Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

After meeting with Song Jiang and his men alone on the mountain, Master Xuanfeng's opinion of the Liangshan heroes changed drastically. He decided to go down the mountain to persuade Gao Lian, hoping to resolve the feud between them.

Upon seeing Master Xuanfeng return, Gao Lian anxiously asked, "Senior Brother, how did it go?"

Master Xuanfeng sighed and said, "Junior brother, the people of Liangshan are not as wicked as you say. Let's just drop this matter."

Upon hearing this, Gao Lian felt a surge of anger, but he suppressed it outwardly and said helplessly, "Senior brother, since you have said so, then so be it. But I am really feeling very aggrieved."

Master Xuanfeng patted Gao Lian on the shoulder and said, "Junior brother, be forgiving when you can, and don't dwell on hatred anymore."

However, Gao Lian had already been plotting an even more insidious scheme. He secretly courted Gao Ke and plotted in the shadows.

"Gao Ke, this Taoist Xuanfeng has actually been bewitched by those bandits from Liangshan. We must find a way to get him on our side and fight against Liangshan together." Gao Lian's eyes flashed with a vicious light.

Gao Ke echoed, "Sir, whatever you say, I will do as you say."

Gao Lian said in a sinister tone, "We did it this way..."

Gao Lian first sent men to create trouble near Liangshan and rob the people. Then he deliberately left clues related to Liangshan, attempting to frame Liangshan. At the same time, he arranged for people to spread rumors in front of Master Xuanfeng, saying that the people of Liangshan were outwardly benevolent but in fact secretly plotting against Master Xuanfeng.

Master Xuanfeng initially did not believe these rumors, but as similar news continued to come, he could not help but have some doubts.

Just then, Gao Lian personally stepped forward, feigning deep sorrow, and said to Daoist Xuanfeng, "Senior brother, you have been deceived by the people of Liangshan. On the surface, they are being very polite to you, but in reality, they are stalling for time and preparing to secretly attack you."

Master Xuanfeng frowned and said, "Junior brother, you must not easily believe these unfounded words."

Seeing that Master Xuanfeng remained unmoved, Gao Lian decided to use his trump card. He secretly drugged Master Xuanfeng's food, causing him to hallucinate and see the Liangshan heroes drawing their swords against him.

Master Xuanfeng awoke from his hallucination, drenched in cold sweat, and his trust in Liangshan began to waver.

Gao Lian seized the opportunity to say, "Senior brother, look, isn't this their true colors?"

Master Xuanfeng gritted his teeth and said, "The people of Liangshan are so treacherous!"

At this time, Master Xuanfeng had been completely bewitched by Gao Lian and decided to join forces with Gao Lian to deal with Liangshan.

On Liangshan's side, Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and others discovered Gao Lian's conspiracy and decided to take the initiative to explain things to Master Xuanfeng.

When they arrived at where Master Xuanfeng was, he glared at them angrily and said, "You bunch of hypocrites, what else do you have to say!"

Song Jiang quickly said, "Daoist, there must be a misunderstanding here. It is Gao Lian who is causing trouble."

Master Xuanfeng snorted coldly: "Stop making excuses, I'll make you pay today!"

After saying this, Master Xuanfeng brandished his sword, chanting incantations. Instantly, a fierce wind arose, and sand and stones flew everywhere.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the Liangshan heroes drew their weapons and prepared to fight.

Wu Yong shouted, "Brothers, be careful!"

Wu Song rushed forward first, wanting to argue with Master Xuanfeng, but was repelled by a powerful gust of air.

Upon seeing this, Lu Zhishen roared and swung his staff at Master Xuanfeng, but Master Xuanfeng easily dodged it.

Master Xuanfeng's magic grew increasingly powerful; he summoned bolts of lightning and struck down the Liangshan group.

The Liangshan heroes dodged and weaved, creating a chaotic scene.

Song Jiang was extremely anxious and shouted, "Daoist Master, you have been blinded! Do not make another mistake!"

But Master Xuanfeng was not listening to any of this; he only wanted to deliver a heavy blow to the Liangshan group.

Under Master Xuanfeng's fierce attacks, the Liangshan group gradually began to falter.

Just then, Lin Chong discovered a flaw in Xuanfeng Daoist's magic and shouted, "Everyone, concentrate your attacks on his left side!"

Upon hearing this, the Liangshan heroes launched an attack on Master Xuanfeng's left side.

Master Xuanfeng had to distract himself, and the power of his spells was slightly reduced.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wu Yong said, "Daoist Master, please wake up! Don't be used by treacherous people!"

Master Xuanfeng's heart stirred slightly, but he was quickly consumed by hatred.

Seeing this, Gao Lian shouted, "Senior brother, don't hesitate, finish this quickly!"

Master Xuanfeng increased his magical power output again, plunging the Liangshan group into an even more difficult situation.

At this moment, a bird's cry suddenly came from the sky, and a huge divine eagle swooped down and pounced on Master Xuanfeng.

It turned out that Gongsun Sheng had arrived in time and was using his divine eagle to assist the Liangshan people.

Master Xuanfeng's magic was briefly interrupted by the divine eagle.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Liangshan heroes launched a counterattack and engaged in a fierce battle with Master Xuanfeng.

The two sides fought back and forth, neither side gave in, and the battle entered a white-hot stage.

Master Xuanfeng was, after all, highly skilled in magic, and although the Liangshan heroes were brave, they gradually became exhausted.

At this critical moment, Song Jiang stepped forward and said loudly, "Daoist, if you insist on being our enemy, we will both be severely injured. Why not stop for now and find out the truth?"

Master Xuanfeng was taken aback, and his attack slowed down slightly.

Seeing that things were going badly, Gao Lian shouted, "Senior brother, don't believe his sweet talk!"

But at this moment, Master Xuanfeng had begun to calm down. Looking at the exhausted Liangshan people, he couldn't help but feel a little wavering.

Just then, a mysterious old man appeared and said, "Xuanfeng, do not let hatred cloud your judgment and ruin important matters."

Upon seeing the old man, Master Xuanfeng immediately greeted him respectfully, saying, "Master, what brings you here?"

The old man said, "If I hadn't come, wouldn't you have made a grave mistake?"

Under the old man's persuasion, Master Xuanfeng finally put down his sword and said, "That's enough. Let's stop for now and make a decision after we find out the truth."

The Liangshan heroes breathed a sigh of relief, as a fierce conflict was temporarily averted. However, Gao Lian's scheme was far from over, and the Liangshan heroes would soon face new challenges…

After Gao Lian and Daoist Xuanfeng were taken away by the mysterious old man, Gao Ke, Yin Tianxi, and Gao Yanei fled Gaotang Prefecture in great fear, like frightened birds.

The three men ran frantically, their faces pale and their clothes tattered. Gao Ke's usual arrogance was nowhere to be seen; now his hair was disheveled, his face a mixture of sweat and dust, and he panted heavily, glancing back repeatedly, fearing the Liangshan pursuers would catch up in an instant. Yin Tianxi's obese body was now his biggest burden; every step was extremely difficult, he gasped for breath, and cursed incessantly. Gao Yanei, still young, had never experienced such danger before; he was terrified, his legs weak, and he was practically dragged along by Gao Ke.

"Hurry! Hurry up! The Liangshan men are catching up!" Gao Ke roared hoarsely, his voice filled with fear.

Panting heavily, Yin Tianxi shouted, "I...I really can't run anymore. Let them kill me or torture me as they please!"

Gao Ke glared at him fiercely: "If you miss, go die yourself, don't drag us down with you!"

With a sob in his voice, Gao Yanei said, "What are we going to do? Where can we escape to?"

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves and shouts came from behind. "Don't let them get away!" The pursuers from Liangshan were getting closer and closer, their voices echoing through the valley like a death knell.

Gao Ke's heart tightened, and he pulled on Gao Yanei even more desperately, shouting, "Run!"

The three of them ran blindly into a dense forest. Branches tore their clothes and scratched their skin, but they paid no heed, only knowing to rush forward. Gao Ke tripped over a tree root and fell heavily to the ground.

Seeing this, Yin Tianxi stopped and tried to help him up, but then he heard the approaching sounds of pursuers behind him, which frightened him so much that he continued running forward.

"Don't leave me!" Gao Ke cried out in despair.

Gao Yanei turned around, his eyes filled with fear and hesitation, but in the end he still ran back to help Gao Ke up.

The three continued their escape, but the path beneath their feet became increasingly rugged and difficult to traverse. Yin Tianxi stepped into a mud pit and fell in, getting covered in mud.

"Ouch!" he cried out in pain.

Gao Ke and Gao Yanei ignored him and dragged him along as they continued running.

Just then, a turbulent river blocked their path. The water roared and surged, splashing everywhere.

Gao Ke stared at the river, gritted his teeth, and said, "Swim across!"

Yin Tianxi said tremblingly, "I...I can't swim!"

"Then you can just wait to be caught by the Liangshan people!" Gao Ke roared.

Left with no other choice, the three had to grit their teeth and jump into the river. The water was icy cold and the current was swift; they struggled desperately. Gao Yanei was nearly swept away by the current several times, but Gao Ke pulled him back with all his might. Yin Tianxi swallowed several mouthfuls of water and thrashed about frantically.

After finally crossing the river, the three of them climbed ashore, soaking wet and shivering with cold. But they dared not stop and continued running forward.

The pursuers from Liangshan also arrived at the riverbank.

"They've crossed the river, chase them!" a leader shouted.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed along the riverbank, making the three men's hearts leap into their throats.

Gao Ke glanced back and saw that the Liangshan pursuers jumped into the river without hesitation and continued their pursuit.

"It's over, it's over, I'm doomed this time!" Gao Yanei cried out.

"Shut up! It's not the last moment yet!" Gao Ke roared.

The three ran for a while longer and came to a steep hillside. The hillside was covered with thorns and rocks, and was extremely treacherous.

Gao Ke glanced at the hillside, then at the approaching pursuers behind him, and said resolutely, "Climb up!"

Yin Tianxi groaned, "How am I supposed to climb this?"

"Climb if you don't want to die!" Gao Ke grabbed a rock and started climbing.

Helpless, Gao Yanei and Yin Tianxi followed suit and climbed up. Their hands were pierced by thorns, and blood flowed freely, but they couldn't care less about the pain at that moment.

When the pursuers from Liangshan arrived at the foot of the hill, some of them hesitated as they looked at the steep slope.

"Keep chasing! We can't let them get away!" the leader ordered.

Some soldiers dismounted and began climbing the hillside.

Gao Ke and his two companions struggled to climb up the hillside, with rocks constantly rolling down their sides.

"Ah!" Gao Yanei slipped and almost tumbled down, but fortunately Gao Ke caught him in time.

"Be careful!" Gao Ke shouted.

Finally, the three of them reached the top of the hill. But before they could even catch their breath, they found themselves in a vast wilderness with nowhere to hide.

"What...what should we do?" Yin Tianxi said in despair.

Just then, Gao Ke noticed a dilapidated temple in the distance.

“Go there!” Gao Ke said, pointing to the temple.

The three of them ran towards the temple.

The temple gates were tightly shut, and Gao Ke knocked on them forcefully.

"Open the door! Open the door quickly!"

After a while, an old monk opened the door and was surprised to see their disheveled appearance.

"Benefactor, this is..."

"Stop asking questions, let us go inside and hide!" Gao Ke rushed into the temple without saying another word.

The old monk shook his head helplessly and closed the door.

The pursuers from Liangshan arrived in front of the temple. The leader dismounted and walked to the gate.

"Listen up, you people inside! Come out and surrender now, and we might spare your lives!"

Gao Ke and his two companions hid in the temple, not daring to utter a sound.

The old monk said, "Amitabha, please do not commit sins, for Heaven cherishes life."

The leader sneered, "Enough nonsense, hand over the person!"

The old monk put his hands together and said, "A monk does not lie; there is indeed no one in the temple."

The leader hesitated for a moment, then ordered, "Go in and search!"

The soldiers stormed into the temple and searched everywhere.

Gao Ke and the other two hid behind the Buddha statue, their hearts pounding in their throats.

Just then, a rat suddenly scurried by, attracting the soldier's attention. The soldier walked towards the Buddha statue.

Gao Ke gripped his sword tightly, ready to fight to the death.

Just at this critical moment, a thunderclap suddenly sounded in the sky, and a torrential downpour began.

The leader glanced at the rain outside and said, "Let's retreat first, and search again when the rain stops!"

The soldiers left the temple one by one.

Gao Ke and the other two breathed a sigh of relief.

The rain continued until evening.

Under the cover of night, Gao Ke and his two companions quietly left the temple and continued their escape.

After some twists and turns, the three of them finally managed to escape back to Wang Zhiqiang's shop in a sorry state.

Wang Zhiqiang was so surprised by their appearance that he couldn't speak.

"Quick...close the door!" Gao Ke shouted.

Wang Zhiqiang quickly closed the shop door and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Gao Ke collapsed to the ground and recounted their ordeal.

Wang Zhiqiang frowned: "You guys hide here first, I'll go outside and find out what's going on."

The three men were exhausted and had lost their former imposing manner.