Chapter 129: Huang Wenbing of Jiangzhou

Song Jiang, having just recovered from a severe illness, took advantage of the night to visit the Xunyang Pavilion. Gazing at the moonlight over the river, he was overcome with melancholy as he reflected on his recent journey.

Everyone knew him for having many friends in the underworld, but few realized how much he feared his true identity being exposed and becoming the target of those he considered brothers. Then there was Sun Meng, a mysterious figure of immense power whose enigmatic cultivation methods were clearly intended to aid the so-called reincarnated stars. He had reported this matter in secret, but would those in power ever take it seriously?

Reduced to his current state, Song Jiang feared he had been completely abandoned by his superiors. Perhaps he needed to do something grand to prove his worth. Looking at the bare wall by the bed in his room, he saw it as a perfect canvas.

"Waiter, bring me brush and ink!" Song Jiang commanded.

With a wine cup in one hand and a brush in the other, he glanced at the moonlight on the river, drained his cup in one gulp, and began to write a poem across the wall.

After finishing, perhaps fueled by the wine or the release of his pent-up frustrations, he chose not to purge the alcohol with his internal energy. Letting himself succumb to a drunken state, he stumbled out of the Xunyang Pavilion and made his own way back to his lodgings.

The next morning, Song Jiang woke up and recalled his actions of the night before, offering a bitter smile. He never imagined that his repressed nature would lead him to such an act. Still, his spirits were somewhat lifted. Yet, that poem was a liability; he had to deal with it quickly.

With that thought, he rose to wash and prepared to leave. Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps approached. A squad of soldiers, led by a bailiff, blocked his path.

"Song Gongming, your crimes have been exposed. Come with us!" the lead officer declared, gesturing to his men, "Bind him!"

Song Jiang’s mind raced. He realized his poem must have been discovered, but he had written it with enough ambiguity that it shouldn't have drawn such specific attention unless someone was intentionally targeting him. Who could it be?

As he was shoved along by the soldiers, he racked his brain to identify his enemy. He had written the poem at the pavilion only last night and was arrested this very morning. The person responsible not only had a refined sense of literature but also a grudge against him, and had to be a local capable of frequenting the Xunyang Pavilion. Despite his deliberations, he could not pinpoint his accuser.

It was not until he was forced to his knees in the county magistrate’s office that he looked up and saw a man sitting to the side with a sinister smirk. Only then did he realize who was behind his plight: Huang Wenbing, a prominent local landlord nicknamed "The Wasp's Stinger."

His family was not only the largest landowner in the region but also held extensive business interests. They colluded with the authorities, acting in lockstep to ruin anyone who offended them. True to the saying, "The stinger at the end of a wasp," he was a venomous and treacherous man.

A few days prior, while dining with Li Kui and others, Song Jiang had accidentally injured a singer named Song Yulian. Though she was merely a performer, she was one of Huang Wenbing’s many secret mistresses. Song Jiang had assumed that paying compensation would settle the matter, never expecting Huang Wenbing to target him.

"Song Jiang, you inscribed a treasonous poem at the Xunyang Pavilion! Thanks to Master Huang bringing this to my attention, I was nearly deceived by your facade of honesty and loyalty. Speak! What is your conspiracy, and who are your accomplices?" The magistrate slammed his gavel, shouting. Having previously accepted bribes from Song Jiang—facilitated by Dai Zong—to secure him a light and easy position, the magistrate was now in a bind. If this were officially recorded, he would be implicated as well.

He had two choices: protect Song Jiang and suppress the matter, or confirm the case and execute him as quickly as possible. Had anyone other than Huang Wenbing discovered the poem, the magistrate might have chosen to bury it, as the evidence was thin and executing Song Jiang would yield no credit and might invite attacks from political rivals. But with Huang Wenbing involved, he had no choice. Huang's local influence was sufficient to expose the matter before it could be suppressed, which would brand the magistrate an accomplice and destroy his career.

Reflecting on reports from his spies—that Song Jiang had maintained ties with outlaws and kept close company with troublemakers—the magistrate cursed his own gullibility for ever believing Song Jiang was an honest man.

Song Jiang’s once-bright eyes suddenly grew cloudy. Internal energy surged through his body, repelling the guards holding him.

"I am a star descended from heaven to avert the destiny of the Ziwei star! How dare you humiliate me?! You deserve to die!" As he spoke, his internal energy coalesced into a blade, which he thrust toward Huang Wenbing.

Huang Wenbing opened his folding fan, and a protective barrier materialized before him.

"Hmph! A wolf’s ambition indeed! To dare attack a righteous man in such a state!" Huang Wenbing was, in fact, an expert of the middle stage of the Innate Realm, specializing in the cultivation of "literary energy."

Song Jiang was surprised but showed no emotion, focusing his scattered internal energy into the tip of his blade. He knew a single strike wouldn't kill Huang, but he intended to make him pay.

The magistrate, enraged by the sudden attack, was about to order his men to seize Song Jiang when Huang Wenbing let out a deafening cry.

"The agony!"

Song Jiang’s energy-blade had pierced Huang’s barrier, the tip striking his lower abdomen. Even a sliver of that internal energy invading his body caused a level of pain no man could endure.

Song Jiang’s energy-blade dissipated. He stood as if stunned, then broke into a laugh—a loud, booming laugh that slowly transformed into a wail.

"Father! Why have you died? Your son is unfilial! I cannot even see you to your final rest!" Song Jiang knelt and struck the stone floor, shattering it into powder.

"Song Jiang, stop this madness!" The magistrate was unnerved by Song Jiang’s erratic behavior, fearing that he had fallen into a state of "heart demons" or cultivation deviation. Even a master could become a raving lunatic from such a plight. He had no desire to test the destructive power of a deranged Innate-level martial artist.

At that moment, Huang Wenbing whispered through a telepathic message: "Magistrate, summon the healers immediately and use the formation to suppress him!" He then rolled his eyes back and fainted.

Meanwhile, Dai Zong, having just returned, heard of Song Jiang’s arrest. He bitterly regretted leaving for even a minor task. Looking at the letter in his hand, he despaired over how to explain this to Chao Gai and the others. Suddenly, his door was kicked open, and Li Kui rushed in.

"Brother Dai Zong! Brother Song Jiang has been framed by that old scoundrel Huang Wenbing and thrown into prison!" Li Kui tried to keep his voice down, but he failed miserably.

Dai Zong gestured frantically for silence. Li Kui pulled up a stool, sitting opposite him with an anxious expression.

"I know," Dai Zong whispered. "We cannot save Brother Song alone. With the treason charge and Huang Wenbing’s influence, they mean to execute him. We are not safe either. I will travel through the night to contact the men of Liangshan. You must go to the riverside and find Brother Zhang Shun. Brother Song has made many friends on this journey; tell them, and they will surely come to help."

Dai Zong placed a copper coin pendant from his belt into Li Kui’s hand. "Tie Niu, remember, this concerns your Brother Gongming’s life. Do not act on your impulses. Until I return, stay with Brother Zhang Shun and go nowhere else!"

Li Kui jolted to his feet, speechless, before turning and sprinting away with incredible speed.

Dai Zong retrieved a box from beneath his bed, strapped on his "Jia Ma" talismans, and vanished through the door like a phantom.