' Deng Chensheng was afraid that Liu Yan would impulsively kill those four young men, and instinctively spoke up to remind him. However, just as the words were on the tip of his tongue, he suddenly felt that his action was entirely unnecessary

Indeed, books can be read slowly, but if a person's heart becomes distorted, it is very difficult to correct it again

"Shut your mouth!" Liu Yan glared, his voice low and commanding, "If you say another word, I will slap you to death!"

What happened? Deng Chen quickly lowered his head and saw his brother-in-law Liu Xiu sitting on the ground, two streams of nasal blood slowly flowing down from his lips. "You, you really have a nosebleed?"

"Who?" Everyone was suddenly startled, each one instinctively placing a hand on the hilt of their sword, and quietly demanding an answer.

Cen Peng will definitely not return! Before the words fell, Liu Xiu quickly interjected. At this moment, the inn is actually the safest place!

"Little rabbit, have you become capable now?" Liu Yan, infuriated beyond endurance, rushed over and raised his hand to strike, "He won't come back! How do you know that Cen Peng won't return? You are not..."

"Big brother, we are also forced into this!" Upon hearing these words, Liu Xiu, Yan Guang, and others realized that they had caused a great disaster today, and they all became anxious and restless, unsure of where to place their hands and feet. "Just when the county soldiers were going upstairs for the first time, Ma San Niang suddenly barged in with Ma Wu. We cannot fight against her. Moreover, we truly feel pity for those siblings..."

Brother, Mencius once said, "The people are the most important, the state is secondary, and the ruler is the least important." Ma Zizhang only killed corrupt officials and was greatly loved by the common people. There are countless stories in Jiyang of him helping the poor by taking from the rich; such a person should not die!" Liu Xiu had never been treated so harshly by his own brother throughout his life. Suddenly, his eyes began to redden, and with tears welling up, he added, "You usually teach me that one must have integrity and cannot compromise their conscience for a few measures of rice. A real man must stand tall and proud, always living without shame, worthy of..."