Chapter 1 Meeting

The little thief repeatedly begged for mercy. Now that he was in Zhou Jing's hands, how could he dare use his head to take a punch from such a fierce man?

Seeing that he was sensible, Zhou Jing didn't continue to scare him. He let him back on the ground and pulled off the man's mask.

Under the mask was a sallow face, with ordinary features, a stiff expression, but a pair of bright eyes.

After one look, Zhou Jing guessed that this person was most likely wearing a human skin mask. He didn't expose him, but held the little thief's shoulder to prevent him from running away.

At this time, the middle-aged man who had been on guard as if facing a great enemy realized that Zhou Jing and the little thief were not in the same gang. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward, cupped his fist, and said politely,

"Greetings, heroes. I was anxious just now and misunderstood you two. I'm truly sorry."

"It's nothing."

Zhou Jing and Fang Zhen naturally didn't blame him.

The middle-aged man looked at the little thief, his tone sinking, and said, "To let you two know, I was walking on the street when this thief took advantage of me being at a stall buying something to steal my bundle, which contained all my wealth. That's why I chased after him."

"I see." Fang Zhen nodded from the side and shouted at the little thief, "Hurry up and take out the things!"

The bundle that the little thief had thrown at Zhou Jing was naturally a feint, not the real thing.

The little thief didn't dare to disobey, so he had to take out what he had stolen, a bulging money bag. There was a rustling sound of many silver coins rubbing against each other.

The middle-aged man took the money bag, weighed it slightly, and then breathed a sigh of relief. He solemnly put it into his arms, glanced at the little thief unhappily, then shifted his gaze and solemnly cupped his fist at Zhou Jing:

"Thank you, hero, for your help!"

"It was just a coincidence, a small effort, no need to be so polite."

Zhou Jing waved his hand casually, then said with great interest:

"The spearmanship you used just now was very domineering, a good technique."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man showed a look of shame and said with embarrassment, "A little skill, in front of you…"

He had used a staff as a spear to try to deflect Zhou Jing just now. Although he hadn't used much force, only about sixty percent of his strength, it had been broken through by Zhou Jing's bare hands.

Since his spearmanship had become proficient, he had never encountered a fierce man who could take it head-on with his bare hands, which shocked him and left a deep impression on him. He was amazed by Zhou Jing.

Although he felt that he might not lose to Zhou Jing in a fight, he was truly convinced by Zhou Jing's strength.

At this time, the surrounding onlookers were pointing and whispering, and the hooligans in the river were also struggling to get ashore, all looking at the group of people.

Seeing this, Fang Zhen suggested, "There are many people here, let's find another place to talk, how about it?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The middle-aged man wanted to befriend Zhou Jing and also wanted to express his gratitude, so naturally he wouldn't just leave.

As for Zhou Jing, he was curious about these two people with skills. Since he had met them, it wouldn't hurt to get to know them. Maybe they could become his assistants in the future.

Fighting alone wasn't easy. It was best to have connections and helpers. After all, he had the [Aura of the Overlord] talent, and it would be a waste not to use it, wanting to show it off to everyone he met.

…

The group followed Fang Zhen to a tavern, asked for a private room on the second floor, and ordered a table of good food and wine. Almost all the dishes were fish.

Led by Fang Zhen, they had come to eat fish ahead of time. Seeing Fang Zhen's happy face, Zhou Jing didn't know how much this person loved to eat fish.

After drinking a bowl, the middle-aged man introduced himself, saying:

"I am Gao Yun, from Shanbei. I was originally the second镖头 (biāotóu, chief escort) of the Zhenwei镖局 (biāojú, escort agency) in Qingyang Prefecture. Later, I felt that my martial arts were insufficient, so I went home to practice behind closed doors. I haven't worked as an escort for several years. This time, I came to Anlin Prefecture to visit a friend..."

After listening to him, Zhou Jing and the others learned that this person was not from the Green Forest, but a blameless person who had never committed any crimes. Strictly speaking, he earned his living in the martial world.

However, the other party had been a镖头 (biāotóu, chief escort) before, traveling north and south, inevitably dealing with the Green Forest, so he was not unfamiliar with the ways of the Green Forest, so he could be considered half an "insider."

Zhou Jing looked at the little thief who was cautiously accompanying them, raised his chin, and said, "What about you? Are you going to reveal..."

The little thief had no choice but to take off his human skin mask, revealing his true appearance, which was a handsome young boy. None of the three recognized him.

The little thief smiled bitterly and said:

"It's my fault for being blind and offending you heroes, but I've already returned the things and apologized. Can you let me go?"

"What, are you very busy? Don't even have time to sit down and have a drink?" Zhou Jing joked.

"Hero... Grandpa's invitation, how dare I disobey."

The little thief looked helpless.

Zhou Jing rubbed his chin and asked, "Your Qinggong (light body technique) is not bad. I didn't expect you to be so young. What's your name?"

The little thief looked embarrassed and quickly cupped his fist and said:

"It's not that I don't want to tell you my name, but there's another matter involved. If I say my name and someone recognizes me, I'm afraid it will ruin other people's affairs. Grandpa, I think you're an upright hero. If it were ordinary times, I would definitely be willing to get to know you, but now it's different. I hope you can understand."

Zhou Jing raised his eyebrows: "So, you're very famous at such a young age?"

"I wouldn't dare..." The little thief smiled ingratiatingly.

Zhou Jing didn't press him, but said meaningfully, "Alright, I won't ask you now. I'll know later."

Hearing this, the little thief's heart skipped a beat.

On the way he was brought here by Zhou Jing, he didn't dare to run away because he was afraid of Zhou Jing's martial strength, but he secretly sprinkled some things from his sleeve, marking the road, and leading his companions to rescue him.

He thought he had done it secretly, but now he was suspicious, wondering if Zhou Jing had seen through it.

Zhou Jing ignored the little thief, turned to talk to Gao Yun, and introduced himself and Fang Zhen, but didn't mention their Green Forest nicknames.

Gao Yun was originally from the north, and mostly worked as an escort in the north, familiar with the Green Forest in the north, but not very familiar with the Green Forest in the south, so he didn't recognize Fang Zhen at this time, let alone Zhou Jing, who had just "appeared."

On the other hand, the little thief's eyes changed, and he secretly sized up the three of them, as if he had heard of their names, but he didn't intend to speak.

Everyone was proficient in martial arts. After a few words, the topic quickly turned to martial arts.

Gao Yun said admiringly:

"Brother Chen Feng, I've been an escort for many years, and I've met no fewer than a hundred experts, but none of them have your strength."

"I used to live in the mountains and often fought lions and tigers with my bare hands, eating tiger and leopard meat. Over time, I developed a good strength."

Zhou Jing laughed and used this explanation again. It was really effective.

"I see." Gao Yun suddenly understood and asked curiously: "Brother Chen is blessed with extraordinary talent, which is very enviable. I wonder what kind of weapon you are good at using?"

Generally speaking, it's a taboo in the martial world to rashly inquire about a stranger's martial arts background, but only asking what weapon the other party uses isn't considered impolite.

Zhou Jing didn't hide it and said, "I can use a saber, but I use it less often. The most common weapon I use is a staff, which I use as a spear."

Hearing this, Gao Yun immediately became interested: "So Brother Chen is also good at using a spear. We are both fellow practitioners. If you don't mind, we can compete in spearmanship."

Zhou Jing waved his hand and laughed frankly:

"Don't laugh at me, brother. I don't know any profound spearmanship, and I haven't had a famous teacher. So far, I only know a common style called Zhongping Spear (Central Equilibrium Spear). When it comes to the variations of spearmanship, I am far from being Gao brother's match."

Gao Yun was stunned, and then said, "With Brother Chen's divine strength, even simple, straightforward moves can break through clever techniques with force."

"Hahaha, Brother Gao, you don't have to praise me. I know my own abilities." Zhou Jing didn't take it to heart.

At this time, Gao Yun pondered for a while and suddenly said:

"I hit it off with Brother Chen at first sight. I would like to bother you for a few days to exchange spearmanship. I wonder what you think?"

Zhou Jing understood the implication. This person seemed to want to teach him spearmanship, which surprised him slightly. He asked, "Is your spearmanship something that can be taught casually?"

He still vividly remembered this person's domineering spearmanship, which was obviously quite remarkable in this world.

Hearing this, Gao Yun immediately explained:

"To let you know, brother, I have practiced a family-inherited spearmanship since I was a child. All my skills are based on this, so it cannot be passed on to outsiders. However, I later learned some spearmanship that is widely circulated in the martial world, which is not restricted by any sect, and can be learned in any martial arts school. It's okay to teach it to you, brother. Because they are all common styles, Brother Chen doesn't have to treat me as a teacher. You and I are brothers, just consider it an exchange of spearmanship."

Gao Yun suddenly had this idea, first, to thank Zhou Jing for his help, and second, to get close to Zhou Jing and befriend such a person.

Zhou Jing thought about it and didn't politely refuse, agreeing straightforwardly.

Learning a few more styles of spearmanship from this world will give him more insight when fighting enemies, and he can further experience the martial arts characteristics of the current world.

With this matter settled, the atmosphere at the table became even more lively, and the group ate fish, drank wine, and chatted non-stop.

At this time, Fang Zhen swallowed a piece of fish and suddenly asked, "I wonder what Brother Gao plans to do after visiting his friend this time?"

Gao Yun shook his head: "I don't have any plans. Maybe I'll just walk around and see the sights in the south to broaden my horizons."

Fang Zhen's eyes lit up and he laughed:

"Haha, what a coincidence, Brother Chen and I are also wandering people. Why don't you travel with us, drinking and discussing martial arts along the way? How enjoyable!"

"This…"

Gao Yun was a little tempted.

However, after thinking about it, he didn't immediately agree, saying:

"I want to consider it after visiting my friend. I won't hide it from you two. The friend I'm looking for this time is said to be in trouble. He was arrested by the government and is being held in the local prison camp. I heard the news and rushed here from thousands of miles away. Besides catching up with him, I also want to see if he needs help. If he wants to escape, I'm willing to risk everything to break him out of prison, so I don't want to implicate you two brothers..."

Hearing this, Zhou Jing and Fang Zhen's expressions suddenly became strange.

After hesitating for a moment, Fang Zhen asked in a low voice:

"The friend you're looking for, wouldn't his name be Guo Haishen?"

Gao Yun's expression changed and he hurriedly said, "Do you two brothers know him?"

Fang Zhen immediately burst into laughter, slammed the table, and said:

"Haha, Iron-Armed Azure Dragon Guo Haishen, a top-notch hero in the Green Forest, a well-known expert in the martial world, I've always admired him, how could I not recognize him?!"

Zhou Jing was also familiar with this name. He had heard Li Chun and the others mention it dozens of times along the way.

Besides discussing business with Tan Sheng, Li Chun and the others were also going to the Anlin Prefecture prison camp to visit a hero, and the person they were going to see was this person.

If the name of "Divine Mace" Lu Yunzhao in the Green Forest world was one, then the name of this Guo Haishen was at least ten.

This person was a truly famous figure in the Green Forest world, known throughout the land. He was an exceptional martial artist with extensive connections. It was said that wherever he shat, someone would hand him paper.

This person's reputation in the Green Forest world was earned through fighting. From north to south, he sparred with various Green Forest figures and martial arts heroes, and even faced the "Heavenly King," who was known as the number one expert in the Green Forest, fighting for fifty or sixty rounds, neither winning nor losing, admiring each other.

In simple terms, if Guo Haishen were to join a small stronghold, it would be enough for the chief to abdicate and yield the position on the spot.

If he were to join a large stronghold with tens of thousands of bandits, it would be a laughingstock to all the heroes of the world if the chief didn't offer him a position in the top five, or even the top three.

This was the effect of making a name for oneself in the Green Forest world.

According to Zhou Jing's understanding, recruiting people into the Green Forest was like recruiting partners.

Partners either had reputation, ability, power, wealth, or connections, and they had to have at least one, filling the areas that the stronghold lacked.

And Guo Haishen was a top-notch partner with his own extremely high reputation. With this person joining, the stronghold's reputation would greatly increase, automatically gaining a series of buffs such as "recruiting soldiers and buying horses" and "heroes come to join," like a banner with a halo effect.

Hearing Fang Zhen's words, Gao Yun was stunned, then overjoyed:

"Are you two brothers also here to see him?"

"What a coincidence, we were indeed planning to visit him along the way. It would be a pity not to see such a hero." Zhou Jing laughed.

He didn't go with Li Chun and the others to discuss business, but he could meet such a famous hero in the world.

On the other side, the little thief, who had been eating with his head down and hadn't spoken, changed his expression slightly and revealed a look of surprise, seeming to hesitate.

But just then, a series of footsteps suddenly rang out downstairs, getting closer and closer.

Bang!

The next moment, the door to the private room was pushed open and several burly men barged in, all wearing straw hats and expressionless faces. They were all wearing human skin masks.

"Who is disturbing our drinking?!"

Fang Zhen was furious and threw the wine bowl in his hand, hitting the group of people with a whoosh.

The first person was a middle-aged man with white hair at his temples, wearing luxurious clothes and dressed like a wealthy man, but his imposing aura was like that of someone who had been giving orders for many years.

This person flicked his sleeve casually, hitting the wine bowl and shattering it with a snap, revealing a profound skill.

"Humph, quite skilled!" Fang Zhen frowned and picked up the iron-headed staff at his side, ready to attack.

However, at this time, the middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy man didn't move. He pointed at the little thief sitting at the table and politely cupped his fist at everyone:

"Greetings, heroes. This little thief is my friend. He is young and impetuous and has offended you heroes. I apologize on his behalf."

Seeing this, Fang Zhen found it difficult to attack immediately and turned to look at Zhou Jing.

Zhou Jing guessed that this group of people was the little thief's companions who had been led here. He stood up, cupped his fist, and said:

"This friend of yours stole my brother's belongings and wanted to frame me while running away. I invited him for a drink, seeing that he was still young, and didn't plan to do anything to him. But I didn't expect that he would fail at stealing and bring a group of helpers... If I don't let him go, what are you going to do?"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the group shouted, "Then let's see who's better! I'll let you see my skills!"

"Shut up! Don't be rude!"

The middle-aged wealthy man in the lead shouted in a deep voice, stopping his companion from shouting.

Then, he solemnly bowed to Zhou Jing, took out a bulging money bag, placed it on the table, and lowered his posture, saying:

"Hero, please let my friend go. It was our fault this time, disturbing your enjoyment. I feel bad about it, so I'll pay for this meal."

Hearing this, Fang Zhen was furious, slammed the table, and the soup and water immediately spilled all over the ground. He shouted:

"You group of sneaky people, just take out some money, don't even report your origins, and want my brother to let people go? What do you think we are, daring to insult us like this!"

Many of the burly men in this group almost got splashed with soup, and they were also angry. Someone shouted, "Don't be so aggressive, don't think we're afraid of you!"

Just as the two sides were about to fight, the little thief quickly stood between the two groups, and hurriedly said to the middle-aged wealthy man:

"Brother, don't fight! These three heroes are not just ordinary people, they are also here for Brother Guo Haishen! We're all on the same side, don't let the flood wash away the Dragon King Temple!"

After saying that, the little thief quickly turned to Zhou Jing and the others, bowed deeply to show his apology, and said apologetically:

"Don't blame me, heroes. I didn't know what you were doing in this city before, so I didn't dare to tell you... I am Shi Qing, known as Thousand-Faced Swallow."

When he was at the table, he had actually recognized the names of the three, knowing that they were all Green Forest heroes and martial world figures. But he didn't dare to report his name just now because he had various reasons and calculations. The main reason was that he didn't know if Zhou Jing and the others were here for Guo Haishen, or if they were just passing by. He only confirmed that these three had the same goal as them after listening for a while, and then he felt relieved.

He didn't expect the reinforcements to arrive at this time, so he had to come out to apologize and stop both sides.

"Thousand-Faced Swallow?"

Gao Yun had originally picked up his long staff to help Zhou Jing, but he was stunned when he heard this, suddenly remembering something. He hurriedly cupped his fist at the middle-aged wealthy man and asked in surprise:

"May I ask, are you the leaders of Heavenly King Stronghold?"

Hearing this, the group of burly men didn't shout anymore and carefully looked at Gao Yun.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, obviously recognizing him.

The middle-aged wealthy man looked at Gao Yun and carefully identified him for a while, then suddenly said in surprise:

"Ah yo, isn't this Shattering Army Spear Gao Yun? Why are you whiter than before? I almost didn't recognize you!"

Gao Yun felt a little embarrassed when he heard this and said helplessly, "I haven't worked as an escort for the past few years, and I've been idle at home all day, so I've had less exposure to the wind and sun."

"No wonder, I haven't seen you on the road in the past few years. The brothers thought you had retired from the martial world."

Seeing an acquaintance, the middle-aged wealthy man hesitated, then took off the human skin mask on his face, revealing a resolute and dignified face.

Revealing his true face, he solemnly cupped his fist and introduced himself:

"I am Xiang Tianjie, the fourth leader of Heavenly King Stronghold, nicknamed Flipping River Great Sage, greetings to all heroes."

Heavenly King Stronghold was the stronghold built by the number one expert in the Green Forest, the "Heavenly King." There were seventy or eighty leaders on the mountain, and it was said to have two hundred thousand bandits. It was a top Green Forest force in the north.

The fourth leader of such a top stronghold was a truly big figure in the Green Forest world.

Fang Zhen didn't expect to encounter such a person here, which was quite unexpected.

Since everyone was from the Green Forest world and they knew each other, Fang Zhen temporarily restrained his anger, said that he had admired them for a long time, and then said his own name and nickname, which drew a fist salute in return from the crowd at Heavenly King Stronghold.

Zhou Jing had learned some Green Forest rules from Li Chun these days. If others reported their origins, he had to report his own, so he followed local customs and said:

"I am Chen Feng."

Unexpectedly, as soon as they heard this, the leaders of Heavenly King Stronghold all exclaimed in unison.

"What! You are the Life-Reaping Yama who can fight a hundred alone?!"

Zhou Jing: "..."

Good heavens, could you shout any louder? The constables would be here to join in the fun soon.