Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

Ren Yuan and Lin Chong, the two fellow disciples, each carried a long spear. Ren Yuan also carried a large food box containing roast chicken and fine wine.

Then the two strolled leisurely along the tree-lined mountain path.

"Senior brother, have you seen this blue-faced beast before?"

Ren Yuan was somewhat curious.

"No, although we're both in Tokyo and I've heard so much about them, I've never had the chance to meet them."

Lin Chong thought for a moment and continued, "I remember that he was the grandson of the old general with the golden knife, and he had passed the martial arts examination. His Yang family spear technique was superb."

"Yes, it's a pity. Out of ten officials who went to escort the Flower Stone Tribute, he was the only one who capsized. Fearing that he would disgrace the reputation of Tianbo Mansion, he has been wandering the Jianghu ever since."

Ren Yuan had a blade of grass in his mouth as he tried hard to remember.

"It seems that I heard that not long ago the emperor said he would grant a general amnesty and not pursue past crimes, which is why he thought of returning to Tokyo."

"It is said that he plans to follow Gao Qiu's lead. That's why he has pawned all his possessions, hoping that Gao Qiu will put in a good word for him."

"Innocent!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chong immediately gave his answer.

"Does Gao Qiu seem like that kind of person? How could someone who eats meat without spitting out the bones easily speak well of others? How much money does Yang Zhi have? Has he gone crazy from wandering the Jianghu for years?"

Lin Chong's judgment of people was accurate. Yang Zhi wanted to offer gifts and use connections, which was understandable, given that he was a criminal. But the problem was, how could Gao Qiu possibly speak well of someone for a little money?

Yang Zhi's meager wealth wouldn't even make a ripple in Gao Qiu's hands; it wouldn't be enough at all!

"He's just being dragged down by his honors."

Ren Yuan spat out the grassroots and made a precise summary.

"If he weren't a descendant of the Yang family generals, perhaps he would have figured things out by now after a few years in the martial arts world. But he's obsessed with restoring his ancestors' glory all the time, which is a real problem. He won't miss even the smallest opportunity."

"He is too ambitious and not good at dealing with people. The current court cannot tolerate someone like him."

"He's someone who can't see things clearly."

Lin Chong gave a wry smile, because he realized that he seemed to be one of those people who couldn't let things go.

Let's not talk about Yang Zhi then; the eldest brother doesn't laugh at the second brother.

"Then why did you specifically ask me to come?"

This is what Lin Chong is curious about.

"Yang Zhi is incredibly arrogant. If we can't subdue him, he'll probably start looking down on everyone from now on."

Ren Yuan shrugged. "The Yang family's greatest strengths lie in their spear and sword techniques, with the Yang family spear being particularly renowned. Currently, the best spearmen on the mountain are Senior Brother and Senior Brother Wang Jin. Senior Brother Wang is injured, so we can only ask Senior Brother to step in and teach this blue-faced beast a lesson."

"Beat him in his area of ​​expertise! That way he'll speak to you politely."

"What if he wants to test his swordsmanship?"

“Then junior brother will personally take to the field and practice with him.”

As the two brothers talked, another half hour passed without them realizing it. Finally! There was movement on the mountain path!

A porter, shirtless and wearing straw sandals, was seen carrying a heavy load of goods from a distance, sweating profusely and panting heavily.

Ren Yuan chuckled upon seeing this and quickly said:

"Hey you, stop right there! Be smart and go get your master!"

The porter was complaining about the awful weather and the heavy load when he heard Ren Yuan's words. He looked up and saw Ren Yuan and Lin Chong, two tall men, standing not far away, holding long spears. He was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his soul seemed to fly away!

Holy crap, we've run into some big-time robbers!

He let out a strange cry, then quickly dropped his load and ran back the way he came, even losing his shoes in the process!

Ren Yuan smiled helplessly. Was he really that scary? He had been speaking very gently just now!

However, he immediately pointed to the valuables that the porters had thrown on the ground and said to Lin Chong:

"Senior brother, do you see this? This is all that Commander Yang has saved up in the first half of his life. Now he's even willingly sending it into the pockets of those corrupt officials, and he's afraid they'll refuse it because it's not enough. What kind of world is this!"

Lin Chong looked at the load, shook his head, and said nothing, only sighing helplessly.

He had heard the story of Yang Zhi. Deep down, he was a proud man, but he was always burdened by his reputation and lived a life that was not comfortable at all.

Before long, Lin Chong and Ren Yuan looked up at the end of the mountain path almost simultaneously. They could already sense that a master was rapidly approaching them!

"Which blind bastard dares to rob my stuff!"

A burly man appeared on the mountain path, cursing and swearing. What did he look like?

He was about seven feet five or six inches tall, with a large, bluish birthmark on his face. He wore a white felt hat from Fanyang, a white short-sleeved shirt, and bare arms with two colorful armbands. A red velvet belt hung around his waist, and blue leggings were tightly fastened to his trousers. On his feet were a pair of sturdy, fur-lined cow-skin boots. (I can't quote the original poem from *Water Margin*, so I've modified it to avoid the machine's citation detection.)

This man had a waist knife at his waist and a broadsword in his hand, and he came over with a murderous aura!

But when he arrived and saw his goods still lying quietly on the ground, while two much taller and more imposing men were sitting by the mountain road, the man immediately fell silent.

He's not stupid. Experts can sense each other. These two are sitting quietly without picking up the goods on the ground. Something's definitely fishy about this!

It's very possible that they came specifically for me!

"My apologies, gentlemen. I will now take a detour."

With that thought in mind, he didn't say anything more, but instead clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two of them, and then prepared to pick up his goods and leave.

These two powerful figures are each just as imposing as I am. If they were to attack together, I would definitely be at a disadvantage!

I need to rush to Tokyo to deliver gifts and get reinstated; I can't afford to have anything happen to me here.

"Haha, Commander Yang, my senior brother and I have been waiting for you for so long. You think you can just leave with a few words? Isn't that a bit too easy?"

Ren Yuan couldn't help but laugh when he saw Yang Zhi's actions.

Yang Zhi stopped what he was doing, then raised his broadsword and looked the two men over again.

It looks like we've run into big trouble today. If we don't fight it out, it'll be hard to leave.

"May I ask what advice you two may offer?"

"Senior brother, it's up to you now."

Ren Yuan did not answer Yang Zhi's question directly, but instead spoke to Lin Chong who was standing to the side.

Lin Chong nodded, picked up his spear, and stood up.

Yang Zhi took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the broadsword. The man standing in front of him, about eight feet five or six inches tall and holding a long spear, was clearly no ordinary fighter.

"Commander Yang, your broadsword is fine for dealing with ordinary people, but it won't do against my senior brother. You should use this instead!"

At this moment, Ren Yuan spoke again, and as he spoke, he threw another spear at Yang Zhi! The spear was deeply embedded about a foot in front of Yang Zhi, standing firmly!

"I've heard you're a descendant of the Tianbo family. How about I see the Yang family spear technique?"

In Yang Zhi's eyes, the somber mood had deepened considerably!

These two fellow disciples are not simple characters. The senior brother who has already stood up is a different story; he puts a lot of pressure on himself.

The junior brother, who was sitting leisurely and didn't seem to want to make a move, clearly had been trained by a master when he threw the spear.

Furthermore, they were clearly well aware of his situation, knowing full well that he was a descendant of the Tianbo family, yet they still dared to challenge him to a contest of spear skills.

That probably means they have enough confidence in their martial arts skills!

After all, no one wants to live too long.

When did the bandits of the Song Dynasty become so numerous and remarkable?

Yang Zhi smiled bitterly to himself, wondering why he always seemed to run into such unlucky things!

At this moment, Lin Chong raised his spear and pointed it at Yang Zhi, saying, "Commander Yang, please."

"That's offending."

This battle had to be fought, so Yang Zhi forcefully planted his broadsword into the ground, and the broadsword stood firmly upright!

This move shows that Yang Zhi truly has extraordinary abilities.

Yang Zhi stepped forward, drew his spear, and without saying a word, strode straight at Lin Chong and charged at him!

Seeing this, Lin Chong was overjoyed and charged forward with his spear!

The two of them quickly clashed!

Ren Yuan watched from the sidelines and thought, "Wow, what a fierce battle!"

Gunfire erupted, a fierce killing intent filled the air, the sky darkened, and sand and stones flew. Two guns, different indeed! One was like plum blossoms in full bloom, the other like a torrential downpour! One concealed countless deadly intentions, the other possessed a thousand unpredictable variations! One aimed with all its might at the heart, the other, like a hero, pierced the ribs!

Both men used their marksmanship to the extreme, and before they knew it, they had fought for more than eighty rounds!

Lin Chong found the fight increasingly enjoyable, but yesterday, in his rage, he didn't fight smoothly, and his spear even broke at the end.

But today, after he calmed down, he played with incredible ease.

Yang Zhi secretly groaned. He had used all 72 styles of Yang Family Spear, but still couldn't gain the slightest advantage over the person in front of him. Who was this person? He had only been a fugitive for a few years, and now the threshold for bandits in the Song Dynasty had become so high?

No way! I am a descendant of the Yang family of Tianbo Mansion. How can I lose to an unknown person here? What will others think of the Yang family if this happens?

Yang Zhi had dreamed of restoring his ancestors' glory all his life, and this honor had become his greatest burden. Now, a year later, he mustered his strength again, unleashing a secret technique from the Yang family spear fighting style, to once more duel his opponent.

The two fought for another fifty or sixty rounds. Suddenly, Lin Chong parried with his spear, creating distance, then jumped out of the circle, laughed, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Yang Zhi.

"What a fine Yang family spear technique! Commander Yang, I, Lin Chong, have offended you."

Yang Zhi was already under a lot of pressure, and for the next dozen or so rounds, he was on the defensive. He didn't expect Lin Chong to withdraw from the circle on his own initiative, which made him feel relieved.

If the fight continued, Yang Zhi felt he was going to lose!

But then he realized, who did this person say he was?

Lin Chong?

Lin Chong, the instructor of spears and staffs for the Imperial Guards?

No wonder!

Yang Zhi also sheathed his spear and stood up, bowing respectfully to Lin Chong with a look of shame on his face.

"It was my recklessness. I didn't expect it to be Instructor Lin in person. It's a pity that Yang Zhi's skills are not good enough. He failed to learn the essence of Yang Family Spear and disgraced his ancestors. Otherwise, he could have let the instructor fight more freely."

Listen to this! This honor is almost crushing Yang Zhi!

Does this mean that my defeat in the Yang family spear technique, which I, Yang Zhi, lost to Lin Chong, is not because my family's Yang family spear technique is inferior, but because my personal ability is insufficient?

Lin Chong and Ren Yuan exchanged glances. Sure enough, Yang Zhi's obsession ran too deep.

But Lin Chong was very accommodating, saying, "What are you saying, Commander? The Yang Family Spear technique is ever-changing and difficult to defend against. It has already broadened my horizons. If you don't mind, Commander, please sit down and have a drink with us brothers."

Yang Zhi hesitated. Although he trusted Lin Chong's reputation, the other person... this identity...

"What, you, a descendant of the mighty Yang family generals, aren't afraid of death, but afraid to have a drink with me?"

Ren Yuan made a joke: with someone like Yang Zhi, you have to provoke him, especially by using the honor of his ancestors!

Sure enough, this provocation got the better of Yang Zhi. He put down his gun and said to the two men:

"What is there to be afraid of? I am Yang Zhi, a descendant of the Yang family of Tianbo Mansion. May I ask the name of this great king?"

"Easy, he's from Taiyuan, Shanxi, the leader of Liangshan, the Pillar of Heaven, Ren Yuan!"

(P.S. To all the brothers who left comments about guest appearances, your skills are all at the highest level. How can you possibly make a guest appearance in Liangshan? I will be selective and choose the most suitable candidates.)