Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 163 Nine-Tattooed Dragon Steals Fragrance and Jade, Li Hanxiao Helplessly Arranges Marriage

The current timeline hasn't reached the point where the father and daughter were forced by Prefect He. Instead, Wang Yi was on his way to Huazhou to make a living when they encountered bandits.

His daughter was also very beautiful. Otherwise, in the original story, Prefect He, who was the governor of a prefecture, would not have had any reason to forcibly take Wang Jiaozhi as a concubine. He was the head of the civil officials in the prefecture, and he was not a good person. Would he lack women? If she was not good-looking, he would not have taken a liking to her!

This gave those bandits evil intentions!

At this moment, Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," shouted and charged over. He was riding a tall horse and was a handsome young man with a good physique. He was skilled in martial arts and had a blue dragon embroidery.

At this moment, in the eyes of the father and daughter, it was as if a god had descended to earth, a great savior!

And Wang Jiaozhi, in particular, became infatuated with the blue dragon embroidery on Shi Jin's "Nine-Dragon Tattoo".

After all, at the time, tattoos were not a symbol of being a "socialite," but rather a fashionable and cultural symbol.

For example, the "prodigal son" Yan Qing, as described in the original novel, had "a body as white as snow, covered with embroidered flowers, like soft emeralds spread on jade pavilion pillars. Phoenixes tread on exquisite jade, peacocks dart through scattered flowers. If it were a contest of splendid bodies, no matter who you are, you would lose to him." This wasn't just tattoos; it was a work of art at the time!

Moreover, in the original novel *Water Margin*, there are many heroes with tattoos. Lu Zhishen, the "Flowery Monk," has "flowery embroidery tattooed on his back"; Shi Jin has "a blue dragon tattooed on his body"; Ruan Xiaowu, the "Short-lived Second Brother," has "a lush blue leopard tattooed on his chest"; Yang Xiong, the "Sick Guan Suo," has "a body covered in indigo-like flowery embroidery"; Xie Bao, the "Double-tailed Scorpion," has "two flying yakshas tattooed on his legs"; and Gong Wang, the "Flowery-necked Tiger," has tiger stripes tattooed all over his body and a tiger head on his neck.

In fact, the popularization of tattoos also began in the Tang Dynasty, and it was enjoyed not only by people from the lower classes but also by scholars.

It is said that in the late Tang Dynasty, there was a man named Ge Qing in Jingzhou who was a fanatical fan of Bai Juyi. He had more than thirty of Bai Juyi's poems tattooed on his body from the neck down, along with illustrations.

It is evident that people in the Tang Dynasty did not reject tattoos, which was also related to the founders of the Tang Dynasty. The Li family, the rulers of the Tang Dynasty, were themselves descendants of mixed Xianbei and Han Chinese ancestry.

The establishment of the Tang Empire represented a newly formed nation after a great fusion, both in terms of culture and bloodline.

After the Northern Song Dynasty, tattoos were no longer popular among literati, but they were more popular among people at the bottom of society. For example, in the novel "Water Margin", Li Shishi was the favorite concubine of Emperor Huizong of Song. Her elegant lifestyle was unmatched by ordinary people.

However, she was captivated by Yan Qing's tattoos, which suggests that Yan Qing's embroidered clothes must have been extremely beautiful, demonstrating their popularity at the time, comparable to refined arts such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, tattooing became a very popular and fashionable activity. Many men were proud to have tattoos, and some even went so far as to walk around shirtless in the streets every day after getting tattoos to show off their embroidered bodies.

In addition, Shi Jin himself was good-looking and had a strong and healthy physique, so how could he not be liked by young girls?

Shi Jin took the lead with two slashes, cutting down two bandits. With his skill, killing these guys was easier than eating or drinking. After a few slashes, they were back home.

"Don't be afraid, we..."

After Shi Jin finished dealing with the enemy, he turned around to look at the father and daughter, but was attracted by Wang Jiaozhi's beauty.

Having just been frightened, the girl tripped over her ankle in her moon-white dress and ended up sprawled in the messy grass.

Nevertheless, she was still naturally beautiful. Shi Jin took a closer look and then noticed that she had two dark blue braids hanging behind her ears, with jade beads tied to the ends, which shimmered with light as she breathed heavily.

Perhaps she had been too frightened just now, because two pools of tears were rolling down her slightly puffed cheeks, making the tip of her nose red, like a new apricot in March covered with morning dew.

"Don't be afraid, girl."

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," felt a little suffocated, his heart pounding, but he immediately regretted his rash words.

As the girl looked up, the twilight enveloped her wet eyelashes, and the amber sunset condensed into two trembling glittering beads in her eyes.

She was clearly seventeen years old, yet she had a childlike round jaw. The natural upturn of her lips was made even more vivid by the tear stains. Her fingers, which were gripping the hem of her skirt, were as thin as lotus stems, and her nails were tinged with a pinkish hue like seashells. She had even more natural childlike innocence than the ladies in the paintings.

The more Shi Jin looked, the more his heart felt stirred.

The girl sobbed as she wiped away her tears, causing the silver lilac pendant by her ear to sway wildly, casting dappled light on her neck.

Shi Jin then noticed a small cinnabar mole under her left eye, which appeared and disappeared in her tearful eyes as she sobbed, like rouge that had been accidentally splashed by a painter.

What's most amazing is that despite her petite stature, when she cries, her shoulders tremble like a new lotus in the wind, and her light green shawl ripples in the twilight, making her even more vibrant than the lotus pond in the painting just now.

Shi Jin thought to himself, "Isn't this the kind of woman I like the most?"

Shi Jin was still quite young, and it was normal for a young man to be fond of women, given that he was portrayed as a "romantic young man" in the original work.

After all, in the original story, he had a lover, Li Ruilan, a prostitute in Xiwazi, Dongping Prefecture. Because of her outstanding appearance, she had a close relationship with "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin. When Song Jiang attacked Dongping Prefecture, Shi Jin, trusting Li Ruilan completely, volunteered to go to her house as an inside agent. However, Li Ruilan was afraid of getting into trouble, so she conspired with Li Gong and Qianpo to report to the authorities and send Shi Jin to prison.

Later, Song Jiang attacked Dongping Prefecture and rescued Shi Jin. Li Ruilan's entire family was slaughtered by Shi Jin and his men.

Perhaps it was this experience that made Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Tattooed Dragon," less interested in women, so he never pursued any women again until his death.

However, the girl before him was very attractive to Shi Jin, and he really wanted to marry her...

Just then, Li Hanxiao arrived, and Wang Yi immediately knelt down with his daughter to thank her for saving his life.

"It's alright, you're all fine, so please go."

Upon hearing Li Hanxiao's words, "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin panicked and hurriedly whispered in Li Hanxiao's ear, "Brother, please help me, please help me, leave them here to go with us, I'll thank you in advance..."

Li Hanxiao found Shi Jin's behavior quite strange, but after taking a closer look at Wang Jiaozhi's appearance, he understood what was going on.

So it turns out that "even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman"!

So Li Hanxiao directly revealed his identity: "We are not bandits, but heroes of Liangshan. I am Li Hanxiao. There have been many bandits along the way. I see that you are also here to do business. I will provide you with food and drink, how about five hundred taels of silver a year?"

"Five hundred taels! What does Chief Li want me to draw?"

Wang Yi was shocked. Even if he saved money for three lifetimes, he couldn't save up five hundred taels of silver.

"Don't worry about that for now. The point is to get you to draw something. Are you willing to bring your daughter up the mountain?"

Li Han smiled to himself, thinking that this was the Northwest, and Liangshan Marsh's influence was not strong. It was unlikely that Wang Yi knew they were chivalrous people, and he probably wouldn't agree.

"Yes, yes! I've long admired Chief Li's chivalrous reputation!"

However, he overlooked one thing: Wang Yi was originally from Daming Prefecture in Beijing, which was not far from Liangshan Marsh, and had heard of Liangshan's reputation.

For Wang Yi, a mere painter who was so poor that he couldn't even support his daughter, joining Liangshan meant no worries about food and clothing, and even five hundred taels of silver a year—this was an incredible stroke of luck!

"Alright, in that case, come with us!"

Li Han smiled and waved his hand, signaling everyone to take the father and daughter with them. Shi Jin secretly bowed and thanked them.

As the army marched, night fell, and Li Hanxiao gave the order to set up camp.

The moonlight, like a veil, enveloped the mountains and forests, while the campfire illuminated the blue dragon tattoo on the chest of "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin, making it appear and disappear.

He adjusted his posture for the fifth time, looking at Yu Jiaozhi who was cooking porridge three zhang away, trying his best to make himself look more handsome. When Wang Jiaozhi stirred the wooden spoon with her delicate hands, the silver bell on her wrist jingled, as if striking his heart.

Especially when he discovered that Wang Jiaozhi was also secretly watching him, Shi Jin, the "Nine-Tattooed Dragon," was so happy that he was practically trembling with joy!

"Brother Shi, you must have sweated three pounds to get this bowl of porridge."

Zhu Wu, the "divine strategist," was fanning himself with a palm leaf fan and chuckling to cool off when Li Hanxiao stopped him from speaking with a glare.

The chieftain took a wine pouch from his waist and tossed it over: "It's a chilly spring night, please warm yourself up, Brother Wang."

Wang Yi hurriedly bowed and thanked him, but when he tilted his head back to drink, a few drops of wine spilled onto his clothes.

Yu Jiaozhi gasped softly, taking out her handkerchief to wipe herself, but her father hurriedly pushed her away: "Don't soil the young lady's handkerchief."

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," clearly saw that the plain handkerchief with a blue lotus embroidered on the corner was being handed to the old man as a towel.

"Brother Wang, your painting skills are truly remarkable."

Li Hanxiao suddenly spoke, his fingertips brushing across the unfolded "Pilgrimage to the Western Peak" painting. Among the ink-wash mountains, one could vaguely see immortals riding cranes, the brushstrokes exquisitely detailed. "I've heard that the Xiangguo Temple in Bianjing is repainting the Five Hundred Arhats mural. If we could have your skillful hand..."

This painting was something Wang Yi always carried with him. Li Hanxiao had only a basic understanding of calligraphy and painting, but Zhu Wu, the "Divine Strategist," was an expert and found it truly remarkable.

Li Han smiled to himself, thinking that if he were asked to draw blueprints for him...

Wang Yi's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up: "Does the chieftain know the abbot of Xiangguo Temple?"

Before he could finish speaking, he slumped down, head bowed: "This old man is but a lowly painter, how dare I hope for..."

"Father!"

Yu Jiaozhi hurriedly interrupted, the wooden spoon in her hand clanging against the earthenware pot.

Li Han smiled slightly and said, "We at Liangshanbo have our uses for you, so don't underestimate yourself. Could you try drawing something for me every day?"

Wang Yi spread his hands and said, "This old man didn't bring any ink, inkstone, or dye..."

Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Dragon," suddenly stood up, his three-pointed, double-edged sword drawing a silver arc in the moonlight: "Tomorrow I'll pass through Qingfeng Town on my journey; I'll go find some ink and pigments."

When Yu Jiaozhi looked up, she met the boy's burning gaze. She hurriedly lowered her head, but the tips of her ears were tinged with the sunset glow.

Li Han clapped his hands and laughed: "Excellent! Zhu Wu, take twenty taels of silver and give it to Brother Shi."

Turning to Wang Yi, he said, "When we arrive at the mountain stronghold, would your daughter be willing to do some work for the stronghold? We'll give her some money then."

Wang Yi immediately nodded and said, "Of course, my daughter can do laundry, cook, and mend clothes..."

That night, the mountain wind carried the cuckoo's song.

As Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Tattooed Dragon," circled outside his tent for the third time, clutching a fine rouge box he'd looted from Shaohua Mountain, a clear, melodious voice came from inside: "Is that Brother Shi Jin? It's chilly in the middle of the night, why don't you come in and talk?"

Because daughters are expected to stay away from their fathers as they grow up, Wang Yi and Wang Jiaozhi each had their own tent. At this moment, Wang Jiaozhi was alone inside...

The curtain was lifted slightly, and Yu Jiaozhi stood before him, bathed in moonlight. Shi Jin's Adam's apple bobbed, and his hand, which was handing over the rouge, trembled slightly.

"Hey girl, this is for you!"

The woman's slender fingers traced the red silk wrapped around the rouge box. She opened the box, carefully tasted a little, examined the color, and suddenly exclaimed, "This color... it's excellent dye..."

Yu Jiaozhi suddenly looked up and saw Shi Jin covered in sweat, and said, "Brother Shi Jin, why don't you wipe your sweat?"

As she spoke, she untied a handkerchief from her waist, its light blue tassel brushing against Shi Jin's palm. "Use this."

The moment the subtle fragrance wafted over, Shi Jin caught a glimpse of a pale red mole on the inside of her wrist. His blood rushed to his head, and by the time he came to his senses, he had already grasped her soft hand in his palm.

"My dear girl, I swear on my life, I will marry no one but you in this lifetime..."

Shi Jin's voice was hoarse from anxiety. He threw the three-pointed double-edged sword out of the tent, where it slammed into the yellow earth with a clang.

Yu Jiaozhi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she suddenly tiptoed and gently kissed the blue dragon tattoo on his neck.

At that very moment, Wang Yi was drinking with Li Hanxiao in the tent, the old man completely drunk from the strong liquor of Liangshanbo.

Unbeknownst to him, his daughter and Shi Jin were currently in the same tent, their silhouettes gradually overlapping, leading to a consummation of their union...

At dawn the next day, Wang Yi's wailing startled the birds roosting in the forest.

"What a terrible thing!"

He clutched half of the torn skirt, its surface speckled with glaring bloodstains.

Yu Jiaozhi knelt on the grass, with a wooden phoenix carved by Shi Jin still tucked in her hair. Her face was freshly painted with the rouge Shi Jin had given her yesterday, and she was still wearing Shi Jin's clothes.

Shi Jin, the "sinner" and "Nine-Dragoned Man," stood awkwardly to the side, like a child who had made a mistake.

Now all the leaders have come to watch the spectacle, and anyone with eyes can see what's going on...

"Shi Dalang, you're something else!"

"Iron-haired Lehe" gave a thumbs up.

"The rules of this bandit gang don't allow pushing or pressing, and what you're doing..."

Yang Zhi couldn't help but say, "Blue-faced Beast."

"Father-in-law, please calm down."

Li Hanxiao helped the weeping Wang Yi to his feet. "Brother Shi swore to Miss Wang last night that a man's word is his bond, and if he were to betray your daughter, may he be struck by lightning. How about I act as matchmaker and help them be together?"

Before he finished speaking, a cold light flashed, and bloodstains appeared on the left arm of "Nine-Dragon" Shi Jin. He cut his arm and swore an oath of blood to express his sincerity.