Chapter 9: Timely Rain Gifts Medicine in the Night, Miss Guo Speaks Words of Surprise

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

On Liangshan Mountain, the weather was bitterly cold.

In the darkness, a figure secretly sneaked into Song Jiang’s residence.

Inside, Song Jiang was sitting by a brazier, looking at the secret letter in his hand, secretly admiring the exquisite calligraphy of the talented scholar Xiao Rang. Hearing someone asking to see him outside the door, his fingers holding the letter paper loosened slightly, and he threw the letter into the roaring fire…

The visitor was Dong Li Ning, the traitor Song Jiang had sent to secretly monitor the South Mountain Inn.

Dong Li Ning told Song Jiang in detail about Zhang Yue’s teasing of Lu Junyi and his fight against the three Heavenly Gangs. After listening, Song Jiang stood up, his mouth twitching slightly.

At this time, Wu Yong came out from behind the curtain, his eyes rolling around, his head bowed as he paced back and forth behind Song Jiang.

“Where is Instructor Lin?” Song Jiang asked in a deep voice.

“Instructor Lin is drunk. As soon as Gentleman Lu arrived at the inn, he sent someone to bring him back. He is now resting in his room.” Wu Yong leaned close to Song Jiang’s ear and whispered.

Song Jiang turned around and stared at Wu Yong with a meaningful look. Wu Yong raised his voice, “Instructor Lin has never been so drunk before. Dong Li Ning, why haven’t you gone to take care of your master yet? If anything happens to Instructor Lin, I’ll hold you responsible!”

After hearing Wu Yong’s words, Dong Li Ning did not leave immediately. Instead, he turned to look at Song Jiang, waiting for his orders.

Song Jiang walked to the couch, took out a delicate wooden box from the drawer, about the size of a matchbox, and handed it to Dong Li Ning. He said, “Brother Dong, don’t be afraid. Instructor Lin will be fine. I have a hangover pill here that I’ve been keeping for many years and haven’t been willing to use myself. It has the effect of nourishing and calming the mind. Go back and dissolve it in warm water and give it to Instructor Lin. He’ll be as good as new tomorrow!”

Dong Li Ning took the box, put it in his bosom, thanked Song Jiang, and left.

After Dong Li Ning left, Wu Yong went to the door to check and closed the windows. He sat down opposite Song Jiang and talked in secret.

Dong Li Ning walked to the corner, his peripheral vision catching sight of the figures of Song Jiang and Wu Yong plotting in Song Jiang’s room, twisting and turning with the flickering candlelight.

Dong Li Ning left Song Jiang’s courtyard, passed in front of the Hall of Righteousness, went down the steps, and hurried along the corridor outside Lu Junyi’s residence.

It was really cold tonight. Dong Li Ning wrapped his clothes tightly, tucked his head into his collar, and ran all the way.

He didn’t see Dai Zong running towards him, and the two of them collided.

Neither of them could see clearly who the other was. They thought they were both Liangshan brothers and quickly helped each other up. But when Dai Zong saw Dong Li Ning, he suddenly kicked him out of the corridor and cursed, “It’s you, you stinking bird! You’re blind! You dare to bump into me! You’ve delayed Brother Gongming’s summons. I’ll take your life!”

Dai Zong couldn’t get enough of cursing. He jumped out and was about to beat Dong Li Ning up. Dong Li Ning quickly apologized humbly and ran away, covering his head.

He didn’t dare to look back until he reached Lin Chong’s residence. He secretly rejoiced that Dai Zong hadn’t chased after him.

“So late, what does Song Jiang want with him? Humph! It must be something shady!”

Dong Li Ning muttered as he pushed open Lin Chong’s door. The room was filled with the smell of alcohol mixed with cold air, which made him quickly pinch his nose.

After adapting for a moment, he took out a tinderbox from his bosom and lit the lamp. The brazier only had dead ashes, no sparks at all. Lin Chong was lying on the cold bed, his eyebrows frozen.

He quickly added some firewood to the brazier and lit it. As the fire grew, the room gradually warmed up, and soon steam rose from the spout of the kettle.

Dong Li Ning poured a basin of hot water and wiped Lin Chong’s face, but he found that Lin Chong didn’t react. It seemed that he was really drunk. He then remembered the hangover pill Song Jiang had given him.

He quickly poured half a bowl of hot water, took out the box from his bosom, opened it, took out a blood-red pill, and put it in the water.

The pill dissolved in the water, instantly turning the half bowl of water into a blood-red potion. Dong Li Ning was suspicious. He thought the color of the medicine was strange.

But thinking that Song Jiang had said it was a hangover pill he had treasured for many years and was unwilling to use himself, and that it had the effect of nourishing and calming the mind, he resolutely helped Lin Chong up and poured it down his throat.

After finishing all this, Dong Li Ning, who had been keeping watch all day, was also exhausted. He yawned, covered Lin Chong with a blanket, returned to his room, lay down on the bed, and immediately fell asleep like a dead pig.

The next day, before dawn, Dai Zong got up early, used his “Divine Speed” technique, and ran towards the South Mountain Inn.

In the backyard of the South Mountain Inn, Zhang Yue had finished his morning exercises, and Guo Tong hurried over.

She blamed him for getting up early and not packing his luggage, but instead practicing his spear here. Zhang Yue smiled and said nothing. He went to the front hall, where there was no trace of the previous day’s battle. The tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the wine bowls and jars were as they had been before.

The table was already set with beef and other dishes, and a kettle hung over the brazier, steaming merrily. Zhu Gui was warming the wine.

Seeing Zhang Yue coming, he quickly got up to greet him, led Zhang Yue to the table full of dishes, and sat down. Then he went to the brazier and brought over a pot of hot wine.

Before Zhang Yue and Zhu Gui could exchange pleasantries, Guo Tong rushed in, still asking Zhang Yue why he hadn’t packed his luggage.

Seeing this, Zhu Gui wanted to help Zhang Yue out. He quickly put down his work, led Guo Tong to the table, and presented her with a pair of chopsticks, saying proudly, “Miss Guo, have some of our inn’s best beef before you set off!”

Guo Tong snorted, arrogantly turning her head to the side, disdainfully saying, “Eating dry beef early in the morning, you dare to call it the best! I only drink bird’s nest soup in the morning!”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yue’s eyes suddenly became sharp. He stared at Guo Tong, as if he didn’t recognize her.

When he first met her, Zhang Yue had been puzzled as to how a poor village could nourish Guo Tong to have such a good physique.

Logically, under those material conditions, she should have been a skinny girl.

But Guo Tong was fair-skinned, beautiful, and had long legs. She was curvaceous and hard to resist.

And today, she actually said “bird’s nest soup,” a high-end dish.

Zhang Yue shook his head slightly, thinking, “Strange, strange, really strange. A phoenix has emerged from a desolate village. This is illogical.”

But Zhu Gui didn’t notice anything. He just chuckled and respectfully placed the chopsticks in front of Guo Tong, “Miss Guo, you’re putting me in a difficult position. Bird’s nest soup is something we don’t have in our poor and remote village!”

Zhu Gui failed to defuse the situation and was instead ridiculed. He didn’t get angry, but he shouted, “I’m not destined to eat bird’s nest soup in this life!”

As Zhu Gui was speaking, he saw Dai Zong coming at a rapid pace and went out to greet him.

Zhang Yue thought to himself, “As long as she’s beautiful, what does it matter? Why bother?” He grabbed the beef and ate it in large bites.

“Slow down, don’t choke yourself!” Guo Tong poured a bowl of wine for Zhang Yue.

“Beef, wine, beauty, beautiful, beautiful!” Zhang Yue said contentedly.

“Brother Zhang Yue, Brother Zhang Yue, Chief Dai is here!” Zhu Gui ran in happily.

Behind him was a man, tall and slender, with a clear and handsome face, broad forehead, square lips, and protruding eyes. He had a yellow flag with the word “Order” on his back and a red string with a “Declaration” plaque around his waist.