Chapter 114: This Herb Blooms When the Moon Reaches Its Zenith

Yun Tianbiao sat in the central command tent and ordered his executioners to bring the bound Shi Yong and Mu Chun before him.

Though these two Liangshan heroes were mediocre in martial skill, they were incredibly unyielding. Upon entering the tent, they stood tall and refused to kneel, shouting curses instead: "You shameless, skinless dogs! You used sorcery to capture us. If you have any guts, finish us off with a single blade! Don't even think about making us kneel!"

"When my brother Song Gongming arrives, he will tear you rats into ten thousand pieces!" Hearing this, Tao Zhenting flew into a rage and ordered his soldiers to beat them until they fell to their knees.

The fierce soldiers rushed forward, striking at Shi Yong and Mu Chun’s legs with iron rods. Though they were beaten to the ground, neither would submit, continuing to curse without pause.

Seeing their stubbornness, a sinister look flashed across Yun Tianbiao’s face. He sneered coldly, "You want a quick death? I won't grant your wish. I will toy with you slowly until you wish you were dead."

With that, Yun Tianbiao ordered his men to erect two execution stakes before the two armies beneath Jiaxiang City. He had Shi Yong and Mu Chun stripped naked and tied to the posts, intending to butcher them alive right before the eyes of Huyan Zhuo and the other Liangshan commanders.

The soldiers obeyed, setting up two ten-foot-tall, cross-shaped stakes, then dragged the two men out and bound them, exposing their chests and vital organs.

Yun Tianbiao rode to the front lines and bellowed toward Jiaxiang City. Possessing profound internal strength—a master at the peak of the Post-Natal realm, mere inches from the Pre-Natal—his voice resonated for miles, clearly audible to Huyan Zhuo, Han Tao, and Peng Qi as they manned the city defenses.

"Huyan Zhuo, you traitor to the throne," Yun Tianbiao shouted. "If you do not surrender the city, these two rebels’ fates will be your own!"

With a wave of his hand, two executioners stepped forward with hooked blades. They began to carve into Mu Chun’s chest. Blood and flesh flew everywhere in a gruesome display. Whether it was the nearby Shi Yong or Huyan Zhuo and his men on the city walls, all were filled with righteous fury. They had never imagined Yun Tianbiao could be so savage.

Shi Yong roared, "You villainous scum! If you want to kill, just do it! Why be so malicious?"

Yun Tianbiao, arrogant and intolerant of dissent, grew furious. He stepped forward, took a blade himself, and snarled, "You wretched, base-born rebel, how dare you speak?!"

Shi Yong continued to curse him as a traitor and a cur. Enraged, Yun Tianbiao pried open Shi Yong's mouth, pulled out his tongue, and sliced it off. "Let’s see you curse now!"

He then raised his blade and stabbed Shi Yong seventeen or eighteen times. Seeing the man’s life fading, he thrust the blade into his heart, sliced open his abdomen, and reached in to tear out his heart and lungs, casting them onto the ground.

Yun Tianbiao laughed as he carved, then turned his gaze to the battered Mu Chun: "Now, it is your turn." Just as he raised his butcher’s knife again, an eagle-feathered wolf-tooth arrow tore through the air, swift as a lightning bolt.

Yun Tianbiao, ever vigilant, had long since spotted the arrow flying from the city walls. He twisted his waist and dodged it with ease.

*Thwack.* The arrow struck Mu Chun directly in the throat. In his final moment, the "Small Barrier" Mu Chun looked toward the city walls with a faint smile of gratitude, thanking his brother for ending his suffering early.

The archer was none other than Han Tao, the "General Who Wins Every Battle." A rare master archer among the Liangshan heroes, he had fired the fatal shot to spare his comrade further agony.

Huyan Zhuo, unable to contain his grief and rage, led Han Tao and Peng Qi to lower the drawbridge and charge out of the city, ignoring the enemy's superior numbers to force a decisive field battle.

Han Tao led the charge, clearing the path with his bow. Behind him rode Huyan Zhuo, one of the Five Tiger Generals of Liangshan. Wearing a golden-locked yellow silk headband and black armor, mounted on his "Snow-Kicking Black" steed, he wielded two water-polished octagonal steel whips, looking every bit the reincarnation of his ancestor, the famed General Huyan Zan.

Huyan Zhuo’s whips—twelve pounds in the left hand and thirteen in the right—followed the mysteries of Yin and Yang. Once in motion, their defense was said to be peerless. Among the Five Tiger Generals, while Guan Sheng and Qin Ming excelled in offense, Huyan Zhuo was the most stable in defense. But this time, he was done defending.

He sought to turn defense into offense, to avenge his fallen brothers and crush Yun Tianbiao beneath his whips.

Seeing Huyan Zhuo charge, Yun Tianbiao felt no fear, only a surge of uncontrollable excitement. His killing intent boiled, and he gripped his crescent-moon steel blade so tightly it grew warm.

"You have come to your own doom! Everything is within my grasp!"

Yun Tianbiao rode forward to meet them. Peng Qi engaged him, but after only a few bouts, Yun Tianbiao feigned a retreat, dragging his blade behind him.

Unaware of the danger, Peng Qi pursued. Yun Tianbiao channeled his divine power and suddenly spun around, his blade moving like a dream and striking like a thunderbolt.

This was the legendary "Dragging Blade Technique," a lethal move passed down from the era of Guan Yu. Having studied the Guan family’s Spring and Autumn blade techniques for nearly a decade, Yun Tianbiao executed the move with at least eighty percent of the original master's power.

With a flash of steel, a head fell, and the body slumped to the ground. Only Peng Qi’s riderless horse continued to gallop away.

Huyan Zhuo gasped. This Yun Tianbiao was terrifying—not only a skilled strategist and a cruel, ruthless tyrant, but also a warrior of matchless prowess. Judging by that strike, Huyan Zhuo realized Yun Tianbiao’s skill was on par with his own, perhaps even matching the Great Blade Guan Sheng.

Daring not to take more risks, Huyan Zhuo roared and charged forward to face Yun Tianbiao himself.

Two streams of black light swirled, accompanied by faint dragon shadows. Blade met whip in a chaotic dance. After fifty bouts, neither could gain the upper hand.

Huyan Zhuo, fueled by righteous fury, fought with increasing ferocity. His whips became elusive and unpredictable. Though Yun Tianbiao’s technique was precise, it was ultimately evil struggling against righteousness.

However, just as they reached the critical moment of the duel, a signal cannon fired from the government lines. Zhang Yinglei attacked from the left and Tao Zhenting from the right, leading cavalry to flank the Liangshan forces.

Han Tao was stunned and scrambled to reorganize his troops. Zhang Yinglei roared like a bear, his copper mace flashing like lightning. Where he passed, the Liangshan soldiers were scattered like fallen leaves.

Han Tao fought desperately to block the ferocious general, but after only five or six bouts, Zhang Yinglei feigned a weakness. As Han Tao lunged, Zhang Yinglei grabbed him by his armor, hauled him off his horse, and slammed him to the ground. The government troops swarmed forward and captured him.

Huyan Zhuo, though gaining the upper hand against Yun Tianbiao, saw his comrades fallen and realized he could not continue. Reluctantly, he turned his horse to retreat.

Yun Tianbiao and his two commanders gave chase, but Huyan Zhuo’s "Snow-Kicking Black" was a royal gift, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day, and they could not catch him.

Furious, Tao Zhenting holstered his hammers and pulled out a special weapon—something that had no place in the cold-weapon world of *Water Margin*.

It was a gilded fire-lance! A standard firearm fitted with an agate-flint ignition, capable of firing gunpowder and lead shot. It had been a gift from a Manchu master years prior. While it was not as advanced as a modern handgun, in the world of *Water Margin*, it was a terrifying weapon of mass destruction.

Tao Zhenting leveled the gun and aimed at Huyan Zhuo’s horse. "Aim for the horse first!" he snarled.

Just as the shot was about to strike, a flash of steel, swift as a whirlwind, cut the air. *Crack!* The lead shot was sliced in two in mid-air. A roar like thunder echoed across the battlefield.

A figure suddenly appeared in front of Tao Zhenting’s horse and tossed a golden, square object at his forehead. *Thwack!* Tao Zhenting, caught off guard, was struck, his vision blacked out, and he tumbled from his horse, dropping the firearm.

The mysterious newcomer snatched the fire-lance from the air as if it had flown into his hand of its own accord.

Huyan Zhuo looked back and recognized the savior. It was his own kinsman from Yan'an Prefecture—Yang Ye!

Having observed the battle from afar with his supernatural vision, Yang Ye had rushed to the rescue. With his incredible movement speed, he had arrived just in time to save Huyan Zhuo’s horse.

Now, facing the fierce glares of Yun Tianbiao and Zhang Yinglei, Yang Ye landed gracefully amidst the soldiers holding Han Tao. With a swift, fluid motion of his Seven-Treasure Blade, he cut through the crowd, sending blood and flesh flying, ready to turn the tide of the battle.