Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 115

One after another, Tzeentch fire demons, their skin either blue or pink, their limbs twisted and bizarre, their numbers unpredictable, and each skin spewing ever-changing flames and demonic sulfur, roared as they burst forth from the rift! Each Tzeentch fire demon hurled Tzeentch demonic fire, its color constantly shifting between blue and pink, clashing with the thunderous crossbow bolts fired by the three hundred flying divine soldiers!

In an instant, arrows rained down like rain, and fire raged like locusts.

Arrows, imbued with the might of thunder, relentlessly tore through and pierced the demon's fiery body.

Meanwhile, the blue-pink Tzeentch's demonic fire was also bringing the steel armor of these flying warriors to life, turning them into writhing, vibrant pink pieces of rotting flesh. It was solidifying their flesh and blood into a ghostly blue, transparent crystal!

"Where did this heretical Taoist come from?!"

Gao Lian was shocked and hurriedly used his Taoist magic to create a fire barrier to counter the raging flames. However, as soon as he uttered the first word of the incantation and gathered the spiritual energy he was preparing to cast the spell, he was suddenly struck in the forehead by a spiritual energy shock. The accumulated spiritual energy was directly repelled and dissipated, and he staggered back two steps, failing to cast the spell.

Gongsun Sheng looked disdainfully at Gao Lian, who was a hundred meters away. "How much have you been drinking? How dare you cast a spell under my nose? Well, then take this spiritual counterattack."

You mere Taoist priest, yet you managed to cast a spell right under my nose today. I, Gongsun Sheng, will now share your surname, Gao Lian.

Gao Lian's expression changed. He unleashed three spells in succession, but they were all easily destroyed and countered by Gongsun Sheng's spiritual energy impact as soon as he started. Only then did he realize that he had encountered a top-notch master.

Gongsun Sheng was too lazy to play with him anymore. Using extremely profound super magic skills, he instantly cast a cloud-summoning and rain-making technique with an extremely large range, causing a torrential rain to pour down on Gao Lian and the three hundred flying divine soldiers, soaking them into a drenched mess.

Then, she countered with a spell, disrupting Gao Lian's spellcasting once again, and simultaneously unleashed a palm lightning bolt.

Five bolts of lightning shrieked as they ripped through the sky, instantly paralyzing the five flying soldiers and eliciting screams of agony. The five lightning chains even leaped, danced, and spun amidst the three hundred flying soldiers and the torrential rain, turning the battlefield where Gao Lian and the three hundred soldiers were located into a terrifying hell of raging thunder!

Chapter 320: The Decapitation Operation in Gaolian County

In just a few minutes, Gao Lian was utterly suppressed by Gongsun Sheng. His proud Taoist arts were rendered useless, and he couldn't even utter incantations. His three hundred flying divine soldiers were also suppressed by the raging flames of the ninety-nine treacherous fire demons and Gongsun Sheng's Five Thunder Orthodox Law from a distance. They were all injured and had no choice but to retreat in panic and have someone else block their way.

Ling Zhen waved his banner, directing his elite artillery to adjust their cannons and bombard the crack. The county's defense forces had just begun repairing the city walls and setting up barricades when flames shot into the sky in the distance, and thunderous roars echoed from the Liangshan camp. The first shell struck the crowd, its immense impact instantly turning seven or eight soldiers blocking the way into bloody pulp! Limbs flew everywhere, blood splattered, before the shell slammed into the ground with a deafening roar, shaking the earth and kicking up clouds of dust!

The shells, still carrying considerable force, continued rolling forward after creating huge craters in the ground, tearing long trenches through the rammed earth ruins and knocking over countless soldiers along the way.

Before Gao Lian's defensive forces could react, even more shells, accompanied by a chilling whistling sound, rained down from the sky like a storm! The entire defensive force was stunned by this terrifying and dense barrage of shells.

Taking advantage of the situation, Liu Hong launched a fierce attack, leading a large number of musketeers to a position less than two hundred meters from the ruins. Elite Liangshan heavy armored musketeers opened fire wildly on every wriggling figure on the ruins of the city wall.

In an instant, artillery fire rained down overhead, and bullets whistled past. The defending forces were quickly repelled. Liu Hong flapped his wings and soared into the sky, wielding a hand cannon transformed from Ao Ying's Reverse Scale, and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the ruins. But these weren't ordinary cannonballs; they were the chivalrous Heavenly Gang Slash. Each shot unleashed seven meteorites with surfaces burning with golden holy fire and green molten lava, along with seventy or eighty companion stars of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends! It was like a devastating meteor shower descending from the sky, its destructive power comparable to Qin Ming's!

Under this level of bombing, the Gaolian garrison suffered a complete defeat, and the Liangshan troops swarmed in, scaling the ruins of the collapsed rammed earth city wall and storming into the county town for the first time.

Gao Lian sighed. The artillery fire from Liangshan was too terrifying. The city walls couldn't hold, so they had to resort to street fighting.

Immediately, Gao Lian began deploying for street fighting, attempting to use the intricate and narrow streets to resist the Liangshan invasion. He placed numerous chevaux-de-frise and wooden stakes at the narrow street entrances to hinder Liangshan's advance, while elite crossbowmen were positioned behind them to snipe and wear them down.

Moreover, Gao Lian deployed ambushes in the houses on both sides of the street. Whenever the Liangshan troops were engaged in a fierce exchange of fire with the crossbowmen at the end of the street, they would suddenly rush out and attack the flanks of the Liangshan troops.

The tall buildings were transformed into arrow towers, allowing a large number of crossbowmen to provide cover fire from above. The flying soldiers were no longer concentrated, but split into small teams, using their flying advantage to flank, encircle, harass, and even forcibly conscript civilians to act as human shields and sandbags in front of their cover.

Gao Lian seized upon Liangshan's greatest weakness—Liu Hong, don't you always claim to rob the rich and help the poor, to uphold justice and support the weak? Fine! Then I'll use the entire population of Gaotang County as human shields! This kind of street fighting is actually very easy to counter. In ancient times, there was no concrete; the houses were all wooden, with at most a stone wall. Just set fire to the entire Gaotang County, and then push through.

But in that case, Liangshan's reputation will inevitably be damaged, and the people of Gaotang County will question and fear Liangshan's justice. I want to see how you will carry out your work here in the future!

Faced with Gao Lian's shameless tactic of taking the people of the county hostage, Liu Hong offered a solution: gather all the commanders and captains, assemble an elite killing squad, and come with me to the county government to behead Gao Lian!

"Brother, take these two talismans. The first talisman is a coordinate mark, and the second talisman is a communication sensor. As long as you fly to the county government office with the first talisman and tear open the second one, I will be able to sense it and then teleport to your side with my brothers and sisters."

Gongsun Sheng took out a talisman and placed it in Liu Hong's hand. He then cast an invisibility spell to hide and conceal Liu Hong's figure. Liu Hong flapped his wings and soared into the high sky. In just a few breaths, he flew to the county government office in the center of the county town.

At this moment, Gao Lian was still deploying defenses, turning the county government office into a city within a city. Just as everyone was busy at work, Liu Hong had already secretly descended to the center of the county government office and tore open the second talisman.

In an instant, dark clouds covered the sun, thunder rumbled, and countless golden lightning bolts rained down on the county government office of Gaotang County. Each terrifying bolt of lightning that fell from the sky tore open a horrifying golden wound in mid-air, and the wound reflected the shocking scene of the Liangshan camp outside Gaotang City.

The next second, twelve fierce generals, including Gongsun Sheng, Lu Zhisheng, Li Cunxiao, Xu Ning, Lü Fang, Guo Sheng, Cao Zheng, and others, collectively passed through Gongsun Sheng's lightning rift, stormed into the county government office, and began to wreak havoc!

Lu Zhisheng brandished a 100-pound ink-painted Zen staff, shouting and fighting fiercely. That thing was too heavy for a human to withstand. Dozens of soldiers were hit by the staff and flew out like kites with broken strings! They crashed heavily into the wall, their bodies mangled and broken, and they lost their ability to fight.

Even the flying divine soldiers were no match for Lu Zhisheng. Their weapons clashed only once, and the terrifying impact left the soldiers weak and numb. They couldn't even hold their weapons after five rounds, their arms trembling so badly they couldn't grip them. They could only retreat in panic. The other generals also displayed their might, fighting their way through the chaotic and bewildered crowd, working together to behead Gao Lian!

Gao Lian was initially fearless and calmly prepared to counterattack, but as soon as he uttered the incantation, he was struck down by a spiritual energy shock. He was greatly surprised, turned around and saw Gongsun Sheng, the Cloud Dragon, and immediately gasped in shock, fleeing in panic to the county government office! The others were also stunned by the sudden appearance of the thirteen Liangshan heroes and were in complete chaos!

Chapter 321: The Featherless Arrow Slays a Horde of Demons

"You petty thief, you can't escape!!!"

With lightning speed, Yan Shun, nicknamed "Golden-haired Tiger," charged into the county government office, brandishing a broadsword. He had just entered the gate when he turned and encountered a young general in blue robes, who thrust his spear at him—it was none other than Zhang Qing, the "Featherless Arrow"! Yan Shun swung his broadsword, catching Zhang Qing, and the two engaged in a fierce battle at the extremely narrow entrance to the county government office, completely blocking the way and preventing anyone else from passing.

The two fought for only ten rounds before Yan Shun was unable to hold back and had to retreat hastily. Zhang Qing's close combat ability was indeed not good enough in the eyes of the group of Heavenly Gang Demons. His spear was too slow. Xu Ning, who was a strength type, could suppress others with speed. Against Lin Chong and Yang Zhi, who were speed types, he would probably suffer a great loss.

However, Zhang Qing was still able to gain an overwhelming advantage against these Earthly Fiends, especially Yan Shun, whose strength was not particularly strong.

Seeing Yan Shun retreating, Zhang Qing took the iron ball and threw it at Yan Shun's back. Although he wasn't on horseback and couldn't use the speed of a warhorse to execute a perfect cavalry golden spin, the power was still terrifying. It hit the armor's protective shield with precision, but it was as if a grand ritual had been performed: the chimes, cymbals, and gongs rang out all at once, causing the armor to shatter, the skin to tear, and fragments of steel and flesh to fly everywhere like a fountain! Yan Shun screamed and immediately fainted.

"You fool! What's there to fear from mere hidden weapons!"

Wang Ying, the short-legged tiger, and Zheng Tianshou, the fair-faced young man, roared and charged forward, brandishing their two broadswords. They both rushed into the county government office to fight Zhang Qing, but before they could even get close, Zhang Qing's iron ball struck them in the nose, causing the bridge of their noses to collapse and blood to gush out. Their noses were crooked to one side, resembling a spilled oil and sauce shop: salty, sour, and spicy flavors all rolled out at once. They lay on the ground in a sorry state, whimpering.

Seeing that his two older sisters had been rendered incapacitated by a single Golden Whirlwind, Zheng Tianshou was somewhat alarmed. His charge slowed, and Zhang Qing raised a stone, striking Zheng Tianshou squarely in the face. The blow split his eyelids, and his pupils burst out, as if a colorful silk shop had opened: red, black, and crimson beads rolled out. He dropped his broadsword and fled in a sorry state.

Liu Hong was currently engaged in fierce battle with dozens of flying soldiers when he suddenly saw three of his sisters fall. He was alarmed and considering returning to their aid when he saw two people emerge from behind him and charge into the fray again.

"Brother, don't be afraid! If you lose your power today, how will you fight tomorrow! Just watch how that golden whirlwind strikes me!"

When Liu Hong looked, he saw Lü Fang and Guo Sheng, wielding two halberds, heading straight for Zhang Qing.

Zhang Qing sneered, "Ridiculous! One came, one left! Two came, two fled! Do you know my Iron Ball's methods?!"

"You only resort to using hidden weapons to injure people because of the cramped conditions inside the county government office, don't you? Watch me tear down this door!!!"

Lu Fang and Guo Sheng roared and charged into battle. The crimson flames dancing between Xiao Wenhou's five fingers coalesced into an ancient Taotie-patterned mask, and where the flames licked, the fiery patterns of the Vermilion Bird appeared. The icy blue frost crystals bursting from Sai Rengui's palm etched exquisite treasure-patterned facial makeup, and the refracted ice shards transformed into icy frost flowers of a white tiger.

The moment the two hideous masks were placed on the two women's faces, two extremely terrifying subspace energies erupted from their bodies at the same time!

Suddenly, crimson-gold flames several meters high erupted around Lü Fang, the scorching flames distorting the air and solidifying in mid-air into the ghostly half-body silhouette of Lü Bu from the Three Kingdoms period, enveloping Lü Fang within them. Every dragon scale on his beast-faced chainmail pulsated with a destructive, molten lava-like quality, and when he swung his giant halberd, formed of flames, the trailing fire resembled a crimson comet's tail.

Across from Guo Sheng, a towering ice crystal mountain range erupted beneath his feet. The frigid ice, frozen in the air, sculpted in mid-air into a half-length statue of Xue Rengui, a war god from the early Tang Dynasty, protecting Guo Sheng within it as well. Each plate of the tiger-skin, fanged, gleaming armor reflected the myriad lights within the cave. When a giant halberd made of ice was swung, the trailing snowflakes resembled a destructive aurora borealis.

Zhang Qing was stunned for a moment. The two women's abilities were truly terrifying. Before she could react, a flaming halberd that blotted out the sky descended from the heavens, cleaving the county government gate vertically in two. Then, a towering, icy halberd swept across all directions, tearing the shattered gate horizontally to shreds. Wood chips and rubble, ignited by flames and frozen by ice, flew everywhere! Zhang Qing was also shaken by the terrifying power of the two hundred halberds, coughing up blood and flying backward!

In terms of explosive power, Lü Fang and Guo Sheng's demonic power is even greater than that of Sun Li, the Sickly General, but they cannot maintain it for as long as Sun Li.

After the attack, the divine and demonic shadows behind the two women suddenly disappeared, and their true forms, wielding halberds, rushed through the completely shattered county government gate and charged straight at Zhang Qing!

At this moment, Zhang Qing's lieutenants, Hua Xianghu Gong Wang and Zhongjianhu Ding Desun, rushed out to protect Zhang Qing. The four women fought fiercely together, wielding two steel spears and two halberds in a chaotic melee, the battle raging until the sky darkened and neither side gained the upper hand.

But just then, Zhang Qing stood up and pulled out another iron ball!

"Don't be afraid! I'm here to help you!!!"

Lu Zhisheng feigned an opening, swung his staff to knock away several flying soldiers, and roared as he stepped over the ruins, charging straight at Zhang Qing under the cover of Lü Fang and Guo Sheng! Protect the two juniors, lest they be hit by that damned iron ball.

"Where did this nun come from? Take this!"

Zhang Qing raised his hand and threw out an iron ball. The thing flew and spun in the air with patterns of the golden ratio, spinning faster and faster, flying more and more fiercely, even dragging a spiral-shaped golden tail flame in the air, whistling straight towards Lu Zhisheng's face!

Lu Zhisheng sneered, wielding a water-milled Zen staff weighing a hundred pounds. His arm muscles bulged and veins stretched, and he struck with all his might, forcefully deflecting the iron ball's near-perfect golden spin. Instantly, the ball lost all its power and turned into an ordinary flying iron ball, falling helplessly to the ground.

"Your iron ball is a bit strange, but it can hit others, how can it hit me?! This strike of my staff will cause more damage than your iron ball! That means my strength will definitely be able to push your iron ball away!"

Before Lu Zhisheng could finish speaking, Zhang Qing threw another iron ball, but Lu Zhisheng deflected it a second time.

But she never expected that Zhang Qing would launch two iron balls in quick succession this time. He used the spiral trajectory of the first iron ball to cover the flight path of the second iron ball. Lu Zhisheng was known for her overwhelming strength and physique, but her speed was only average. By the time she discovered that Zhang Qing had hidden a second iron ball behind the first one, it was too late. She was hit squarely on the lip, immediately lost her balance, and staggered back five or six steps, but she did not fall down.

Seeing Lu Zhisheng's prowess, Zhang Qing immediately pulled out a third iron ball, intending to finish him off. But just then, she suddenly felt a change in her touch; the cold texture of the iron ball in her hand suddenly transformed into a lump of hot flesh and blood.

Zhang Qing turned his head in confusion, only to find that his iron ball had been teleported a hundred meters away by someone using a teleportation technique.

The one who swapped positions with the iron ball was none other than Liu Hong, the Great Sage of Chaos!

Chapter 322: Zhang Qing of Dongchang Prefecture Surrenders

Zhang Qing was stunned for a moment and hurriedly swung his spear to defend, but it was too late. Just as he raised his spear, he saw the Panlong Staff whistling through the air, leaving two burning trails. With a move called Flying Dragon Sweep Tail, it came crashing down on him like two comets. Zhang Qing's brain felt like it had been hit head-on by a battering ram, and he was sent flying!

"General Zhang!"

Seeing Zhang Qing being suppressed head-on, Gao Lian panicked and hurriedly used his combat magic to fight Liu Hong. However, just as he began to chant the incantation, that familiar spiritual energy shock came crashing down on him again, forcibly stopping his incantation once more. The backlash from the spiritual energy caused him to vomit blood, and his brain felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand needles. He clutched his head in pain and looked up to find that the county government office had already been smashed open by the phantom halberds of Lü Fengxian and Xue Rengui in the previous impact, and the roof tiles had been blown off. He was once again exposed to Gongsun Sheng's sight!

The female Taoist priest, dressed in a Taoist robe, seemed to float in the sky like a goddess, walking on the wind. With a flick of her jade finger, she could suppress all her magic.

Gao Lian's spellcasting skills are quite powerful, on par with Fan Rui. He is a level 12 spellcaster and a seasoned master of sixth-circle divine magic.

But in front of Gongsun Sheng, he couldn't utter a single spell from beginning to end! He was completely suppressed and didn't even have a chance to struggle.

"Zhang Qing! I'll deal with Liu Hong! You help me hold off that flying female Taoist priest!"

Gao Lian, traumatized by Gongsun Sheng's attack, fled and brandished a sword to fight Liu Hong. Zhang Qing, coughing up blood, struggled to his feet and pulled out an iron ball, using a golden spinning attack on Gongsun Sheng, switching opponents.

Seeing the iron ball whistling through the air and drawing a perfect golden arc, Gongsun Sheng dared not underestimate it. He muttered incantations and used Taoist magic to deal with Zhang Qing, temporarily abandoning his suppression of Gao Lian.

Upon seeing this, Gao Lian breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began chanting an incantation. Finally, in the war against Liangshan, he used his first spell: [Headshot Technique], a killing move right from the start! This spell was extremely insidious and terrifying, causing all the blood and fluids in the victim's body to rush to their head, directly exploding their brain and killing them instantly!

However, when the psionic energy wave, carrying boundless malice, struck Liu Hong, it resulted in his complete annihilation—the psionic phantom of the nine-tailed white fox was like an indestructible suit of armor, making it almost impossible for Gao Lian's psionic energy to penetrate.

Such high magic resistance!

Gao Lian was taken aback and immediately used a [Mind Control] technique. The twelve Yin-Yang swords on his back were all wrapped in dark, venomous spiritual energy. Accompanied by a chilling sound of them being drawn from their sheaths, they rose into the air under Gao Lian's control and slashed at Liu Hong from twelve different angles.

High magic resistance? No problem. I'll just use my psionic powers to control objects in the real world and deal physical damage.

Liu Hong neither dodged nor evaded. His eyes unleashed spiritual energy, and he too used a [Mind Control] technique! The coiled dragon staff in his hand first split into twelve identical coiled dragon staffs. Then, a dark blue spiritual energy wrapped around the twelve staffs, causing them to rise into the air, spinning and dancing, intercepting Gao Lian's demonic flying sword from twelve different angles!

In an instant, the staffs and swords clashed, sparks flew, and clang resounded. It was as if twelve brilliant fireworks exploded in the air. Gao Lian, a master of Taoist arts, focused on manipulating the twelve flying swords to dance wildly in the air, attempting to break through the defense formed by the twelve coiled dragon staffs in order to kill Liu Hong.

Liu Hong, meanwhile, was multitasking. While manipulating the twelve dragon-coiled staffs to intercept Gao Lian's flying sword, he once again used the teleportation technique to switch places with one of Gao Lian's precious swords. Then, he descended from the sky like a meteor and instantly appeared in front of Gao Lian. His terrifying two-and-a-half-meter-tall body was like a golden mountain, blocking Gao Lian's way and casting a shadow of death upon him!

Gao Lian was so shocked that his face turned as white as paper, his face contorted with rage. He was about to create some distance and escape when, unexpectedly, a pair of enormous, gilded wings, like two golden mountains, slammed inward with a deafening roar, squeezing Gao Lian inside the wings as if swatting a mosquito!

Not only that, but as these wings flapped inwards simultaneously, they even dragged out fourteen star-like shadows in the air—seven on the left and seven on the right! Liu Hong had actually added the Heavenly Gang Slash to his wing attack!

With a terrifying crack, the magical barrier Gao Lian used for defense shattered instantly, like glass! The bones in his arms also crumbled inch by inch along with the broken magical barrier.

Those enormous wings, like closing city gates, pressed inward, and his entire head emitted a sickeningly muffled "plop" sound as it horribly caved in and collapsed. His two cloudy eyeballs, mixed with viscous brain matter, instantly burst from their deformed sockets, splattering with golden feathers. His twenty-four ribs shattered like glass, breaking into pieces inch by inch!

In an instant, Gao Lian's seven-foot-tall body was flattened, smashed, and mangled by Liu Hong's wings, which were wielded by the Double Heavenly Gang Slash. His flesh and bones were mangled, and his internal organs were fused together, turning him into a pool of bright red, sticky meat! The bits of flesh and scraps were splattered all over Liu Hong's magnificent and cold gilded wings.

Meanwhile, Zhang Qing and Gongsun Sheng also decided their battle. Knowing that Gongsun Sheng was a formidable opponent, Zhang Qing unleashed his ultimate technique, Triple Shot! Within the trajectory of the first golden whirlwind shot, there were also a second and a third terrifying iron ball that also moved in a golden whirlwind motion. The three balls were connected in a line and smashed towards Gongsun Sheng one after another.

Gongsun Sheng merely sneered at the attack, and rolling thunderbolts rained down from the sky. The first bolt tore open a spatial rift in front of Gongsun Sheng. The other eleven bolts all exploded beside Zhang Qing.

In an instant, all three iron balls followed the golden spiral trajectory and entered the spatial rift in front of Gongsun Sheng. They then blasted out from the three dimensional gates that had been created by the heavenly lightning to Zhang Qing's left, right, and rear, catching Zhang Qing off guard!

In a panic, she lunged forward, dodging her two iron balls, but it was already her limit. She was hit squarely in the back by the third spiraling iron ball, and immediately coughed up blood and fainted.

When Zhang Qing slowly woke up, everything was over. The resistance forces in the entire Gaotang County were collapsing and disintegrating after Gao Lian was killed by Liu Hong's two wings. Banners of the Great Song Dynasty were collapsing and falling, while banners of Liangshan Mountain were fluttering in the cool evening breeze.

Chapter 323: Chai Jin Goes Up the Mountain in Gaotang County

Liu Hong and the others gathered at the county government office. As they met, several soldiers brought Zhang Qing in. Many of her brothers, who had been injured by her, gritted their teeth and, seeing that Zhang Qing had regained consciousness, were eager to retaliate and take revenge.

"You're having fun throwing iron balls at me, aren't you? Come on! Let's have another three hundred rounds! If you hit me again, I'm a dog!"

Enraged, Suo Chao covered his wound with one hand and brandished his golden axe with the other, ready to fight Zhang Qing again.

"Exactly! You used a hidden weapon to injure someone; that's an unfair victory!"

Wang Ying was also furious. She covered her injured face and wanted to settle accounts with Zhang.

"You damn bastard! Why waste so much breath! Watch me cut her ropes, return her steel spear and iron ball, and then fight me for three hundred rounds!"

Lu Zhisheng also clutched his wound, quite angry about being severely injured by the Golden Spin, and wanted to get revenge!

Seeing himself captured and surrounded by the Liangshan generals, Zhang Qing's face turned ashen. He felt that he was doomed to die today, so he closed his eyes and waited for death to come. But at this moment, Liu Hong saw the anger of the generals and personally went down the steps to greet him. He spread his wings, blocked the generals, and personally untied Zhang Qing.

"Little brother, what are you doing?!"

Lu Zhisheng was utterly bewildered. He bypassed the wings and rushed towards Zhang Qing to attack. Liu Hong blocked him again with his wings, shouting, "Sister! Don't rush! You have plenty of time to fight Zhang Qing; there's no need to be in such a hurry!"

Lu Zhisheng snorted coldly, giving his brother face in front of the generals. Zhang Qing was somewhat moved by Liu Hong's loyalty. He also knew what Liu Hong wanted to do, after all, the number of officers who had surrendered to him was simply too large.

However, she simply couldn't accept the enormous change of abandoning her official career and her government job to become an outlaw in Liangshan.

"General, your martial arts are unparalleled, and your iron ball skills are divine. You are truly a hero. I invite you to join me on Liangshan Mountain to uphold justice. However, if you wish to leave, I will not stop you."

Liu Hong carefully explained Zhang Qing's current situation to her.

"However, Gao Qiu's entire clan was exterminated by Lin Chong a few years ago. Only the old scoundrel Gao Qiu himself and Gao Lian, who was serving as an official in Gaotang, survived! Today, you failed to protect Gao Lian, leading to Gao Lian's defeat and death. Even if you go back now, do you think Gao Qiu will forgive you?"

Zhang Qing was overjoyed when she heard Liu Hong was going to let her go, but Liu Hong's next words were like a bucket of cold water, chilling her to the bone. Yes, that old villain Gao Qiu had monopolized the court and committed all sorts of evil deeds. Lin Chong, Yang Zhi, Huyan Zhuo... which of these people hadn't been driven to desperation by him? Now, even if I returned to Dongchang Prefecture, could I escape being killed by Gao Qiu?!

"Furthermore, we were all harmed by treacherous officials and bullies, and forced to join the Liangshan bandits! General, look at how my Liangshan bandits are growing in size and have become the four great bandits of the Song Dynasty. It's only a matter of time before they grant us amnesty. As long as the court grants us amnesty, we can bypass Gao Qiu and return to our former status."

Liu Hong once again used the excuse of being granted amnesty to deceive Zhang Qing.