"Grand Marshal, you also agree to surrender?!"
Lin Qian asked directly.
"I was quite surprised when I first heard about this, and I haven't decided yet whether or not to offer amnesty."
Lu Yulin said in a deep voice.
Wu Yan stared wide-eyed at Lu Yulin in astonishment.
Even Yan Xiaobing, who was sitting to the side, was quite surprised and didn't understand why his brother had suddenly changed his attitude.
Seeing that Grand Marshal Lu Yulin had not directly expressed his support for the amnesty, the opponents became even more agitated!
"I'm making this clear: if the Grand Commander wants to offer me amnesty, I will absolutely not agree. I'd rather part ways!"
Zhigang made his statement definitively clear.
"Lin is the same!"
Lin Qian's group buy was instantly accepted.
"Well said, we are the same!"
The other minor and mid-level leaders echoed this sentiment.
"Strategist, since Ya Province City hasn't fallen and the Grand Commander is still alive, that's good news. I think we should return to Ya Province City first, reunite with the Grand Commander, and try to persuade him."
Liang An, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
Liang An was previously a member of the Jianghu community, not a member of the imperial court. His attitude towards recruiting An was relatively neutral.
If everyone supported accepting the imperial pardon, he might have gone along with it. But now that public sentiment is high, his attitude is naturally more inclined towards not accepting the pardon.
Wu Yan opened his mouth, then took one last deep look at Lu Yulin and nodded, saying, "Alright, let's return to Ya Province City first."
Having said that, he stood up and left in a huff.
The generals looked at each other and then dispersed to return to their own tents.
Lu Yulin returned to his tent and soon came out again.
Looking around, one sees the moonlight like water, splashing silver frost all over the ground.
He looked up and could clearly see the Big Dipper hanging in the northern sky.
The four stars of Tiangang resemble a perfectly upright seal, overlooking the human world.
In the Mount Liang Gathering of Righteousness Hall, the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends are ranked according to their positions. Lu Yulin's position is second in Mount Liang, and the star he symbolizes is the Heavenly Dipper Star.
At this moment, he stared blankly at the Heavenly Dipper Star in the distant night sky.
Back then, Wu Yan disguised himself as a fortune teller, walked into his house shaking a bell and pestle, and said that "within a hundred days, there will be a bloody disaster" and that he should go to the southeast, a thousand miles away, to seek refuge.
The night we decided to flee was also a starry night, and the Big Dipper was just as bright.
He believed Wu Yan's words.
The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are clearly defined by numerology. Such is destiny; he has no choice but to believe it!
And so he walked step by step into the trap of that acrostic anti-poem...
Lu Yulin looked down at his hands.
These hands once gripped a steel spear so tightly that he became the top martial arts champion and was invincible throughout the Hebei Circuit martial arts world!
Despite achieving the highest rank in martial arts, he could not defy fate and was humiliated into taking on the position of tending horses for the Imperial Guards.
Although he was invincible in the martial arts world of Hebei Circuit, he was ultimately defeated by Mount Liang's relentless attacks, captured, and forced to become an outlaw.
"Elder brother."
Yan Xiaobing's arrival interrupted Lu Yulin's reminiscence.
Lu Yulin turned to look at the other person, his face expressionless.
Yan Xiaobing frowned, staring intently at Lu Yulin's face. "Why did you suddenly change your attitude and refuse to support the amnesty?"
Lu Yulin knew the other party would definitely ask him, but instead of answering, he asked in return:
"Xiaobing, tell me, in my whole life, have I ever truly been in control of my own destiny?"
Yan Xiaobing was taken aback, not quite understanding. "Brother has always made his own decisions, how come..."
Lu Yulin shook his head, interrupting the other person:
"Back in the capital, I had no say in anything and could only accept the position of a horse herder. I dared not compete for it because I knew I couldn't fight against those powerful and influential people."
Even after joining the Mount Liang outlaws, I still wasn't in control and had no choice but to accept the position of Heavenly Dipper Star. I dared not resist because I knew my escape route had been cut off.
Now that Song Hai wants to be granted amnesty, I still can't make the decision myself; everything is up to Song Hai to negotiate."
Yan Xiaobing pursed his lips and remained silent.
He had followed the other person all the way and was the one who could best understand the sense of powerlessness in the other person's words.
"Xiaobing, look."
Lu Yulin suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the northern sky.
Yan Xiaobing looked in the direction he was pointing.
"The Big Dipper has remained in that position for tens of thousands of years, unchanged since time immemorial. Don't you think a person's fate is like these stars, once it's set, it can't be changed?"
Lu Yulin asked.
"..."
Yan Xiaobing could not answer this question.
He recalled the events of those days and realized that his brother hadn't suddenly become like this.
As early as the day he learned that Song Hai wanted to be granted amnesty, Lu Yulin's emotions had already undergone a subtle change.
He thought Lu Yulin was considering what would happen after accepting amnesty, but he didn't expect that the other party was considering whether or not to accept amnesty at all?
Or rather, should we once again submit to Song Hai's manipulation?
"Marshal Lu!"
Just then, Wu Yan, furious, walked towards them with a goose feather fan in hand.
Approaching him, he coldly questioned Lu Yulin for the first time, "Why has the Grand Marshal gone back on his word? Wasn't the offer of amnesty agreed upon long ago?!"
Lu Yulin turned around, looked at Wu Yan intently, and said nothing.
Wu Yan paused, feeling a chill run down his spine as he was stared at like this for the first time by Lu Yulin!
"What does the Grand Marshal mean by this?"
"Wu Yan."
Lu Yulin stopped referring to the other party as his strategist.
He said, word by word, "Actually, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."
Wu Yan had already noticed that Lu Yulin was acting unusually differently tonight, and cautiously asked, "What does the Grand Marshal wish to ask?"
"You wrote that rebellious poem back then, didn't you?"
Lu Yulin finally asked the question.
Wu Yan's pupils contracted!
In fact, after Lu Yulin was captured and brought to Mount Liang, everyone knew about the seditious poem as soon as they met.
However, Lu Yulin was forced by circumstances to refrain from making a move at the time.
Later, he became Heavenly Dipper Star of Mount Liang and the Grand Marshal of Mount Liang, so he would never mention the events of that year again.
Wu Yan had never thought that Lu Yulin would ask him this question to his face.
"Grand Marshal, you..."
"Shameless scoundrel!"
Lu Yulin's angry shout interrupted Wu Yan's words.
He suddenly took a step towards Wu Yan and raised his hand to slap the top of his head!
Wu Yan instinctively retreated to dodge, but his martial arts skills weren't even First Rate, so how could he possibly avoid Lu Yulin's attack?
Snap!
Lu Yulin struck Wu Yan's skull with a powerful palm strike, shattering his skull!
Wu Yan shuddered, then collapsed to the ground, dying instantly.
Yan Xiaobing, who was standing to the side, was completely stunned. He never expected that Lu Yulin would kill Mount Liang's strategist and Song Hai's confidant so easily!
But the Heavenly Dipper Star's killings should be this simple.
Hahahahahaha--
Lu Yulin suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, his powerful Internal Skill carrying his laughter far and wide into the night.
The thousands of Mount Liang warriors present all heard this joyful, unrestrained, and heroic laughter!
The Big Dipper still shines brightly in the night sky.
But some things are not as they used to be.
The opportunity to become Grandmaster at level 180 is flawed in one's state of mind.
The night wind blew down from the northern mountain ridge, making the campfire flicker.
Wu Yan's body lay in the open space in the center of the camp.
The Mount Liang warriors were summoned again, emerging from their respective tents and gathering in twos and threes.
The crowd stirred when they saw the body on the ground!
Some people gasped, some took a few steps back, and some instinctively gripped the hilt of their knives...
The firelight reflected on every face, revealing astonishment, confusion, and fear.
"Could it be that the enemy has attacked and assassinated the strategist!"
Many people think this way.
Lu Yulin stood beside the corpse, glanced at everyone present, and calmly began to speak:
"I killed Wu Yan."
A commotion erupted in the crowd!
Liang An looked on incredulously. "Grand Marshal, why...?"
"Back when I was in Hebei Circuit, he disguised himself as a fortune teller and said I would suffer a bloody disaster within a hundred days and had to flee a thousand miles to the southeast. I believed him. Later I found out that he was the one who wrote the seditious poem in my home, and that he was the one who set the trap. I, Lu Yulin An'an, could have lived a peaceful life in Hebei Circuit, but he ruined my family and forced me step by step to Mount Liang!"
Lu Yulin briefly recounted the grievances between himself and Wu Yan.
He glanced down at the corpse on the ground, then looked around. "Tonight I'm not going to hold back any longer, so I'll kill him. Anyone who thinks I've done wrong, or who wants revenge for Wu Yan, feel free to call me, Lu Yulin, I'll take their place!"
The surroundings fell silent, save for the crackling of the torches.
Everyone present knew more or less about Lu Yulin's experiences before he joined the Liangshan bandits. They also knew perfectly well how he was forced to Mount Liang step by step.
To be honest, the methods Song Hai and Wu Yan used were far from honorable; in fact, they were quite insidious!
However, Lu Yulin, who was involved in the incident, did not pursue the matter at the time. Instead, he became the second-in-command of Mount Liang, so the others naturally did not say anything.
No one knew why he suddenly wanted to pursue the matter from back then, but in the martial arts world, it's all about repaying kindness and settling scores; there's nothing more to say about it.
If one were to say that he violated brotherhood and the oath he swore in the Gathering of Righteousness Hall, then among those present were Wu Yan's confidants and personal guards, yet not one dared to stand up and avenge Wu Yan.
Seeing that no one stepped forward, Lu Yulin continued:
"Song Hai wants to accept the imperial pardon. Anyone who wants to take that path can go ahead, but I'm not!"
"From this day forward, I, Lu Yulin, am withdrawing from Mount Liang! Brothers who do not wish to surrender and wish to stay may come with me. Those who wish to surrender may go to Ya Province. Before dawn, you may choose to stay or leave as you please!"
After saying this, he ignored everyone's reactions and turned to walk back to his tent.
Yan Xiaobing sighed and followed him away.