Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Li Hanxiao's three-pointed double-edged knife has a three-pronged blade at the front and two blades on both sides. The three-pronged knife can be used for locking and shoveling, which makes its technique unique. At this moment, although he is fighting two against one, he is not at a disadvantage. The three-pointed knife can be seen slashing, stirring, rushing, stabbing, lifting, pointing, striking, throwing, entangling, circling, deflecting and blocking. There are streaks of cold light, like a thousand auspicious snowflakes. The silver threads on the blade reflect light from all directions as the blade dances. For a moment, the whole courtyard is full of light and color, and auspicious energy flows.

The two burly men were overwhelmed by the dense barrage of blades, their weapons sparking as Li Hanxiao slashed at them, forcing them to retreat repeatedly.

Li Hanxiao immediately realized during their exchange that these three men were mediocre in martial arts, lacking any sophisticated techniques. On the contrary, their strength was indeed remarkable. If the three of them were to launch a fierce attack on him, it would be like "rocks piercing the sky and waves crashing against the shore," and he would not be able to withstand it no matter what.

Therefore, he first quickly broke through their defenses, eliminating one of them, and then launched a rapid attack, using speed to suppress the remaining two, leaving them no chance to retaliate.

Li Hanxiao's side was in a one-sided situation, while Lin Chong's side was engaged in fierce fighting.

Lin Chong's spear clashed with his opponent's, the two spears intertwining. The man's iron spear weighed at least thirty or forty pounds and was quite heavy. Lin Chong secretly admired the man's martial arts skills and strength.

However, Lin Chong was ultimately more skilled. After exchanging more than twenty moves, he gradually found the flaw in the man's spear technique. As the saying goes, "the spear is the thief of all weapons," it is a weapon that requires a lot of skill and finesse.

However, the man's spear technique was wide-ranging and extremely fierce, resembling a powerful spear. Every move he made revealed too many flaws. Although his strength could compensate for some of these flaws, some of them were still too large to ignore.

Lin Chong seized the opportunity, fired a few feints, turned and ran towards the wall.

The man was overjoyed to see Lin Chong retreat on his own initiative. After all, if he could defeat the famous "Leopard Head" Lin Chong, he would be able to hold his head high and make a name for himself. How could he let go of such a good opportunity? He raised his spear and strode after him.

Just as Lin Chong was about to hit the wall, he suddenly leaped up, his feet landing on the wall. He actually took a few steps up the wall, using his lightness skill to leap and jump. At the same time, he pushed off the wall with both feet and flew backward. With a skillful "Dragon Turn" spear technique, he aimed straight for the man's heart.

The man with the iron spear was startled. He had been chasing too closely and hadn't expected Lin Chong to have this skill. The distance was too close, and there was no way to avoid it. He wanted to raise his iron spear to block, but the big iron spear was too heavy and he didn't have time. Lin Chong's spear was like a swimming dragon, directly bypassing the obstacle and hitting him squarely on the Tanzhong acupoint in his chest!

The Tanzhong acupoint is a fatal point in the human body. Even a slight blow can cause a person's vital energy to dissipate. The man was stabbed and flew more than five feet away before falling to the ground.

"Cough cough! Am I alright?"

After the man fell to the ground, he quickly clutched his chest and got up. That shot should have killed him instantly; how come he was only injured?

He looked at Lin Chong, who was pointing the butt of the spear at him, not the tip. Lin Chong had not wanted to kill him, so he had only used the butt of the spear to stab his Tanzhong acupoint, not the spearhead. Otherwise, the man would have been dead by now!

"Thank you, Coach Lin. Cough cough, please go easy on me!"

Knowing that Lin Chong had shown mercy, the man immediately bowed and thanked Lin Chong.

Meanwhile, Li Hanxiao also finished his battle. He first used his three-pointed knife to knock away one of the men's iron rods, and then kicked the unarmed man in the chin with a powerful upward kick, causing him to fall backward.

He then leaned back, and the hilt of the three-pointed double-edged sword pierced the "Jiquan" acupoint under the left armpit of the man who was holding the board door knife. This is an acupoint of the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian. After being pierced forcefully, the man's left hand immediately became numb, swollen and painful, and he could not exert any strength.

Li Hanxiao delivered another double kick in mid-air, knocking the man to the ground and ending the fight.

The other villagers present, witnessing such a victory, all turned pale and remained silent, not daring to utter a sound.

These four men were all highly skilled fighters who had joined Chai Jin's ranks. Their martial arts were among the best of the villagers, but they were all defeated, which made them afraid to go forward again.

Especially Li Hanxiao, who defeated three people by himself, his strength is truly terrifying.

The doorkeeper felt a chill in his heart. In truth, these four were no longer second-tier players, but first-tier players. They had only just been summoned here. If even they couldn't win, the others had even less of a chance...

But the doorman seemed to suddenly remember something, rushed into another courtyard, and soon dragged out a big man.

The burly man was covered in soot and ash, his face smeared with soot, clearly having just been warming himself by the fire. He had a broad chest, a towering eight-foot frame, and a dignified appearance. His eyes shone like cold stars, and his eyebrows were thick and dark. However, his complexion was poor, with a sallow hue, suggesting he was ill.

"I'm freezing! What do you want me to do?"

The man said with dissatisfaction.

"Go ahead and fight. If you win, I'll vouch for you in front of the magistrate, treat you like an honored guest, and never pursue the matter of you assaulting someone while drunk!"

That man said, pushing and pulling at the same time.

"What kind of jerk is this, telling me to do it myself?"

As the burly man spoke, he looked around and frowned when he saw that the four men were all injured.

"Besides you, I'm afraid no one in the whole village can beat them. This is the master's order, to teach them a lesson. If we can't win, our village will lose all face. Go, go quickly!"

The doorman pushed the big man forward. Li Hanxiao and Lin Chong saw that he was indeed a hero. Although the big man was still coughing and seemed to be sick, his body was still as strong as if it had been cast in bronze and iron.

"Those two are it? Come at me together, Master, I'm not afraid!"

The burly man glanced at Li Hanxiao and the other man, stepped on the octagonal iron rod on the ground, rubbed it with his foot, and kicked it. The rod flew up on its own, and he caught it steadily in mid-air.

Li Han smiled as he looked at the man in front of him. He was sick, yet he seemed like a god descended from heaven. At this point in time, there was actually a person in his mind who could match this man.

So Li Han smiled and asked, "What is your honorable name, sir?"

"I have no name or surname, so hit me if you want!"

After speaking, the man brandished his iron rod, performed a "Luohan Koutou" (a type of Buddhist bowing) and unleashed an extremely powerful Shaolin staff technique, striking Li Hanxiao with it.

Li Hanxiao immediately saw the trick: it looked like the person was swinging the stick at him, but the force was all at the tip of the stick. It wasn't hitting, it was striking!

The saying goes, "A gun fears a shake of the head, a stick fears a single point." The greatest destructive power comes from breaking through the surface by focusing on a single point and releasing force suddenly at that one point.

Li Hanxiao could have dodged, but he wanted to confirm his guess and see if this person was really the one he thought he was. So, with a "mountain-carrying-the-sun" move, he went straight at the blow and took the hit head-on.

The explosion caused by the clash of weapons was like the roar of a tiger, making everyone present's eardrums vibrate!

Li Hanxiao took two steps back, and the brick he was stepping on broke because of the force of the blow, which showed how powerful the opponent's blow was.

Lin Chong could also see that the force of his opponent's blow was probably very strong. The four men before had already shown great strength, but compared to this big man, it was like the difference between an amateur and a boxing champion like Mike Tyson!

"It sure is him!"

Li Hanxiao exhaled a breath of stale air and whispered.

He guessed right; only that person could unleash such force.

In that case, he can't afford to lose!

The moment Li Hanxiao paused, the opponent's iron rod came down in quick succession. The rod was too heavy, so Li Hanxiao had to guard the center with his knife and not swing it lightly.

Because the three-pointed double-edged sword has a heavy blade and a large leverage torque, once the center gate is lost and the counterattack is slow, it becomes very difficult to defend against the opponent once they break through the center gate.

While defending himself, Li Hanxiao tried to find a way to break the deadlock. So he kicked out with a "leg-cutting kick" to try to distract the other person and turn the tide.

But Li Hanxiao regretted it the moment he kicked out!

Because he was showing off his limited skills, and his opponent's lower body technique was also ridiculously good!

Seeing Li Han laugh and launch a leg attack, the man also kicked out, resulting in a leg-to-leg exchange!

The difference in strength became apparent when they faced off. Li Hanxiao almost fell to the ground due to the recoil. In terms of leg techniques, he couldn't compare to this person.

Li Hanxiao swayed, and the man took the initiative to attack, sweeping the large stick across Li Hanxiao's scalp with a "rub," making the onlookers' hearts jump with fear.

Li Han steadied himself. Although he had lost the advantage in the foot strike, the other man's stick technique had indeed slowed down due to distraction.

Li Hanxiao seized the opportunity, raised the three-pointed knife upwards with one hand, and used the other blade to strike the man's wrist from below, a move known as "cutting flesh to heal a relative".

The man hurriedly retreated to avoid the attack. Li Hanxiao immediately lowered his body and, after slashing, immediately withdrew his hand and used the outer tip of the blade to drag and cut the man's leg. This move is called "Dragging Nine Oxen Backwards".

The angles of these two strikes were tricky and strange. The big man was almost hit and had to retreat several steps. Li Hanxiao took the opportunity to close in, and after receiving a slash, he lowered his body and slashed at his opponent's knee, using a low-level fighting style.

The burly man was initially able to handle the situation with ease, but he seemed to be ill and weak, so he was slower at dodging. After a while, he was sweating profusely, and his strength gradually diminished compared to when he first started fighting.

Seeing this, Li Hanxiao slashed eight times with his sword. The big man raised his iron rod to block, and Li Hanxiao took the opportunity to use the sword rod to support himself on the ground and did a "pole vault" to jump into the air. Using the momentum of his fall, he used the move "Splitting the Mountain to Save Mother".

This leap was nearly two meters high, and the force of the slash that came down was extraordinary!

The man swung his iron rod to block, and the iron rod was actually cut off by the three-pointed sword. After all, this three-pointed double-edged sword was a celestial treasure passed down by Erlang Shen, and it was not comparable to ordinary iron.

With this strike, the man couldn't withstand the force, and the iron rod slipped from his hand!

At the critical moment, Li Hanxiao's three-pointed double-edged sword came to a steady stop, only a hair's breadth away from the man's head.

"Stop fighting! Stop fighting! This brother is crazy! Li Erlang's victory was dishonorable! It's a disgrace!"

Li Hanxiao abruptly withdrew his sword and bowed respectfully.

The man fought for a while, then coughed violently, "Cough cough cough, I lost... I lost... If I didn't have this damn illness, I really wanted to fight you to the death..."

After saying this, the big man, having exerted too much force, suddenly lost his strength and fell backward.

"Ugh!"

Li Hanxiao and Lin Chong rushed forward and hurriedly helped the man up.

Who is this person? He is not an outsider. This person is from Qinghe County. His surname is Wu, his given name is Song, and he is the second son in his family. He is known as Wu Erlang.

He had caused trouble while drinking in his hometown and injured someone, claiming he had killed him. So he fled to Chai Jin's village and lived there for more than half a year.

However, he did not have a good time in the past six months. When he first came to seek refuge with Chai Jin, Chai Jin saw him as a good man and treated him with great hospitality.

Later at the manor, Wu Song, known for his poor drinking manners, became hot-tempered when drunk, and some of the manor servants were not properly supervised, so he wanted to punch them.

Therefore, none of the servants in the entire estate spoke well of him; everyone disliked him and went to Chai Jin to tell him many of his faults.

Although Chai Jin didn't drive him away, he treated him slowly. Wu Song had been in a bad mood lately, and with everyone ostracizing him, he ate some unclean food and caught a cold, which resulted in him contracting malaria and falling ill.

Although Chai Jin hired a doctor for him, he did not send anyone to take care of him. The servants bullied Wu Song one by one, and Wu Song's illness kept recurring and never got better. Wu Song, a good man, was bullied and had to bow his head under the low eaves. He wanted to beat them up, but he was too sick to do so. He was suffering terribly.

He fought today despite being ill, hoping to earn some face for Chai Jin and make Chai Jin treat him differently so that he could find a better doctor to cure his illness. Once he was cured, he would not want to stay here for a moment longer. He would rather go back to his hometown in Qinghe County to find his brother. Even if he got into trouble with the law, it would be a hundred times better than living a life of subservience here.

Wu Song has just finished another tiring battle, and he was already ill. Malaria is a chronic disease that depletes one's vital energy, and Wu Song has now exhausted his energy, so his condition has worsened.

"Is there a doctor in the village? Please bring him here immediately!"

Li Han smiled and asked the surrounding servants, but none of them, who usually didn't get along with Wu Song, answered him. They all just looked at Wu Song and secretly mocked him.

Only the four men who had just been defeated by Li Hanxiao and Lin Chong came over and helped Wu Song up. Seeing the cold indifference of those around him, Li Hanxiao angrily cursed the surrounding servants, "People say that Master Chai Jin of Cangzhou in Henghai County is a place that welcomes guests from all over the world, a place of warm-heartedness and righteousness. I never expected that such a hero would fall ill and you would all stand by and watch, not caring about his life or death. You are truly heartless and treacherous! I, Li Hanxiao, have made a mistake coming here today! Instructor Lin, come on, the four of you help him up. No one in this manor will take care of him. We will take him to see a doctor ourselves and leave this heartless and unjust place!"