northernbook #423 - Worship the Mountain Gate
#423 - Worship the Mountain Gate
At the Yanshan Stronghold, the news of the great bandit Song Jiang's arrival to pay respects at the mountain gate spread like a gust of wind, quickly reaching the ears of the stronghold's leader.
Inside the Black Tiger Hall, the atmosphere was solemn and imposing.
Seated upon a chair draped with a black tiger skin was Yin Leiling, the leader of the Yanshan Stronghold, known as 'Arrogant Blade, Heroic Chief'.
His figure was burly and robust, his shoulders broad and thick, resembling a towering mountain, naturally exuding an invisible pressure that made everyone in the hall feel a sense of inexplicable awe.
Yin Leiling was dressed in a black martial attire, embroidered with golden cloud patterns. A wide black belt was fastened around his waist, inlaid with a large white jade pendant. The jade's texture was warm and its luster soft, contrasting sharply with the innate domineering aura he possessed, yet they harmoniously blended, giving a sense of both strength and gentleness.
"That Song Jiang is currently outside the mountain gate, as you all must have heard."
Yin Leiling's voice was deep and mellow, as if emanating from the depths of his chest, echoing within the Black Tiger Hall:
"He has come to pay respects at our mountain gate. Tell me, should we accept him or not?"
Having said that, his deep and sharp gaze, like a keen blade, swept towards the two men beside him.
Of these two men, one was dressed in white, with a refined temperament, resembling a well-read Confucian scholar.
He was Bai Yi, the chief strategist of the Yanshan Stronghold, known in the Jianghu world as 'White-Clad Scholar'.
Bai Yi frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke:
"I have also heard of Song Jiang's great name, and Dong Xiong has mentioned him as well. It is said that in his confrontation with Li Muyun, the commander of the Six Doors, he did not lose out in terms of momentum."
"In my opinion, his martial skills must be extraordinary, at least at the fifth rank, and perhaps even reaching the fourth rank."
"Moreover, he has a considerable reputation among the Greenwoods. If we can bring him into our Yanshan Stronghold, the stronghold's prestige will surely soar."
Bai Yi's analysis was clear, objective, and fair, making it difficult for anyone to disagree.
However, not everyone agreed with Bai Yi's point of view.
A cold snort came from beside Bai Yi, breaking the brief silence.
The speaker was a man of rough features, short in stature but as sturdy as an ox.
His face was covered with stiff stubble, like steel needles, and this man was none other than 'Short Yama' Meng Guang.
Meng Guang and Bai Yi were both capable assistants to Yin Leiling, the leader of the Yanshan Stronghold, like his left and right arms, wielding significant influence over the stronghold's affairs.
At this moment, Meng Guang's face was gloomy as he said in a deep voice:
"That Song Jiang is definitely not a good person!"
"My son, Meng Wei, happened to run into him on his trip down the mountain. According to Meng Wei, his evaluation of this Song Jiang is extremely low!"
Having said that, Meng Guang clapped his hands.
A young and handsome man hurriedly walked into the hall, none other than Meng Wei.
As soon as he entered the Black Tiger Hall, he knelt on the ground with a "thump!" and began to sob with tears streaming down his face:
"Leader, Uncle Bai, you must stand up for me!"
"Originally, I had already established a good relationship with the granddaughter of the Thief Saint, and I was about to invite the Thief Saint to join our Yanshan Stronghold, adding a powerful force to our stronghold."
"But who would have thought that Song Jiang would appear out of nowhere. After the failed robbery of official silver, I merely expressed some suspicion towards him, and he became so enraged that he attacked me violently!"
"I revealed my identity as a member of the Yanshan Stronghold, but he didn't care at all and continued to beat me up, clearly not taking our Yanshan Stronghold seriously!"
"Moreover, this person's behavior is mysterious and secretive, and he exudes an indescribable strangeness. I believe he must have ulterior motives!"
"This time, he dares to come to the Yanshan Stronghold openly. I hope that the leader and Uncle Bai will avenge me!"
While sobbing, Meng Wei showed the wounds on his body to everyone, while embellishing his description of how arrogant and rude Song Jiang was, and how bizarre his behavior was. Every detail was depicted vividly, as if he had suffered the most unfair treatment in the world.
He secretly glanced at Meng Guang. Now that everyone was discussing the important matter of whether to recruit Song Jiang, why would Meng Guang bring in a young junior to interrupt with his weeping and wailing?
Even if Meng Guang wanted to avenge his son, he shouldn't act like this during such an important decision-making moment, right?
Just then.
Yin Leiling, sitting on the tiger skin chair, snorted coldly and shouted angrily:
"Hmph! Just because this Song Jiang robbed a prefect, does he really think he can look down on the Greenwoods of Changzhou?"
He slammed his hand on the armrest and ordered loudly:
"Men! Bring that Song Jiang in, and quickly summon all the heroes and good men from the stronghold. I want everyone to see just how much courage he has to be so arrogant!"
With Yin Leiling's order, his subordinates immediately obeyed and left, their movements swift and efficient.
Meng Guang and Meng Wei exchanged a glance, a hint of triumph flashing in their eyes.
Bai Yi, however, was stunned, secretly surprised in his heart.
Based on his understanding of the stronghold leader Yin Leiling, Yin Leiling was by no means an unreasonable person. How could he not see the provocative intent in Meng Wei's words?
But why did he still show such strong anger and hostility towards Song Jiang?
"Leader..."
Bai Yi couldn't help but speak, wanting to test Yin Leiling's true thoughts again.
After all, Song Jiang had a considerable reputation in the Greenwoods of Changzhou. If he were to be discouraged by some false words, it might make other Greenwoods heroes who were interested in joining the Yanshan Stronghold feel apprehensive.
Yin Leiling, however, raised his hand, signaling Bai Yi not to say more.
Seeing this, Bai Yi had no choice but to close his mouth, already having a few guesses in his heart.
He had followed Yin Leiling for many years and knew the stronghold leader's temperament like the back of his hand.
Yin Leiling excelled in all aspects, but he was slightly lacking in terms of tolerance.
If he were to meet Song Jiang later and find that his martial skills were weak and his abilities mediocre, Yin Leiling would definitely treat him warmly and gladly bring him into the Yanshan Stronghold.
But if Song Jiang's martial skills were strong and his abilities outstanding, Yin Leiling would probably not be polite to him, and might even make a big deal out of Meng Wei's matter to suppress Song Jiang's arrogance.
Bai Yi knew that this was both Yin Leiling's strength and his weakness.
If Yin Leiling were leading a group of ordinary subordinates, he could be an excellent leader, fully utilizing everyone's strengths.
But once a subordinate showed leadership potential, he would become jealous and fight with them.
As the saying goes, it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's nature.
Bai Yi could only wait for Song Jiang to appear and see what kind of person he was.
Just then, a burst of footsteps came from far and near, and a large group of people walked into the Black Tiger Hall in a mighty manner.
"Chieftain, we're here!"
The crowd entered the hall and bowed to Yin Leiling, their voices uniform, echoing in the hall.
They were all core members of Yanshan Stronghold, each battle-hardened, killing without blinking an eye, and exuding a strong aura of murderous intent.
They originally thought the chieftain had summoned them for a meeting, so after entering the Black Tiger Hall, they took their seats on both sides.
For a time, the Black Tiger Hall was filled with a heavy murderous aura, as if the air had solidified.
The oppressive feeling of so many murderous stars gathered together was beyond what ordinary people could bear.
Yin Leiling glanced at the crowd and slowly said:
"Brothers, today someone from outside has come to pay respects to Yanshan Stronghold, so I've called you all here to take a look."
Upon hearing this, curiosity appeared on everyone's faces.
They were all eager to see what kind of sacred figure had come to join Yanshan Stronghold that would make the chieftain value them so much.
Among the crowd, several people couldn't help but want to ask.
Just then, a subordinate's loud report came from outside the Black Tiger Hall:
"Report!"
"The guests have arrived!"
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Along with this report, several men and women slowly walked into the hall, led by subordinates.
It was Liang Jin, Lei Zhen, Xiao Liu, and Yan San Niang.
Seeing this, Meng Wei jumped out first, pointed his finger fiercely at Liang Jin, and said to Meng Guang:
"Father, it's him!"
"He is Song Jiang!"
Hearing this, a fierce light flashed in Meng Guang's eyes, like a hungry wolf seeing its prey.
Yin Leiling on the tiger skin chair also instantly gathered his aura, like a volcano about to erupt, ready to attack Liang Jin.
However, just as things were about to happen, a surprised shout suddenly came:
"Hero Song, Hero Lei, I've actually met you again!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a person excitedly standing up from among the people seated on both sides.
This person was none other than 'Cloud Wing Flying Eagle' E Xuan.
At the beginning, they were almost beheaded together at the execution ground, and thanks to Liang Jin's courageous stand at the critical moment, everyone's lives were saved.
Later, Lei Zhen fell into a coma, and Liang Jin and Xiao Liu stayed to take care of him, while E Xuan led the others away first.
Now that everyone was reunited, the group of martial artists who had left with E Xuan also stood up one after another, respectfully saluting Liang Jin, their gratitude overflowing:
"We were fortunate to have Hero Song save our lives in the first place. If it weren't for you, how would we still be alive?"
Everyone gathered around, warmly reminiscing with Liang Jin and the other two, and the atmosphere suddenly became lively.
This sudden scene surprised everyone present.
E Xuan was a veteran with considerable seniority in Yanshan Stronghold, and no one expected him to be so familiar with Liang Jin.
Especially Meng Wei, who originally wanted to continue to ask his father to stand up for him, was now stunned by this scene and didn't know what to do.
Just then, another hearty laugh sounded:
"Hahahaha! Old Lei, we really met here!"
"Hero Song, do you still remember me, Old Dong?"
Everyone turned their heads to look and saw several more people standing up.
It was none other than Dong Xiong, the chief of Black Boar Stronghold, and beside him was Third Chief Xing Niang.
The two walked over with smiles on their faces, warmly greeting Liang Jin and Lei Zhen, as if they had met old friends they hadn't seen for many years.
Seeing the two acquaintances, Liang Jin then asked in confusion:
"Where is Second Chief Li Rong of your stronghold?"
Hearing this, a trace of grief instantly appeared on Xing Niang's face, and tears welled up in her beautiful eyes, her expression sad.
Dong Xiong said carelessly:
"Old Li's life wasn't good. In order to cover our retreat, he eventually died at the hands of those dog officials and soldiers."
"Alas, let's not talk about these unlucky things. Now that we've reunited, we have to have a good drink. Especially Old Lei, I have a lot of questions, and I've wanted to have a good chat with you for a long time."
Hearing this, Liang Jin and the other two couldn't help but feel a burst of emotion.
They really didn't expect that Li Rong had already sacrificed himself.
At this time, more and more of Yanshan Stronghold's core members stood up one after another, left their seats, and walked straight towards Liang Jin.
As they walked, they warmly greeted Liang Jin:
"Hero Song, do you still remember me? Two months ago, we robbed official grain together!"
"And me, and me! Back in the city, we were wanted by the government, and thanks to Hero Song, we were able to escape!"
"Hero Song may not remember me, but I will never forget you. If you hadn't robbed the official grain and distributed it to the people, my family and I would have starved to death."
… …
Everyone spoke one after another, chattering non-stop.
Liang Jin really didn't have much of an impression of most of them.
After all, in the past few months, he had been robbing official grain everywhere to help the people, doing many righteous deeds. During this time, he had met all kinds of people, most of whom he had only met once or cooperated with once, and then separated.
He never expected that so many of these people would come to Yanshan Stronghold.
This also reflects from the side that the living environment in various parts of Changzhou is becoming increasingly harsh. Even martial artists who have the courage to resist have to gather in Yanshan Stronghold to keep warm in order to survive.
And just as Liang Jin was exchanging greetings with everyone.
The faces of Meng Guang, Meng Wei, and even Yin Leiling couldn't help but darken, like dark clouds before a storm… …