The massive fleet, following the strong, rhythmic calls of the trackers, slowly sailed into the Jizhou port.
Jiang Kui, who had been waiting at the dock for a long time, stretched out his hand to shield his eyes from the glare, squinted carefully, and saw banners emblazoned with the golden "Yang" character fluttering in the golden sunlight that resembled heads of ripe wheat...
"They’ve arrived!"
He tapped the square table beside him hastily. Lei Heng and Liu Meng, who were sitting and drinking tea, quickly put down their tea bowls and stood up to follow Jiang Kui’s steps, greeting them outside.
One by one, the large ships slowly approached the shore and anchored. The dockworkers, who had been waiting for a long time, lifted the heavy gangplanks and rushed aboard. Without any summons, they still managed orderly chaos, and the usual scuffles over competing for customers and business did not occur.
Standing at the side of the ship, Wu Eryong scanned the area and saw Lei Heng, Jiang Kui, and Liu Meng standing on the jetty. He immediately leaped from the ship, landing on the jetty.
"Wu, it’s been a long time!"
Jiang Kui stepped forward with a smile, greeting with a clasped fist and a bow.
Wu Eryong swiftly stepped aside, returning the gesture, "General Jiang, you flatter me too much!"
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In a lowered voice he added quickly, "Our leader has arrived..."
Surprised, Jiang Kui turned his head and saw a striking figure in white robes and a silver crown who stepped a distance of three zhang in one tip-toe stride, landing lightly on the jetty... He touched down without a sound, and the wooden jetty remained perfectly still.
Watching his tiptoeing and striding, both Jiang Kui and Lei Heng instinctively tensed their eyes.
"Is this General Jiang in person?"
The man in white came forward with a smiling face, greeting with a clasped fist and a bow, "I am Li Jincheng. I have long heard of General Jiang’s great name, and today I finally have the honor of meeting you. You truly possess a magnificent and dignified bearing!"
Jiang Kui inwardly expressed surprise with the thought, ’He actually came himself,’ but on the outside, he smiled warmly and responded with enthusiasm, "Why did Li not inform us ahead of your arrival in Jizhou? The three of us brothers would have made preparations..."
"General Jiang, you are too polite. I was just struck by a moment of inspiration and decided to come see for myself. Besides, we’re all family here. Why bother with such formalities?"
Li Jincheng said with a smile, his gaze shifting to Lei Heng and Liu Meng who stood behind Jiang Kui. Feigning confusion, he asked, "And these two esteemed seniors are...?"
Jiang Kui quickly turned around, "Let me introduce them. This is my elder brother, ’River Dragon’ Lei Heng, the Chief of Lü Mountain, and this is my brother, ’Winged Tiger’ Liu Meng of the fifth rank in Lü Mountain."
"Oh, so you are Lei, the Chief. "
Li Jincheng stepped forward with a smile, greeting with a clasped fist, "I have long admired your name. It’s quite a coincidence, your moniker differs only by one character from my father’s in his heyday."
Lei Heng returned the gesture with a polite smile, "My humble nickname is hardly worth mentioning. On the other hand, Li’s ’One Spear to Quell Three Rivers, No Mighty Dragon Can Cross’ is a name that was well-known to me even in my early years."
Li Jincheng sighed softly, "Sadly, my father lived a short life and had no chance to meet you, otherwise, you two would have had much to discuss!"
Lei Heng also nodded regretfully, "It’s indeed a pity that we never met."
Turning to Liu Meng, Li Jincheng’s expression became slightly more serious, "I have seen Hall Master Liu."
Liu Meng replied in an equally measured tone, "You are too courteous, Hall Master Li. We brothers have prepared a simple banquet in the city, and we hope you won’t disdain the humble fare of our borderland. Please do us the honor of joining us."
Noticing the awkward atmosphere between the two, Jiang Kui slapped his forehead and laughingly broke the ice, "Look at my poor memory! Come, come, Li, please inside..."
Li Jincheng gestured with an extended hand, "After you, General Jiang, and you, Chief Lei... Er Yong, I’ll leave this to you. Make sure you account clearly for the cargoes with General Jiang’s men—what was prepared by Xiang, what by Chief Yang, and what by the others. Make sure everything is precise."
Wu Eryong: "Yes, boss!"
The four of them exchanged courtesies as they proceeded towards Jizhou City.
Before long, they were sitting in the most elegant seat at the largest restaurant in Jizhou City.
"If General Jiang keeps being so courteous, I might just walk away..."
Li Jincheng picked up the bowl in front of him, turned his back, and laughed as he dodged the wine jar in Jiang Kui’s hand.
Jiang Kui laughed heartily and sat back down, "All right, all right, we’re all forthright people here, let’s not fuss over who’s the host or guest. Just eat and enjoy... Waiter, bring three more jars of wine!"
The waiter below responded loudly, "Right away, sir!"
Only then did Li Jincheng come back to his senses, setting his wine bowl back on the table, "Now that’s more like drinking among family!"
"It’s embarrassing to say,"
Jiang Kui said with a shake of his head and a smile, "My brothers and I owe you and your brothers a great deal, yet we have never once traveled south to pay a visit. It’s quite rude of us!"
Lei Heng, lifting the jar in front of him, filled his bowl to the brim with wine, raised it to signal Li, "I’m a simple man who’s not good with words. This bowl is for you, Li."
Without waiting for a reaction from Li Jincheng, Lei Heng tilted his head back and gulped down the wine.
Li Jincheng glanced at his own empty bowl and plate, then at the wine jar near Lei Heng’s feet, helplessly picking up a plate of cold-smoked rabbit meat, "You really don’t know how to talk, Lei. The wine hasn’t even arrived. How am I supposed to drink... Never mind, I’ll honor you with this plate of meat in place of wine!"
With that, he picked up the plate of rabbit meat, raised it to his mouth, and took a big bite, chewing vigorously.
The three brothers hurriedly stood up to smooth things over, and the tension that had been in the air finally eased...
Just then, the waiter finally brought the wine, and with it as a lubricant, the atmosphere became even more harmonious. It wasn’t long before they started addressing each other as brothers.