Chapter 120: I Fear This Is Nothing But a Trap!

In the second year of the Xuanhe era, in the tenth month, He Taiping, the Inspector-General of Jinan Prefecture, led a massive army of tens of thousands to besiege Puzhou City. He blockaded the eastern, southern, and western sides, leaving only the northern gate open. They erected siege towers, raised ladders, and unleashed a barrage of arrows, crossbows, and artillery, throwing all their strength into the assault.

Lin Chong, Hu Sanniang, Cao Zheng, and their companions implemented brilliant strategies to defend the city. They parried every thrust and countered every maneuver, rendering He Taiping's efforts futile and inflicting heavy casualties upon the imperial troops.

Scholars, in the end, are merely scholars; their patience is thin and their resolve easily shaken. Before the siege, He Taiping had been brimming with confidence, but after being thwarted by the enemy's meticulous defenses, he immediately fell into despair. Back at camp, he could only mutter hollow platitudes about one man holding a mountain pass against ten thousand, leaving Bai Jie and Jin Chengying to sigh in silent frustration.

After a long while, Bai Jie recovered from her disappointment with the Inspector-General. A glint of cruelty flashed in her eyes as she conceived a wicked plot to lure the Liangshan forces out of Puzhou for a decisive battle.

Bai Jie issued an order, calling out sharply, "Guards, bring that Liangshan bandit Wang Ying to the tent!"

No sooner had the words left her lips than the executioners dragged the bound Wang Ying inside and threw him before He Taiping and Bai Jie.

Wang Ying, his expression defiant, glared with his wide eyes. Refusing to kneel, he leered at Bai Jie and chuckled lewdly, "You vile woman, you used some妖 sorcery to capture your grandfather here."

He Taiping, incensed by the bandit's lecherous gaze, roared, "Insolent thief! Death is upon you, yet you still dare to be mouthy. Guards, drag this wretch to the camp gate and behead him as a warning to all!"

Wang Ying curled his lip and sneered, "If you want to kill me, just do it; spare me the nonsense. Even if my head is severed, it's just a scar the size of a bowl. Eighteen years later, I'll be a hero again." He then cast his gaze toward Bai Jie’s chest and added with a lascivious grin, "In my next life, I shall have you!"

Jin Chengying was enraged. Dragging his wounded leg, he limped forward and dealt a brutal slap, leaving half of Wang Ying's face a bloody mess. With a metallic "clang," he drew his gleaming saber, ready to cut the Short-Statured Tiger in two.

Bai Jie stood up and smiled faintly. "General Jin, hold your hand. This wretch is so disrespectful; to simply end him with a blade would be too easy. I have plenty of ways to amuse myself with him."

"Guards, strip this man of all his clothes until he is stark naked. We shall take this bare-skinned tiger to meet his wife, the Ten-Foot Green."

Hearing this, Jin Chengying’s anger turned to delight. A knowing look spread across his face, and he praised, "A brilliant plan, my lady! With this, it will be impossible for Lin Chong and Hu Sanniang to resist coming out to fight."

Watching the two villains exchange sinister smiles, even Wang Ying, who valued lust over his own life, felt a chill run down his spine. It seemed he was destined for a fate worse than death.

"If I must die, so be it. Just let it not bring trouble to my wife." At that moment, the Short-Statured Tiger had no other thoughts.

That day, the commander defending the western wall was none other than the Ten-Foot Green, Hu Sanniang. She stood atop the gatehouse, calmly directing the soldiers to repair the fortifications shattered by the imperial catapults.

Suddenly, a cannon blast erupted from the imperial camp. A cavalry unit emerged, surrounding a naked, five-foot-tall man who was dragged forward in ropes to the base of the city gate.

From her vantage point, Hu Sanniang saw clearly that the man was her own husband, Wang Ying.

Leading the imperial troops was Jin Chengying. He dismounted, dragging his wounded leg as he walked slowly toward Wang Ying. Looking up at the beauty on the gatehouse, he leered and reached out, grabbing Wang Ying’s private parts with a firm grip.

Jin Chengying laughed, "Ten-Foot Green, do you recognize this? This thing is truly blessed; despite being so wretched, it has been lucky enough to be intimate with a peerless beauty."

Jin Chengying possessed immense strength. As he squeezed, Wang Ying’s face contorted in agony. Bound hand and foot, he could only endure in silence. Hu Sanniang, watching from above, was filled with murderous rage, but she could only shout helplessly, "You vile dog! How dare you be so insolent!"

Watching Hu Sanniang’s desperate expression, Jin Chengying felt a surge of wicked pleasure. Malice and cruelty welled up within him, and he sneered, "Ox dung nourishing a flower is a grave crime. Today, I, your Master of the Imperial Examination, shall act on behalf of Heaven and eliminate this blight."

Jin Chengying pulled with all his might. With a sickening crunch, he tore the man's member away. Blood splattered everywhere, and the wretched Wang Ying died on the spot in agony.

Driven to the point of madness, Hu Sanniang seized her twin blades, opened the city gate, and charged out on horseback. Seeing his plan succeed, Jin Chengying mounted his horse and wielded his spear to meet her. Before they could even clash, he tossed the blood-stained remains of Wang Ying toward her face.

"Catch, beauty! Here is a memory of your happiness!"

Hu Sanniang gritted her teeth, narrowly dodging the insulting projectile. She swung her Sun and Moon blades, whipping up twin cyclones as she lunged at Jin Chengying.

Fueled by righteous indignation, the Ten-Foot Green fought for her life, her hidden potential erupting. Her strength surged, allowing her to hold her own against the wounded Jin Chengying. They traded over fifty blows in the blink of an eye.

As Hu Sanniang battled Jin Chengying, Bai Jie arrived at the front lines with the two "artificial god-generals," the Shepherd and the Farmer.

Seeing that Hu Sanniang was so formidable, Bai Jie was caught off guard and immediately commanded, "Hu Sanniang is too much for one person. You two, go and assist General Jin at once!"

Li Zongtang and Wei Yangyin shouted their assent. Wielding their blades and spears, they let out beastly roars and charged like lightning to surround Hu Sanniang.

Though skilled, Hu Sanniang was already struggling against Jin Chengying alone; against three such fierce warriors, she could not hope to last ten rounds.

Furthermore, the treacherous Li Zongtang bent his bow while charging. Utilizing an archery technique he had gleaned from the war-spirit of Xie Yingdeng, he aimed for Hu Sanniang’s shoulder and let fly an arrow.

Li Zongtang did not intend to kill her; he only wanted to wound her. He had his own designs on a beauty of her stature. He wanted to capture her alive, share her with his brother, the Shepherd, and enjoy her together.

As he looked at Hu Sanniang’s exquisite face and lithe frame, he felt a surge of lust.

The technique inherited from Xie Yingdeng was truly supernatural. Hu Sanniang was agile and sharp-eared; ordinary arrows could not touch her, but Li Zongtang’s arrow followed a诡异 trajectory, deceiving her senses.

The arrow pierced the air like a swallow returning to its nest, striking its target without obstruction. With a soft "thud," a blossom of blood bloomed on Hu Sanniang’s shoulder.

Struck and reeling from the pain, her grip faltered, and one of her blades fell to the ground. Jin Chengying seized the opportunity, reaching out with an ape-like arm to snatch the beauty’s limp body and pull her onto his horse.

Holding Hu Sanniang, Jin Chengying laughed toward the sky in triumph. But at that moment, a warrior leaped from the city gate, falling tens of feet to land directly in front of Jin Chengying’s horse.

A silver flash cut through the air. A serpent-headed spear lunged forward with the momentum of a dragon, its tip vibrating to create nine sunflower blossoms.

Nine-Absolute Qilin Flash!

Jin Chengying saw only a blinding radiance and lost the courage to dodge. He watched in horror as the spear pierced his skull. He fell from his horse dead, and Hu Sanniang tumbled down, landing safely in the man’s warm embrace.

At the critical moment, Panther Head Lin Chong had descended from the heavens, wielding the peerless spear technique favored by Lu Junyi, turning the tide and saving the beauty.

Li Zongtang’s cold arrow, Jin Chengying’s capture of Hu Sanniang, and Lin Chong’s sudden arrival all happened in a flash. By the time Li Zongtang and Wei Yangyin rushed forward, Lin Chong had already seized Jin Chengying’s horse, holding the beauty in one arm and his spear in the other.

Seeing the enemy charge, Lin Chong let out a thunderous roar. He gathered his spirit, stepping forward to challenge the two fierce warriors alone.

The three horses circled, locked in a desperate struggle. Lin Chong unleashed his full potential, demonstrating the power of a mature innate expert. He fought for two hundred rounds without yielding an inch.

On the city wall, Cao Zheng, fearing for Lin Chong’s safety, ordered a retreat. Shielding Hu Sanniang, Lin Chong moved his spear like a shimmering veil of sea and sky. Unable to find an opening, Li Zongtang and Wei Yangyin could only watch as the Liangshan heroes withdrew.

In this bloody battle, though Hu Sanniang had lost her husband, she had felt the profound, silent care of Lin Chong. Amidst the loss and the joy, her heart was in turmoil.

Just as the Ten-Foot Green was struggling with her emotions, another catastrophe struck, forcing her to cast aside her hesitation and resolve to be stronger and shoulder the burden of defending the city.

Panther Head Lin Chong had fallen ill, and the sickness hit him like a collapsing mountain.

Having fought harder than ever before, Lin Chong was drenched in sweat, his battle robes soaked through. After taking off his armor, he caught a chill from the cold wind. Back in his tent, he greedily downed three cups of cold wine.

As he went to rest, he felt an excruciating pain in his stomach. Beads of sweat rolled down his face, and before long, he vomited blood and fell into a coma.

Hu Sanniang and the others summoned physicians, only to discover that Lin Chong was suffering from "Armor-Removal Wind"—a condition where, with the pores unguarded, cold spirits invade the meridians, causing blood and qi to stagnate and inducing terrible pain.

Fortunately, the physician managed to save his life with a special prescription, but Lin Chong would be unable to return to the battlefield for at least six months.

The defense of Puzhou relied entirely on Lin Chong, the pillar that held up the sky. With the pillar broken, how could they fight? In this moment of crisis, Hu Sanniang stepped forward, using her own shoulders to bear the weight of the martial master’s responsibility.

Meanwhile, Cao Zheng broke through the lines at the cost of his life to reach Jiaxiang and request reinforcements from Huyan Zhuo. Upon hearing his report, everyone turned their eyes toward Yang Ye.

From the chaos in Tokyo to the rescue of Wang Qing, the seizure of Nanwang, and the battle at Jiaxiang, both the Liangshan heroes and the Huai-Xi generals were in awe of Yang Ye’s wisdom and courage. They all agreed that saving Puzhou and dealing with He Taiping required Yang Ye’s counsel.

Yang Ye spread a military map of Shandong on the command table. After careful deliberation, he slammed his fist onto the spot marked Caozhou.

"To rescue a place a thousand miles away, one must guard against the enemy besieging the city to lure reinforcements. Rather than using brute force, we should use wit. In my view, we should employ the strategy of 'Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao.' This will not only lift the siege on Puzhou but also allow us to avenge Brother Lin Chong!"