Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 139 Li Hanxiao tests his skills, Shan Shiqi abandons darkness and embraces light

Meanwhile, Li Hanxiao and his group rode into Panshe Valley, only to be stopped by Shan Shiqi. Li Hanxiao was determined to defeat him, so he asked who was willing to fight Shan Shiqi. "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen and Si Xingfang both volunteered to go.

"Even if both of you come at me, I'm not afraid!"

This Shan Shiqi was like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers. He had just given himself the nickname "Iron-backed Wolf" because when he first became an apprentice, his master said that his back was shaped like a wolf's back, which was suitable for martial arts training. So, on a whim, he came up with such a nickname.

To be honest, Li Hanxiao had never heard of this nickname before, because Shan Shiqi didn't have a nickname in the original novel!

Now, he gave himself a nickname, which surprised Li Hanxiao by making him realize that he was Shan Shiqi.

"Two against one is not a fair fight. How about this, I'll have a go at you!"

Li Hanxiao thought for a moment and decided to see how much progress he had made in his strength after practicing the Great Celestial Immortal Technique and absorbing the pure energy of the three volumes of the Heavenly Book. He might as well use the person in front of him to test it out.

"Alright! Take this!"

The "Iron-Backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi had been waiting impatiently for a long time. After all, he was still hungry and wanted to snatch something to exchange for wine and meat as soon as possible. Therefore, he used his iron ring cudgel to strike at the enemy as he pleased.

This mountain hermit learned the Shaolin Temple's signature staff technique, passed down for hundreds of years. This staff technique is characterized by its powerful moves, clear methods, and practical applications; it is both unique and ancient, utilizing both long and short staffs, and its techniques are perfectly coordinated. In actual combat, it incorporates techniques such as deflecting, blocking, circling, seizing, twisting, entangling, lifting, hooking, picking, intercepting, sealing, pressing, pivoting, striking, sweeping, and chopping, making its attacks quite ruthless.

Li Hanxiao raised his three-pointed, double-edged sword to meet the attack, and a fierce battle ensued! The three-pointed sword cleaved the sun and moon, the iron staff stirred the heavens and earth. The sword moved like a white python through the forest, the staff like a black dragon sweeping across the ground. Each move concealed murderous intent, the chieftain's fame resounding throughout Shandong; each strike carried the force of wind and thunder, Shi Qi's bravery astonishing the three provinces. Where the sword's shadow passed, cold stars fell; where the staff swept, rocks crumbled. The two fierce generals displayed their prowess, fighting until the clouds on the ridge were heavy with sorrow, and the beasts in the valley trembled in fear.

After fifty rounds of fighting, Li Hanxiao feigned an opening, pretending to drag his sword, and then rode away.

Although he fought Shan Shiqi for fifty rounds, he was actually holding back his strength. After just a dozen or so rounds, Li Hanxiao felt that his combat power had probably increased three or four times compared to before. He could actually kill this kid in thirty moves!

Even if we bring "Jade Kirin" Lu Junyi over now and let him fight Li Hanxiao, Li Hanxiao dares to say that he is confident of winning.

The reason why Li Hanxiao fought "Iron-backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi for fifty rounds was that he found the kid's martial arts skills to be quite good. By standard, he was at least at the level of the vanguard commander of the Eight Cavalry Generals of Liangshan. He was quite a talent!

That's why Li Hanxiao was intrigued by this talent and wanted to see just how capable this guy was. He wanted to test him first, and then defeat him and make him completely convinced of his abilities.

Unaware of the trap, the "Iron-Backed Wolf" Shan Shiqi chased after them with his staff.

Li Hanxiao was riding a horse, but Shan Shiqi was fighting on foot. There was some height difference between them. Before Shan Shiqi could get close, he saw Li Hanxiao grab the hilt of the three-pointed double-edged sword. Suddenly, a cold light flashed back, and the three-pointed double-edged sword flew out from under his ribs!

This is the ultimate skill of "Raising the Flag to Shake the Heavens". After Li Hanxiao obtained the three-pointed sword clone of Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun, this three-pointed double-edged sword is different from his original one. In other words, the three-pointed double-edged sword in his hand is also a clone of the three-pointed double-edged sword in Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun's hand.

The biggest difference is that the handle of this three-pointed double-edged sword has an iron chain hidden inside. If Li Hanxiao holds the handle, he can swing the iron chain out to achieve an ultra-long-range attack with the three-pointed double-edged sword!

This was truly swift and unexpected! Shan Shiqi hurriedly crossed his two sticks to block, but the sword's momentum was like thunder, directly knocking the iron sticks away from his hands!

However, Li Hanxiao was still skilled and didn't take Shan Shiqi's life. Just as the blade was about to touch his throat, Li Hanxiao flicked his wrist, retracting the three-pointed sword, and said with a smile, "I'll spare your life!"

Regarding this battle, a poem praises it as follows:

His heroic spirit soars to the heavens, his cold gleam shakes the nine realms.

With a sword, one can cleave the path through the three realms; with a staff, one can sweep away the dust from the five sacred mountains.

The tiger's roar startled the forest, the dragon's cry shook the Dipper platform.

The true righteousness of Liangshan is admired for its heroic talents for all time!

If it weren't for the chieftain's extraordinary bravery, how could Liangshan's methods have been so impressive!

Shan Shiqi was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. His Adam's apple visibly bobbed up and down as he swallowed a large mouthful of saliva.

He was clearly terrified!

"Excellent! Excellent skill!"

Even so, this young upstart still praised Li Hanxiao's abilities.

"You're no less capable than me. With your skills, why bother robbing people?"

Li Han smiled slightly, sheathed his three-pointed double-edged sword, and said in a rather friendly manner.

"I'm forced into this situation... If you're going to kill me, at least give me some food, so I can die with a full stomach!"

Although Shan Shiqi was from a wealthy family, he loved reading various storytelling and martial arts novels since he was a child, so he was very knowledgeable about the affairs of the martial arts world. He was able to abide by the rule that if you failed, you would die and have to accept it, and that the winner is king and the loser is a thief.

"Bring the food!"

Li Han smiled and took a piece of braised beef from Wang Yin, who was standing next to him. He handed it to Shan Shiqi and said, "Eat as much as you want, I'll make sure you have a full meal! As for killing you, I won't kill you, but after you've eaten your fill, you have to tell me why you were robbing people!"

Li Hanxiao wanted to recruit him, so he naturally tried to get close to him. Shan Shiqi had read all kinds of storytelling and folk tales since he was a child, and his greatest idol was heroes. Seeing that Li Hanxiao's martial arts were so powerful, he naturally knew that this person was no ordinary person. When he heard that Li Hanxiao would not kill him, he actually developed some goodwill towards him.

Sanchez tentatively reached out to take the piece of beef, but just as he was about to touch it, he quickly pulled his hand back.

"What? You don't eat meat?"

Li Han smiled as he watched Shan Shiqi's kitten-like behavior and couldn't help but tease him.

Shan Shiqi shook his head and said, "No, this little bit of meat isn't enough for anyone. Bring some more!"

It turns out that the kid felt that this little bit of meat wouldn't fill his stomach. That piece of braised beef must have weighed more than a pound, which would definitely be enough for a normal person. But martial artists have big stomachs, and Shan Shiqi is still young, so it's normal for him to have a big appetite.

"Alright, if you can eat, you can fight. I'd like to see how much you can eat. Here, bring some more food!"

Li Han smiled and gave the order. "Iron Whistle" Le He next to him opened the food package and took out sesame cakes, dried meat and pastries and handed them over.

Shan Shiqi was already starving, and after fighting for so long, it was as if his stomach had two hands reaching out. He swallowed everything that came into his mouth without hesitation, eating voraciously.

Finally, this kid ate more than five pounds of food. "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen looked at Shan Shiqi and nodded approvingly, saying, "This kid has the style of my younger days, but his appetite is too small. When I was his age, I could eat a whole pig in one meal!"

Lu Zhishen's words drew teasing from Xie Zhen, nicknamed "Two-Headed Snake," and Xie Bao, nicknamed "Two-Tailed Scorpion," who asked, "Lu, is one pig enough?"

"Not enough! We need another cow!"

Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk," wasn't angry at all. Instead, he took the opportunity to crack a joke, which made everyone burst into laughter.

After Shan Shiqi finished eating, Li Hanxiao asked him, "What's your name, sir? We agreed before that after you've eaten and drunk your fill, you'd tell me your story!"

Shan Shiqi nodded, and asked in return, "That's fine, but I need to ask you first, who are you? Your martial arts are truly impressive!"

"I am Li Hanxiao, the master of Liangshan Marsh."

Li Hanxiao introduced himself, and Shan Shiqi's eyes widened. "You are the great hero Li Hanxiao of Liangshan Marsh in Jizhou Prefecture, Shandong!"

Li Han smiled wryly and said, "My reputation is undeserved. Where did you get this title of 'great hero'? I'm hardly a great hero!"

Li Han smiled to himself, thinking that this person had heard of his reputation, which he had somewhat expected, but he was completely taken aback when the person called himself a "great hero".

"If you are not a great hero, then who is? Back then, Cheng Yaojin and You Junda robbed the imperial convoy in Changye Forest. That was all the people's hard-earned money, so they were heroes. You robbed the birthday convoy, but wasn't that also the people's hard-earned money? Can't you be called a great hero?"

Li Hanxiao was surprised that Shan Shiqi's thought process was so simple, and for a moment he was speechless.

"So, who exactly are you? You can tell me now, can't you?"

"I am Shiqi from Qinyuan Mountain. I am robbing highwaymen here because my family has been wronged..."

With such a big thing happening at home, Shan Shiqi himself felt quite aggrieved. Moreover, since he had fled, he had no one to confide in. When Li Hanxiao asked him about it, he told him everything as if to vent his frustration.

Li Hanxiao was secretly amazed when he heard about Shan Shiqi's family's experience. Firstly, he thought it was a coincidence that he had come to Huguan and Qinyuan County to try to find Shan Shiqi, and it turned out to be exactly what he wanted to do, as he met Shan Shiqi as soon as he arrived.

Secondly, Shan Shiqi's family was destroyed and he was in trouble. If Li Hanxiao could help him at this time, it would naturally win people's hearts and make it easier for Li Hanxiao to take him back and use him.

"You mean those three enemies have agreed to celebrate their victory by drinking at the Dashengyuan Restaurant in Qinyuan County tomorrow night?"

Li Han asked with a smile.

Shan Shiqi gritted his teeth in hatred, gripped his iron rod tightly, and said, "That's right, I was planning to take revenge tomorrow night, but I'm hungry and have no money, so I thought I'd cut off some money to fill my stomach and find some helpers!"

"With your martial arts skills, why would you need help to kill three merchants?"

Li Han smiled, puzzled.

"Hmph, those three bastards did something wrong, so naturally they're afraid I'll come looking for revenge. I've found out they've hired a lot of thugs and guards to follow them these past few days. I'm afraid I won't be a match for them if I go alone."

It's true that Shan Shiqi was young and impetuous, but he wasn't a completely brainless and reckless person. With his family business gone and his father dead, and his abilities limited, if he couldn't take revenge and instead fell into enemy hands, there would be no chance of recovery.

"You're not stupid, but even if you get your revenge, you probably won't be able to restore your family business. What will you do next?"

When Li Han asked Shan Shiqi about his future plans, Shan Shiqi hadn't really thought about it and pondered for a moment while leaning on his iron rod.

Now, the most he can do is kill these guys to get revenge. There's nothing else he can do. As for his family business, he can only give it up because he's been a wanted criminal on the run since the murders. How could he possibly manage his family business here?

He had no choice but to leave for distant lands.

"I have no choice but to find a place to stay..."

Shan Shiqi slowly uttered these words.

"How about joining Liangshan Marsh? We'll help you avenge yourself. You'll come back to Liangshan Marsh with us and uphold justice. It's much better than being a fugitive in the martial world!"

Li Hanxiao had been waiting for this moment, and now he extended an olive branch to Shan Shiqi.

As for helping him avenge Shan Shiqi, in Li Hanxiao's opinion, what those three people did was murder for money, so killing them was entirely justified.

"Walking into the water at Mount Liang?"

Shan Shiqi hadn't expected Li Hanxiao to extend an olive branch to him, and he was somewhat at a loss. But then he thought about it again and realized it wasn't a big deal. After all, Liangshan Marsh was recruiting heroes from all over the world, and it wouldn't be bad if he went there.

Besides, he had loved martial arts since childhood and longed for the martial world, so this could be considered his destiny...

On the contrary, if he hadn't joined Liangshan, he would have simply waited for a general amnesty.

Why did Song Jiang pass by the mountain stronghold several times without joining them? Wasn't he just eagerly waiting for the opportunity of a general amnesty? Without the amnesty, Song Jiang would have rebelled long ago.

Waiting for the emperor to grant a general amnesty was futile. What was a general amnesty? It was an effective tool to crack down on fugitives, but it was also a vague and unrealistic hope. From the emperor's perspective, it was entirely detrimental, since crimes that threatened the emperor would not be pardoned.

In ancient times, if a general amnesty was granted, those who committed treason, rebellion, treason, heinous crimes, immorality, disrespect, filial impiety, discord, injustice, or internal strife would not be pardoned; these were known as the "Ten Unpardonable Crimes."

His crime of murder might be pardoned, but what could he do afterward? He had lost his home and had no other skills except for his martial arts, which were still decent.

Joining the army? A pampered young master like him, starting as a common soldier, he'd have to be able to handle it!

If you were to do anything else, there really wouldn't be any industry where you could use these skills...

At least for now, Shan Shiqi believed that he had held off Li Hanxiao for dozens of rounds. He felt that he was strong enough to be a leader in Liangshan Marsh. He didn't want to wear gold and silver in Liangshan Marsh, but he felt that at least he would have enough to eat and wear, plenty of wine and meat, and be able to fight battles whenever he wanted. This was the kind of life he had wanted since he was a child.