Moma Liangshan

Chapter 14 Heroes and Valiant Men, Fighting and Drinking

The scholar, unconvinced, asked, "Shishi, tell me this boy is talking nonsense!" Li Shishi walked to the scholar's side, plucked his beard, and said, "Brother Zhou, you already have such a long beard, why do you have to argue with a junior? Aren't you ashamed?" The scholar, Zhou Bangyan, replied, "I'm doing this for your own good. Fourteen or fifteen years old is the age for diligent study to pass the imperial examinations, but this boy is wasting his time, content to be a wine seller. Such a junior is not worthy to walk alongside you. What do you all think?" The crowd erupted in anger, pointing and whispering amongst themselves. Seeing the agitated crowd, Wang Hao found it amusing and asked, "May I ask your name, sir?" Zhou Bangyan's anger burned even brighter, and he shouted, "I am Zhou Meicheng, a scholar-official of the Huizhou Pavilion, and the Director of the Dasheng Prefecture." Wang Hao bowed rudely and said, "This humble man is ignorant and does not know what official position I hold!" Zhou Bangyan, already disillusioned with his official career, spent his days composing lyrics and music to pass the time. Hearing Wang Hao's words, he suddenly felt a pang of desolation and said, "Young master, upon entering the capital, you have already gained the Emperor's favor, and I..." "A man past fifty, having wandered the world for most of his life, I feel utterly ashamed of my appearance!" Wang Hao, realizing he might have made a mistake, quickly said, "I've lived in the countryside for a long time, and this is my first time in Dongjing (Kaifeng). I truly know nothing of the Song Dynasty's official system or the various ministers." Zhou Bangyan, far from being dismissive, felt extremely inferior and said, "Within a month, you will naturally be intimately familiar with the court and the imperial court. At that time, we poor scholars will probably have to rely on your patronage!"

Wang Hao never expected the tone of the conversation to change so quickly. Those who had just regarded him as a crude and uncouth man were now all weeping. He thought to himself, "The poets who will be remembered for generations truly possess a wealth of emotions rarely seen in a century." He said, "If you like my wine, sir, I'll give you a discount in the future." Zhou Bangyan suddenly perked up and asked, "Is that really true?" Wang Hao, surprised that the ancients also enjoyed taking advantage, replied, "Of course it is." Having appeased the group of literati, Wang Hao returned to his seat with Cai Jing and Gao Qiu.

Chai Jin had booked an entire square on the banks of the Bian River, hiring eight or nine chefs. Besides Wang Hao's two hundred jars of Eight Immortals Wine, Chai Jin had personally purchased six hundred jars of official wine. On the east side of the square, wine jars were piled high; on the south side, cartloads of chicken, duck, fish, meat, and seasonal fruits and vegetables stretched like a dragon. In the very center of the square was a fighting arena built of logs as thick as water vats, its sides laden with weapons: knives, spears, swords, halberds, axes, halberds, hooks, forks, clubs, and cudgels. Dozens of tables were laid out around the arena, countless burly men eating and drinking heartily, meat in one hand and wine in the other. Arms as thick as pythons, waists like millstones, voices like thunderclaps. The three Ruan brothers were extremely excited; they had never seen such a fierce scene before. Zhu Gui followed behind Chai Jin, greeting the heroes at each table.

Just then, at a wine table, a middle-aged man holding a folded paper fan and a fat monk sat facing him, looking quite different from the others. Seeing Chai Jin approach, both men stood up. The man with the fan spoke first, saying, "I am Lin Chong, instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards, greetings to Master Chai." The fat monk also spoke, "I am Lu Da, formerly a military officer under General Xiao Zhong of Weizhou. Due to legal troubles, I was forced to become a monk, my Dharma name is Zhishen, and I am known as the Flowery Monk. Greetings to Master Chai." Chai Jin was surprised, but his face was full of joy as he said, "It is my great honor to meet you two heroes today. I eagerly anticipate your skills on the stage!" Lin Chong said, "Today there are hundreds or even thousands of heroes, and countless hidden talents. With Master Chai personally presiding, I fear this event will be rare for the next five hundred years. This arena is probably no less impressive than the imperial martial arts examination!" Lu Zhishen also said, "The martial arts examination recognizes characters and officials, eliminating ninety percent of the heroes. Today, we only recognize wine and Master Chai, so the atmosphere is completely different." As they spoke, some people on the stage began to compete.

On the arena, one man wielded a spear, the other a knife. The knife-wielder leaped to his feet at the sound of the drum, using his full strength to strike his opponent's crown. The spear-wielder swiftly shifted half a step to the side, then turned and swung his spear, striking his opponent in the back in one fluid motion. The knife-wielder, slammed to the ground by the force of the blow, kicked up a cloud of dust. A few breaths later, the dust settled, and the knife-wielder struggled to his feet, his face covered in blood, his clothes tattered. Chai Jin asked, "How strong was the knife-wielder?" Lin Chong replied, "He was steady, but lacked adaptability. His defeat stemmed from underestimating his opponent, attempting to defeat him in one move, only to be countered." Chai Jin then asked, "If Instructor Lin were to face the man on the arena, how many moves would it take to defeat him?" Lin Chong replied, "The man on the arena is around twenty years old, while I am just over thirty, in my prime. Victory would not be difficult, but there is a hint of bullying." Chai Jin raised his cup and said, "A toast to Instructor Lin's honorable conduct!"

The second round was a contest of strength. A ten-foot-long, bucket-thick solid log was placed on the platform. A carpenter had carved grooves into the log for gripping. A burly man with a face full of scars stepped onto the platform, spitting stone powder into his hands, and grasped the grooves. Suddenly, he roared, like thunder, and the giant log slowly lifted off the ground, rising to the man's waist. At this point, the man's face was pale and swollen, like an earthworm, yet no matter how much he struggled, the log wouldn't rise another inch. Chai Jin asked again, "How strong is this man?" Lin Chong glanced at Lu Zhishen and said, "My senior brother recently uprooted a willow tree in Xiangguo Temple with his bare hands." Chai Jin was astonished and said, "Master, you have incredible strength! I'll drink to that first!" The three of them each drank a cup.

After being entertained at Fanlou for most of the hour, Wang Hao took a break and slipped out through the back door, heading straight for the Bian River. Heading east, Wang Hao suddenly noticed a significant decrease in the number of young men in the bustling city. After walking about half a mile, the sounds of commotion became faintly audible. A moment later, a lively square came into view. Walking through the square, looking at the burly men around him, Wang Hao suddenly felt incredibly small. Although there were many tables in the square, it wasn't very large. Soon, Wang Hao found Chai Jin and greeted him, "Nephew greets Uncle, and greets the two heroes." The two men sized up Wang Hao with curiosity. Lin Chong spoke up, "Is this young master the owner of the Eight Immortals Wine?" Wang Hao replied, "The Eight Immortals Wine was indeed brewed by this junior." At this moment, Chai Jin introduced, "This is Lin Chong, the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards' spear and staff techniques. This gentleman beside him is Lu Da, formerly a military officer under General Zhong of Weizhou, who has now become a monk with the Dharma name Zhishen." Wang Hao introduced himself, "This junior, Wang Hao, had the opportunity to brew the Eight Immortals Wine. I dare not let profit cloud my judgment, hence the support of Master Chai, which enabled us to host this banquet today. To be honest, although this banquet is held in the names of Master Chai and myself, all expenses are indeed paid by Master Chai's money." Chai Jin smiled silently and said, "Money is but an external thing. Sharing joy with all brothers is what truly shows a hero's character."

Wang Hao watched the matches unfold on the arena, his face filled with longing. Chai Jin asked, "Nephew, are you interested in learning martial arts?" Wang Hao smiled sheepishly and replied, "I do indeed have that intention. I wish to learn even a move or two, not to defeat ten opponents, but simply to hone my skills." Chai Jin said, "Instructor Lin is unparalleled in spear and staff techniques, and Senior Brother Lu possesses boundless strength. If you, my nephew, were to receive guidance from your two masters, you would surely achieve some success." Wang Hao answered, "This junior offers a toast to your two masters. If you do not mind that my foundation is already solid, I will certainly visit you tomorrow to formally become your disciple." Lin Chong stood up and quickly said, "Young Master, you are a person personally bestowed with a title by the Emperor. Lin Chong is, after all, just a soldier, and cannot be worthy of it. If you still have doubts, Young Master, you are welcome to come at any time." Lin Chong. Lu Zhishen also said, "Now that I've become a monk, and a vegetable-growing monk at that, it would be difficult to take on a lay disciple rashly, but it would be nice to have a younger brother." Wang Hao said, "Younger brother greets elder brother monk." Lu Zhishen then said, "I call Instructor Lin a brother, and you are my brother, so you are naturally Instructor Lin's brother." Chai Jin suddenly said, "It's a pity that I'm not sworn brothers with my nephew's father!" At this moment, Lu Zhishen joked, "It wouldn't be wrong for Instructor Lin and me to call you uncle!" Chai Jin quickly said, "You flatter me!" The four chatted happily.

All good things must come to an end. The hundreds of heroes drank from noon until dusk, emptying the mountain of wine jars and leaving not a single bite of the long, meaty feast. As the sun set, Chai Jin and Wang Hao returned to Fanlou, Lu Zhishen returned to the temple, and Lin Chong went home.

In the Fanlou restaurant, Wang Hao lay on his bed, gazing at the curtains above him. He thought to himself, "Lin Chong once killed Wang Lun, causing Liangshan to change hands, but Lin Chong was merely the blade, not the wielder. Lin Chong joined Liangshan because his wife was beautiful, offending Grand Commandant Gao. Such a shameful affair, yet Lin Chong wasn't informed beforehand to prepare. Otherwise, given Lin Chong's stubbornness, he would never have believed his superior could commit such a heinous act without a fait accompli. If Lin Chong's crisis in Dongjing cannot be resolved, then his joining Liangshan is highly likely inevitable. Therefore, I must get close to Lin Chong; only by making him feel the kindness of Liangshan can I avoid..." To avoid future conflicts. After much deliberation, Wang Hao finally decided to visit Lin Chong the next day under the guise of seeking martial arts instruction. He continued to reason, "Given Lin Chong's character, he certainly wouldn't refuse my offer of instruction. Martial arts training takes time and practice; though we may not be formally master and disciple, our relationship will be one of mutual respect. When Lin Chong is truly desperate, he will surely remember me. I will treat him with great courtesy and find a way to bring his wife and father-in-law to him. With such kindness, Lin Chong will easily be able to use me. Even if he isn't, we will certainly be sworn brothers." Having met Lin Chong and had his first contact with him since entering this world, Wang Hao felt that the day when all 108 heroes gathered at Liangshan was probably not far off. Would he and his father ultimately be able to preserve their family's legacy?