Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

"Haha, let alone five or six hundred men, even in the midst of a ten thousand-strong army, when stones are lost and attacks are fierce, I can still fight my way in and out seven times. Brother Yang Lin, do not doubt me."

Although Li Hanxiao laughed wildly, Yang Lin found it unconvincing and instead curled his lip, saying, "Brother Li, are you just spouting nonsense?"

"Don't believe me? Fine, then I'll show you what I've got!"

After saying this with a smile, Li Han took out a three-pointed double-edged sword from behind his back, held it firmly with both hands, and used a move called "Dragon Entering the Water". With a twist of his hands, the entire three-pointed double-edged sword spun like a dragon and flew out, plunging into a large tree next to him with a "thud".

This surprised Yang Lin and Deng Fei. Of the people present, only Guo Sheng had witnessed Li Hanxiao's abilities. Deng Fei knew that they had wiped out the river bandits, but he had never seen Li Hanxiao actually make a move.

Yang Lin was even more surprised, after all, the three-pointed double-edged sword looked to weigh at least forty pounds, but Li Hanxiao threw it casually as if it were nothing!

"Brother Yang Lin, why don't you go and see if you can pull my knife out of the tree trunk?"

Li Han smiled and gestured for Yang Lin to come over. Yang Lin went up and saw that the blade of the three-pointed double-edged sword was completely embedded in the thick trunk of the tree, almost penetrating through it.

That big tree was at least as thick as two people could hug!

That power, that accuracy, that control!

"Hey!"

Yang Lin gripped the hilt of the knife, trying to pull the blade out with force, but after using all his strength, the blade remained stuck in the tree trunk, unmoving.

Although Yang Lin hadn't eaten properly for several days and wasn't at his peak strength, he knew that even if he regained his strength, he probably wouldn't be able to pull it out!

"Brother Yang Lin, get out of the way!"

At this moment, Li Hanxiao walked over, gripped the knife handle with one hand, and with a burst of strength, pulled the knife out with a "whoosh".

"What incredible strength! So Brother Li Er is truly a match for ten thousand men! I'm completely convinced!"

As the saying goes, strength can overcome skill. On the battlefield, a person's strength reflects their fighting ability. Yang Lin was certain that with Li Hanxiao's strength, even the chief of Huangmen Mountain would not be his match.

"Brother Yang Lin, are you now willing to come with me to Huangmen Mountain?"

This time, Yang Lin felt confident and picked up the pen-gun, saying, "With my brother in charge, it's the perfect time to get revenge!"

"Haha, it's not necessarily about revenge, Brother Yang Lin. We're going to raise the flag of rebellion. The more people the better. The four chieftains of Huangmen Mountain are also heroes among men. It would be best if we could subdue them."

Li Han patted Yang Lin on the shoulder. After deciding to go to Huangmen Mountain to subdue the Four Heroes, they stayed at an inn in Xiangyang City for two days. Firstly, Deng Fei still needed to recover from his injuries, and secondly, Yang Lin also needed to recuperate and eat something good to restore his strength. Otherwise, he would be too thin to fight.

Three days later, Yang Lin regained his strength. Although Deng Fei's leg injury had not fully healed, he went to the blacksmith to have an iron chain made and insisted on going with him.

The four then entered the Jing Mountains to search for Huangmen Mountain. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Li Hanxiao surveyed the terrain and remarked, "This place is not good!"

"Brother, do you perhaps possess some skill in observing auras or geomancy? Why is this place, with its beautiful mountains and clear waters, not good?"

"Sai Rengui," Guo Sheng asked curiously.

"Look, although Huangmen Mountain is beautiful, it is surrounded by mountains, and the peaks on both sides are higher than Huangmen Mountain. If we surround Huangmen Mountain and station troops on these two mountains, we can easily see the strength and weakness of Huangmen Mountain."

Li Han smiled and pointed to the two mountains on the left and right. Actually, he was being conservative. If someone were to launch a long-range attack on Huangmen Mountain from those two high mountains, even with catapults, they could hit the target every time and achieve fire suppression.

"Who goes there! State your name!"

Just then, two henchmen wielding long spears emerged from the woods ahead; they were likely Huangmenshan's outposts.

"Li Erlang from Guankou has come to pay his respects and request an audience with the four chieftains!"

"Li Erlang? Never heard of him waiting here!"

Although he had never heard of Li Hanxiao's reputation, one of the underlings still dutifully went to report the news, thinking that this Li Erlang was indeed extraordinary.

However, it seemed that the Four Heroes of Huangmen Mountain had no interest in Li Hanxiao. Before long, the henchman returned, waving his hand arrogantly and saying, "The chieftain is nowhere to be seen! Get out of here! If you don't leave, we'll kill you and we won't bury you!"

"Alright! Then I'll be impolite!"

Li Hanxiao suddenly activated the North Sea Sa Lu Zi sword, wielding two three-pointed double-edged swords. He rushed forward like lightning, knocking the two henchmen unconscious with just the hilts of the swords.

"elder brother!"

The other three were dumbfounded. They had thought Li Hanxiao had some brilliant plan, but now it seemed he was just going to charge straight in!

"Brothers, follow me!"

Li Han laughed as his horse moved swiftly, and with a loud shout, he had already reached the gate of Huangmen Mountain stronghold.

"close the door!"

When the henchmen guarding the mountain saw Li Hanxiao rushing in like a gust of wind, they hurriedly tried to close the gate.

Li Hanxiao gave a whistle, and two figures suddenly appeared in the sky and on the ground. It was the eagle and the hunting dog. In an instant, the speed of the two animals actually surpassed that of Bei Hai Sa Lu Zi. One came from the air and the other from the ground, transforming into a golden light and a black light, rushing straight towards the gate.

The eagle cried out, its sharp claws and beak flashing out, instantly pushing the henchman who was standing on the gate directing the attack down.

The hounds roared and darted through the gap before the gate closed, baring their sharp teeth and scattering the henchmen trying to close it, leaving the gate unable to shut!

"Hi!"

Li Hanxiao directed Beihai Saluzi to leap forward. The steed used its two front hooves to kick open the gate, and like a cloud of purple energy, it rushed into Huangmen Mountain Village.

"Oh my god!"

The other three were dumbfounded. They had only ever heard of the ancient saying, "Taking the head of a general from among ten thousand troops is as easy as taking something out of a bag," but this was the first time they had ever seen it.

Guo Sheng was the first to react, shouting, "Brothers, don't stand there! Follow me!"

So the three of them also raised their weapons and charged into Huangmen Mountain Stronghold.

"Brothers! They've come to our door!"

Li Hanxiao's commotion was quite loud. Upon hearing the noise, the henchmen of Huangmen Mountain swarmed over, and more than a dozen spears thrust forward simultaneously.

Li Hanxiao wielded his three-pointed double-edged sword, and with a "Erlang Slaying the Dragon" move, the sword swept across the silver light like frost and snow falling from the sky, cleanly severing the spearheads of more than a dozen spears.

"Summon your four chieftains out here, or I'll hurt them!"

Li Han smiled as he pointed his knife at the henchmen, as if a god had descended to earth.

"Stop! Who are you?!"

The commotion had already alerted the Four Heroes of Huangmen Mountain, who arrived at the scene armed with weapons.

Li Han smiled and looked at him. The one in the lead, who was burly and tall, with particularly broad shoulders and back, and was holding a large pole knife, should be "Golden Wings of the Clouds" Ou Peng.

The second one was a fair-skinned, scholarly-looking man of short stature. His three wisps of mustache gave him a shrewd look, and he must be the "Master Calculator" Jiang Jing.

The third one was younger, with a pomegranate flower tucked behind his ear, holding two swords in his hands and an iron flute hanging from his waist. He was clearly the "Iron Flute Immortal" Ma Lin.

The fourth one, shirtless, dark-skinned, and short in stature, looks like someone who works the land year-round. He's holding a large iron shovel; it must be Tao Zongwang, the "Nine-Tailed Turtle."

"I am Li Erlang from Guankou, here to pay my respects!"

Li Han smiled, brandishing his three-pointed, double-edged sword, and bowed respectfully from his horse's back.

"Bai Shan, you've clearly invaded my mountain gate!"

"Iron Flute Immortal" Ma Lin was furious, pointing his twin swords at Li Hanxiao, seemingly about to jump down and fight to the death.

Guo Sheng and the other two stayed close to Li Hanxiao, fearing something might happen to her.

"Haha, please forgive my abruptness, but I have indeed come here today with important matters to discuss with the four chieftains. I wonder if we can turn hostility into friendship and have a detailed discussion?"

Ma Lin wanted to say something, but Ou Peng stopped him. He had already figured it out: Li Hanxiao probably didn't mean any harm, he just wanted to hurt people, but he stopped short of killing them. If Li Hanxiao really wanted to kill someone, Huangmen Mountain would have been a river of blood by now.

"Alright, please tell me, what exactly do you want to do at my Huangmen Mountain!"

Ou Peng said loudly.

"Let's make a bet with the four chieftains!"

"Bet? What bet?"

The four heroes of Huangmen Mountain looked at each other, completely bewildered by Li Hanxiao's words.

Did they come all the way to Huangmen Mountain just to make a bet?

“That’s right. I’ll bet all four of you and this whole mountain of men on myself. If I win, you and this whole mountain of men will be under my command. If I lose, this precious horse will belong to the four of you. What do you say?”

No sooner had Li Han finished his joke than "The Mastermind" Jiang Jing sneered, "If we lose, we lose everything, while you only lose a horse. What a clever scheme!"

"Could it be that the legendary Four Heroes of Huangmen Mountain dare not? I've only ever heard people in the martial arts world praise you all the best, but I never expected you to be such cowards!"

Li Han smiled to himself, thinking that among these four people, only Jiang Jing was a failed scholar with some brains. The other three were roughnecks from the martial arts world, extremely impulsive, and the provocation tactic could work.

"Pah! What are we men afraid of? Let's gamble! What are we betting on!"

As expected, Tao Zongwang, who came from a farming background, was furious upon hearing this and immediately agreed.

Ou Peng and Jiang Jing couldn't help but glance at him sideways. Before they could even nod, this burly man had already agreed!

However, at this moment, in front of all the bandits in the mountain, Tao Zongwang, as the fourth chieftain, had already said what he meant, and it was like water spilled; it couldn't be taken back. If they really didn't keep their word, even his own men would probably say that they were untrustworthy.

"Very well! You four are indeed straightforward. In the martial world, there is no first in literature, but there is a second in martial arts. Today, I will wager my skills against the four chieftains. If I lose to any one of them, I will lose. If I win against all four, I will win. How about it?"

Jiang Jing's eyes darted around, and an idea came to him. "Alright! Let's make a bet! But we'll decide what the competition is about!"

Jiang Jing understood that if they were to fight Li Hanxiao, none of the three of them would be a match for him. They had all witnessed Li Hanxiao's abilities just now, and they estimated that only Ou Peng might be able to put up a fight against him.

However, if they decide what to compete in, they will have a huge advantage. He doesn't believe that Li Hanxiao can be good at everything!

"Alright! As you say! However, a gentleman's word is as good as his bond, so the four of us must swear an oath by striking our hands, and if we break it, may we die a horrible death!"

Li Hanxiao didn't think much of it. After all, if they couldn't beat them in their area of ​​expertise, they wouldn't be convinced!

Moreover, although Li Hanxiao was a special forces soldier in his previous life, he has a wide range of skills and is confident that he should not lose to them.

"it is good!"

The four heroes of Huangmen Mountain, thinking they had victory in the bag, came up and gave Li Hanxiao a high-five.

"Okay, who wants to go first? Please give us a question!"

"I'll challenge you! I'll test my strength against you! You dare?"

The first to speak was Tao Zongwang, nicknamed "Nine-Tailed Turtle." He came from a farming family, was quite strong, and was very confident in his strength.

In addition, he noticed that although Li Hanxiao had an extraordinary demeanor, he did not look like a strongman. He had a well-proportioned figure and did not seem like someone with superhuman strength. He wanted to use strength to fight.

"Alright, I'm the guest, you're the host, so please go ahead!"

Li Hanxiao seemed to remember that in the original Water Margin, Tao Zongwang was a civil engineer with mediocre martial arts skills and no great abilities, so he couldn't be that strong either.

"Look at me!"

Tao Zongwang threw down the shovel in his hand and looked around for something heavy. He happened to see a horse-drawn carriage parked on the side.

Although the empty carriage was unloaded, it still weighed at least two hundred pounds. Tao Zongwang went up and, with a shout of "Ah!", lifted the empty carriage up.

Li Hanxiao chuckled to himself. He had thought that Tao Zongwang had made such a big show that he could lift the carriage over his head, but it turned out he could only lift it up. He wasn't that strong!

After consuming the holy water and golden pill of Erlang Shen, he became incredibly strong, capable of lifting the carriage above his head.

"It's your turn!"

Tao Zongwang thought he had won, but Ou Peng shook his head. He had already seen through it. The three-pointed double-edged sword in Li Hanxiao's hand weighed at least forty or fifty pounds. He handled it with ease, and his strength was terrifying. Lifting this empty carriage was no problem for him!

Li Hanxiao stepped forward, assumed a horse stance, and adopted the "Pangu Dragging the Sky" posture, unifying his waist and stance, and exerting force from his shoulders and back. With a shout, the two wheels of the carriage left the ground. Li Hanxiao pushed his body forward, straightened his arms, and lifted the carriage up!

"Ah! This..."

Tao Zongwang was stunned by the scene. He never expected that Li Hanxiao had such strength, able to lift two or three hundred pounds so easily!

"Okay!"

When Guo Sheng and the other two saw Li Han smile like this, they cheered and clapped their hands in delight.

"I refuse to accept this!"

Tao Zongwang watched as Li Hanxiao grabbed the carriage three times in a row, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. Wanting to regain his dignity, he quickly went up, pushed Li Hanxiao aside, and prepared to do the same.

"Fourth brother, a loss is a loss! A real man is a man!"

Ou Peng shouted, and Tao Zongwang was driven away.

Jiang Jingze whispered to Ma Lin, "Brother, in terms of strength and martial arts, I'm afraid neither of us is his match. You're good at music, so compete with him in that area. I don't think he's necessarily knowledgeable in music!"

Ma Lin nodded, put down his twin swords, took out his iron flute, and cupped his hands to Li Hanxiao, saying, "Fourth Brother has lost. I've come to challenge you. I'm known as the Iron Flute Immortal because I'm an expert in music. How about we have a music contest?"

This time, Ma Lin is going to use his strengths to attack the other's weaknesses. He said that the two of them will compose a piece on the spot using the flute and see whose is better.

Clearly, Ma Lin is very confident in his abilities.

Logically speaking, Li Hanxiao is not a musician, so he should be at a disadvantage. But it doesn't matter if he can't compose music, he can just copy. Back in the army, when he first joined, he learned some artistic skills, and he can play the flute.

He still remembered most of the scores from later generations, and could easily play a tune that would crush Ma Lin.