Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 141 Shi Sanlang is careless and injured; the Flower Monk fights Bian Xiang.

Shi Xiu had already taken down half of the enemies and was about to unleash another attack when he suddenly smelled a strong gust of wind mixed with a hint of sandalwood. Just as this thought crossed his mind, a wooden wall to his left was smashed open. The wall suddenly exploded, and a nine-foot-tall giant burst out from the flying debris.

The burly man's fist came crashing down with the sound of wind and thunder. Shi Xiu quickly took half a step back, and the belt around his abdomen broke inch by inch in the wind of the punch.

&34;Bang!&34;

This punch landed solidly. If Shi Xiu hadn't been wearing chainmail underneath beforehand, it would have been incredible, because the big man's strength was enough to knock someone off the ground even through the chainmail.

Just as Shi Xiu's head was about to hit the bluestone railing, he thrust his twin swords into the floor, his waist sprang up like a taut bowstring, and landed steadily.

"Wow!"

Even so, Shi Xiu still vomited a mouthful of blood. The big man was so strong that he directly injured the internal organs of this "daredevil".

"Hey!"

Just as Shi Xiu, the "Desperate Saburo," paused, the big man's second punch grazed past Shi Xiu's ear, carving a dent the size of a bowl into the bluestone!

"what!"

Whether it was "Desperate Saburo" Shi Xiu or "Iron Whistle" Le He, they were all terrified by his astonishing strength. Such strength could probably only be matched by Lu Zhishen and Wu Song!

Who is this big man? In the original story, he was Bian Xiang, a general under Prince Tian Hu of Jin, who held the official position of Right Chancellor and Grand Tutor.

Originally from a farming family, he was nine feet tall, with a three-pronged mustache covering his mouth, a square face, broad shoulders, upright eyebrows, and round eyes. His arms were as strong as a water buffalo's. He wielded a large axe and a long spear, and was highly skilled in martial arts. He was a famous general in Tian Hu's army.

He was originally a peasant from Master Zhao's family, just a farmer. Master Zhao knew that he had good martial arts skills, so he didn't pay much attention to him when he didn't need them. But after Shan Shiqi committed murder and fled, Master Zhao was afraid that he would be killed by Shan Shiqi if he was alone. So he called Bian Xiang to his side to be his bodyguard and protect his safety.

In terms of martial arts, even the "Desperate Saburo" Shi Xiu was no match for him. In the original novel, this guy fought "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin for more than thirty rounds on the battlefield to a draw. When "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong came forward to attack from both sides, Bian Xiang fought against the two of them for more than thirty rounds to a draw. He was able to withstand the attack of two vanguard generals of the Eight Tiger Generals by himself, which means he was at least at the level of the Five Tiger Generals. He was a truly fierce general.

Later, this man was stationed at Mianshan and was locked in a stalemate with Hua Rong. However, Lu Junyi, the Jade Kirin, led his army from Taiyuan to attack him. Bian Xiang could not withstand the attack from both sides and suffered a great defeat. In the chaos of battle, he was captured by Lu Junyi, the Jade Kirin. Only someone like Lu Junyi, the Jade Kirin, could single-handedly crush a fierce man like Bian Xiang.

Bian Xiang's most brilliant battle was undoubtedly the one in which he killed Feng Tai, a fierce general from Huaixi. Shan Shiqi was no match for Feng Tai, but Bian Xiang stepped forward with his spear and killed Feng Tai, avenging Shan Shiqi. His martial arts skills were even superior to Shan Shiqi's. It was just a pity that such a fierce general encountered the "Lone Fire Ghost King" Kou Xi when he was fighting Wang Qing in Huaixi. Kou Xi released demonic fire, which caused a great defeat for the Song army. During the retreat, Bian Xiang was hit by a mouthful of fire from Kou Xi, burned and fell from his horse, and was killed by the Huaixi army. He died on the battlefield.

Bian Xiang's leather boots rolled over the pool of blood on the steps. Although he was unarmed, he approached Shi Xiu step by step. This strong man from Hedong had been lying in ambush in the next room for half an hour. He watched as Shi Xiu piled up the twelve corpses into a small mountain and his strength was exhausted before he took the initiative to attack and succeeded in one blow!

At this moment, his towering body blocked the way, and as he shook his fist, wood chips were dripping from it.

"What excellent swordsmanship, what a pity."

Bian Xiang's voice was like muffled thunder. His left fist, loosely clenched and concealed behind his waist, roared, "What a pity about that dog-slaughtering trick..."

Before he finished speaking, Shi Xiu suddenly swung his left knife—not to slash, but to fly it directly at Bian Xiang's face. Bian Xiang was unarmed and needed time to catch the knife.

Shi Xiu realized that even if he hadn't been ambushed, he probably still wouldn't be able to defeat him!

Bian Xiang's expression changed drastically. In an instant, he clasped his hands together, trapping the flying blade between his palms. The blade trembled incessantly between his hands, emitting a sharp, piercing sound.

It was precisely because of this that life was given to "Desperate Saburo" Shi Xiu. Lu Zhishen's angry shout came from the top floor. His iron staff smashed the carved wooden door, and Shan Shiqi's bronze cudgel, carrying ten years of blood feud, came crashing down. They all rushed up to the third floor.

Seeing that more people were coming, Bian Xiang immediately took out a large axe from the side. This axe weighed at least 60 or 70 jin, probably not much different from the weight of "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen's iron staff!

Suddenly, Bian Xiang swung his axe backhand. With a flash of cold light, the gilded plaque on the ground, "Drunken Universe," snapped in two and swung towards the two men.

&34;Good ax technique! &34;

Lu Zhishen picked up his monk's staff and stood in front of Shan Shiqi, taking the blow head-on.

Both men felt each other's strength. After Lu Zhishen took the axe, he swept his staff across Bian Xiang's lower body, forcing him into a private room next door. He planned to fight Bian Xiang alone there and let "Iron-backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi take revenge!

"Come on! Let's fight for a dozen rounds!"

Although Lu Zhishen was large in stature, he was also quite agile. When he leaped onto the tabletop, the blue-and-white porcelain shards that shattered under his boots fell into the cracks in the floorboards.

Bian Xiang's axe struck the screen at an angle, splitting the fifty-pound sandalwood frame as thin as paper. At that moment, the monk's staff emerged from the shards of wood, its crescent-shaped tip grazing the axe handle and sending sparks flying.

The two moved nimbly between the eight-immortal table, and the wine jars shattered wherever the axe swept by, splashing amber-colored liquor mixed with pottery shards.

Suddenly, Lu Zhishen thrust his staff into a crack in the floor tiles, using the momentum to leap into the air and kick over the pillar lantern. The burning gauze cover flew straight at Bian Xiang's face. This move, which requires agility, was not easy for someone of Lu Zhishen's size, showing that he was using his true skills.

The axe blade spun like a full moon, and as Bian Xiang cleaved the fireball, he saw a bowl of hot soup being smashed down on his head by the monk's staff.

Bian Xiang leaned back to avoid the scalding soup, but his back knocked over the decorative antique shelf, causing twelve Ru kiln wine cups to fall like petals scattered by a celestial maiden.

Lu Zhishen tapped his staff on the ground, flipped backwards over the vermilion railing, and hooked the ribbon on the hanging flower pillar with his crescent blade. He swung down to the courtyard below like a hawk. This small house was only separated from the place where Shan Shiqi's enemy was located by a wall. If Bian Xiang went over there, it would ruin everything. Therefore, Lu Zhishen led Bian Xiang away.

Bian Xiang was now caught up in the fight, his axe having already shattered the railing as he pursued. The moment the axe blade embedded itself in the dragon-carved pillar of the main hall stage, Lu Zhishen's monk's staff swept across the gongs of the opera troupe beside him. Amidst the deafening roar, various opera weapons displayed on the eighteen weapon racks came crashing down.

Bian Xiang drew his axe and swung it back, severing three spear tassels. Then, he saw his monk's staff lift two jars of thirty-year-old aged wine and smash them down from the air. The axe flashed, and the wine poured down like a blood-red waterfall, instantly filling the entire hall with its pungent aroma.

"Oh dear, oh dear! What a waste of such fine wine!"

Amidst Lu Zhishen's loud laughter, the crescent moon of his monk's staff hooked onto a gourd of Tusu wine hanging on the ground, and he even took a couple of sips between fights.

Just as Bian Xiang was about to give chase, he suddenly felt his foot slip – the wine he had just spilled had formed a stream on the blue brick ground. As he slammed the axe handle into the ground to steady himself, the monk's staff, carrying three wine jars, came hurtling through the air and shattered with a bang. The iron ring on the monk's staff became entangled in the axe handle, forming a tight knot.

The two tried to separate their weapons, but both possessed superhuman strength. In the ensuing struggle, they crashed through the kitchen curtain and collapsed to the ground.

The commotion had already startled the head chef so much that he hid inside the pickling vat and didn't dare to come out.

Bian Xiang's axe handle got stuck in the millstone hole, and Lu Zhishen's monk's staff fell to the ground. However, Lu Zhishen was quick-witted and seized the opportunity to pick up a rolling pin and hit Lu Zhishen on the head.

The moment the rolling pin snapped, Bian Xiang slammed his left palm onto the hanging cured meat, sending the twenty-pound ham hurtling toward his opponent's face.

The fight between the two had reached a fever pitch, turning into a chaotic free-for-all.

Amidst the sizzling sound of the oil pan overturning, Lu Zhishen inserted his staff into the stove to ignite the burning firewood. Sparks ignited the hanging strings of dried chili peppers, and instantly the room was filled with red smoke.

Bian Xiang held his breath and swung his axe to cut through the smoke, only to see several kitchen knives flying towards him in a spinning motion—it turned out that Lu Zhishen had kicked over the knife rack next to the chopping board.

As the axe flashed like a wheel, knocking down the flying knife, Lu Zhishen suddenly abandoned his staff and approached, pressing his large palm against Bian Xiang's Jianjing acupoint.

The two rolled around amidst the carnivorous mess, knocking over the smoked meat rack and overturning the pickle jars, before finally being half-buried by a collapsed flour sack. As morning light streamed through the window, four legs could be seen sticking out from the pile of flour, still tangled together.

"Hahaha! That's great!"

Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk" with his face covered in white powder, suddenly stopped. Before Bian Xiang could understand what was happening, he opened his eyes and saw that "Little Wenhou" Lü Fang and "Sai Rengui" Guo Sheng's two halberds were already pointed at his head. He was helplessly captured.

Meanwhile, upstairs, "Iron-Backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi had already stormed into the private room, and the three guards had died under his iron rod.

"Shan Shiqi, it really is you!"

Among the three owners present, the only one who knew martial arts, Black Seven, saw Shan Shiqi storm in and immediately jumped up, picked up the armchair he was sitting on, and swung it at him.

"Oh!"

Without even looking, "Iron-Backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi swung his iron-ringed staff, shattering the armchair he was holding, splinters of wood piercing his cloudy eyes.

Moreover, at this moment, the smell of burning wafted in from outside the window, which meant that Xu Guanzhong, along with "Golden Retriever" Duan Jingzhu, had gone to set fire to the three major dye shops in the city.

"You wicked thief!"

Upon seeing the firelight from the window and realizing what was happening, Chen Liuzi overturned the table and pushed one of his guards away. This guard seemed to be quite skilled in martial arts, as the nine-ringed gold-backed saber in his hand sent bowls and plates flying everywhere.

Meanwhile, flames shot up the curtains to the third floor. The fight between Lu Zhishen and Bian Xiang in the kitchen had knocked over the stove fire, and the kitchen was now on fire. Under these circumstances, they could not stay too long, as the wooden floorboards could collapse at any moment.

As the screen shattered with a deafening roar, Shan Shiqi had already spun around and stood up. He knew he couldn't wait any longer. He swept his iron-ringed staff across the table, and like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, he knocked down all the flying pieces of wood.

The golden-backed nine-ringed sword pierced through the air, its blade splitting the lamps hanging from the beams, and shards of glass mixed with sparks rained down, as the guard intended to obstruct the view.

"You scoundrel!"

Enraged, Shan Shiqi used his iron rod to propel himself onto the vermilion beam with a somersault. Seeing this, the man, still wielding his sword, flicked his wrist, the nine copper rings vibrating with a soul-stirring sound. The sword light cascaded down, cleaving the rosewood armchair where Shan Shiqi had just been standing in two, the cut as neat as if it were cut paper.

"Blind knife!"

San Shiqi realized that this person could use blind knife, which means that when he could not see, he could locate objects by sound!

But by then, the fire had spread to the window frame, and the firelight illuminated the room, thwarting the man's plan to use the blind knife!

Upon seeing the firelight, Shan Shiqi's iron ring staff suddenly slid down from the beam, slapping the back of the knife. Shan Shiqi then hung upside down and kicked the guard in the face with a series of kicks.

The man spun his golden-backed knife rapidly, the copper ring colliding with the iron rod and sparks flying. With a clang, the man staggered back three steps, his lower back hitting the celadon fish tank, startling the koi carp out of the water.

"Here you go!"

The man roared, and his nine-ringed saber transformed into a golden rainbow piercing the sun. The wind from the saber overturned the wine vessels on the table, spilling thirty-year-old wine onto the crimson gauze curtain, where it was ignited by the flying sparks.

Shan Shiqi tapped the ground with his iron rod, his mixed iron ring staff protecting his body like a peacock spreading its tail, deflecting thirteen blade shadows with a clang.

The two men leaped and twirled in the sea of ​​fire, their swords and staffs flashing and turning the private room into a chaotic mess. Suddenly, Shan Shiqi felt a gust of wind coming from behind him. He twisted his waist and shifted his steps, swinging his iron staff. The enemy suddenly changed his move, using the "Night Battle in All Directions" style with his nine-ringed saber. The shadow of the saber was like a wheel, forcing Shan Shiqi into a corner.

The golden-backed sword cleaved three inches into the brick wall, but Shan Shiqi used the momentum to kick off the wall and fly backward. He then raised his iron-ringed staff from below, and the iron staff rained down on the spine of the sword. Amidst the clanging of metal against metal, three of the nine copper rings were knocked away and embedded deeply into the top beam.

Flames licked at the carved window lattice, and the man's eyes were bloodshot in the thick smoke. He discarded his scabbard, gripped the sword with both hands, and unleashed his ultimate technique, "Thirteen Severing Cuts," his sword energy crisscrossing, slicing the burning curtains into a sky full of fiery butterflies.

Shan Shiqi's iron rod fighting style is unpredictable, sometimes as soft as a spear thrusting, sometimes as soft as a whip entanglement, drawing strange arcs in the smoke.

As the ninth strike came, Shan Shiqi suddenly stepped back, using the iron rod to brace himself against the ground, his body spinning rapidly like a top, weaving a silver net in front of him.

The golden-backed dagger slashed into the steel net as if sinking into mud. When the guard realized something was wrong, Shan Shiqi had already followed the momentum of the dagger and moved forward, striking the guard's Tanzhong acupoint with his elbow.

The guard coughed up blood and staggered backward, crashing through the railing and falling into the courtyard. Shan Shiqi let out a long howl, tapped the ground with his iron rod, and swung into the air. The iron ring rod gleamed with a bluish light under the moonlight. The guard struggled to raise his knife to block, but Shan Shiqi was upside down, and the iron rod crashed down on him with the force of wind and thunder.

"Upside-down Buddha!"

The tip of the staff struck the golden-backed sword before the body of the staff could strike it, shattering all nine broken rings. The iron staff then plunged straight in, cracking the skull of the victim, and spraying blood mist between the burning buildings.

Shan Shiqi landed on his feet. He looked at the dying embers and the three trembling enemies cowering in the corner. He felt a surge of joy, picked up a half-empty jar of wine from the ruins, and drank it down in one gulp.

"It's time to pay off the debt."