Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 155 Recognizing Aunt and Nephew, One Learns About the World; Questioning the Throne, One Doe

After all, he was a deity who was once imprisoned under Mount Hua. If he didn't value family ties, would he have been imprisoned?

"You came up the mountain just to pay your respects and offer incense? How filial of you. Who is this gentleman?"

The Holy Mother of the Three Kingdoms saw Xu Guanzhong kneeling beside her and asked him a question.

"This junior, Xu Guanzhong, a descendant of Xu Xun, greets Your Majesty!"

"Oh! So you are descendants of Master Xu. Please get up!"

After Li Hanxiao and Xu Guanzhong stood up, Li Hanxiao said respectfully, "Besides paying respects to my aunt, I also wish to visit Master Xiyi on this trip up the mountain..."

This "Master Xiyi" is naturally the Taoist name of the patriarch Chen Tuan.

"Huh? What are you doing going to see this idiot!"

Li Hanxiao never expected that mentioning Chen Tuan would make the Third Holy Mother angry.

This was unexpected. Li Hanxiao had assumed that since the two were neighbors, their relationship might not be so good...

It seems that although everyone calls Chen Tuan "Ancestor," he was actually a highly accomplished immortal during the Five Dynasties and early Song Dynasty. Compared to the Third Holy Mother, he was still a junior among juniors.

Although Chen Tuan, the Taoist master, won Mount Hua in a game of chess with Emperor Taizu of Song and turned Mount Hua into Taoist territory, he shouldn't have had any conflict with the Three Holy Mothers...

“This…Aunt, I was sent by the True Lord to save the people of China. Now that the Song Dynasty is tyrannical, I must overthrow it, restore order to the world, and rebuild the universe. This also requires me to say a word to Master Xiyi…”

Li Hanxiao said cautiously.

After all, everyone knows that the reason why Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, was able to seize the Song Dynasty was because of the protection of the ancestor Chen Tuan, who was the guardian deity of the Song Dynasty.

If Zhao Song doesn't agree to Li Hanxiao's plan to take action, trouble will ensue!

"Hmph, that junior is stubborn and inflexible; he will definitely not agree!"

After the Holy Mother finished speaking, she turned away.

"Please explain the reason, Aunt..."

Li Hanxiao had to figure out what was going on. Was it because the Third Holy Mother had a grudge against him, or because Ancestor Chen Tuan was so obsessed with protecting the Song Dynasty?

The Third Holy Mother turned around, looked at Li Hanxiao, and slowly said, "You are also a disciple of Jade Void, so it's alright to tell you the original story. Please listen to me in detail..."

The Third Holy Mother then told Li Hanxiao the truth, and what she heard shocked her.

Going back in time, this story extends to the end of the "Ten Thousand Immortals Formation" battle in the Investiture of the Gods. To prevent the destruction of the Three Realms, the Taoist Hongjun intervened, and from then on, the sages were forbidden from fighting again.

The defeated Tongtian Sect Leader was taken away by his teacher Hongjun Daoren. Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun went into seclusion. Only Laozi's avatar, Taishang Laojun, was stationed in the Tushita Palace of Heaven. Yuanshi Tianzun arranged for the Antarctic Immortal to take over the position of sect leader. For a long time, the Three Realms were in a period of peace and stability.

Whether they achieved sainthood in the physical body or were deified after death, the disciples of the Chan and Jie sects all found their place in the Heavenly Court. Even those who achieved sainthood in the physical body, such as Nezha, Yang Jian, Lei Zhenzi, and Wei Tuo, either held official positions in the Heavenly Court or had positions in the Western Sect.

However, the two sects continued their infighting and power struggles in the Heavenly Court. The Jie Sect, with its large numbers and influence, gained the upper hand in the struggle under the Jade Emperor's influence.

In the mortal realm, the Great Zhou Dynasty, which lasted for eight hundred years, exclusively honored the Chan Sect, relegating the Jie Sect to the status of a heretical sect. The Tongtian Sect Master followed his master to cultivate, while the Jie Sect's top combatants were either captured, sent to the Heavenly Court, or went to the West, and were relentlessly suppressed by the Chan Sect led by the Antarctic Immortal.

The situation at the time was that although the Chan Sect won the Investiture of the Gods war, it paid a huge price for the victory.

The senior management and elite disciples of the sect collectively defected to the Western sect, greatly weakening its strength. Although it was the winner, the cost of "hurting the enemy a thousand while losing eight hundred of its own" severely damaged the Chan sect, making it difficult to recover its former glory in a short period of time.

The situation of the Jie Sect was even more tragic. The once-glorious disciples of the saints were either dead or had fled, and most of the elites were no longer around.

Moreover, most of its disciples were listed on the Investiture of the Gods or were captured by the Western Sect. A large portion of the Ten Thousand Immortals in the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation died and did not even make it onto the Investiture of the Gods. It was a case of "death, departure, injury, disability, and escape." Those who survived were all controlled by the Heavenly Court and the Western Sect, losing their former freedom and dignity.

It can be said that the influence of the Jie Sect declined sharply after the Investiture of the Gods, to the point that it was practically defunct.

The only group that benefited without suffering any losses was the Western Sect. After reorganizing into Buddhism, they rose to prominence in the post-Investiture of the Gods era. With the addition of Ran Deng, the vice leader of the Chan Sect, and Duo Bao, the senior disciple of the Jie Sect, who became the leader, and with three great masters in the middle management, Buddhism quickly became a powerful force in the prehistoric world.

The Buddhist sect not only rose rapidly in strength, but also gradually expanded in influence. Even the Heavenly Court, which was nominally the ruler of the Three Realms, had to give the Buddhist sect some face.

Later, Buddhism will usher in a period of true prosperity, and its sphere of influence will further expand, making it an indispensable force in the prehistoric world.

The original situation was that the gods should not interfere with the rise and fall of dynasties in the human world. However, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, some reincarnations of disciples of the Chan and Jie sects stirred up trouble in the human world, causing the second Investiture of the Gods war and resulting in the chaos of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

After that, the sages intervened again to stop the situation, and there were basically no more instances of gods interfering in human affairs. During the Han Dynasty, there was even the incident where Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, severely damaging the Heavenly Court. This situation continued until the Tang Dynasty.

The third war of the Investiture of the Gods took place in the early Tang Dynasty. After Xue Rengui returned from his eastern expedition, he was completely integrated into the Wagang faction, which led to the intensification of the conflict between the Wagang faction and the Tang imperial family.

The struggle between Xue Rengui and Zhang Shigui was actually a struggle between the Wagang clique and Li Daozong, a member of the Tang imperial family. Li Daozong planned to eliminate Xue Rengui, a fresh blood in the Wagang clique, to prevent the Wagang clique from growing stronger. However, as a result of the struggle, Li Shimin sacrificed his uncle and made concessions to the Wagang clique, and from then on, he listened to the Wagang clique's every word.

At this time, the Western Fan Hami Kingdom issued a challenge. Marshal Su Baotong of Xiliang, seeking revenge for his family, provoked Xue Rengui to launch a western expedition. During the first siege of Suoyang Pass, Su Baotong killed Qin Huaiyu, the second-generation elite of Wagang, Duke Guo Yuchi Baolin, and Yuchi Baoqing on the battlefield. If it weren't for Wei Tuo's help in the clouds, Yuchi Baohuai would not have survived. Xue Rengui, the White Tiger Star, was defeated and died. His son, Xue Dingshan, who was a disciple of Wang Ao, the Old Ancestor of Guiguzi in the Water Curtain Cave of Yunmeng Mountain, launched a western expedition.

This war eventually transcended the human realm, with deities beginning to join the fray.

The first to use immortal magic was Dou Xiantong, who was originally a disciple of the Yellow Flower Holy Mother and was taught immortal magic. Fan Lihua made a dazzling appearance at Hanjiang Pass. Fan Lihua was a disciple of the Pear Mountain Old Mother and had the ability to move mountains and overturn seas, the skill of turning beans into soldiers, the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, the God-Slaying Whip, the Chaotic Chessboard, the Doppelganger Talisman, the Universe Ring, and all five escape techniques.

Xue Dingshan and Fan Lihua were the golden couple of the Heavenly Court, while Yang Fan was the Five Ghosts of the Heavenly Court. They had entanglements when they were gods, and after descending to the mortal world, they were preordained to be married. However, they had arranged a childhood betrothal with Yang Fan in advance. This love triangle between gods turned into a human tragedy on earth.

After three visits and three invitations to Fan Lihua, the immortals descended to the mortal realm. The Old Man of the South Pole, riding a mount that transformed into the Zhu Ding Xian, set up a fiery array, which was broken by Fan Lihua. The Zhu Ding Xian was then taken away by Xie Yingdeng.

Turning his head, the ancestor set up a flood formation. Fan Lihua killed the evil dragon and broke the formation. The fire dragon and the crab spirit helped Yang Hu, but were killed.

Fan Lihua encountered a wild ox demon who had cultivated for a thousand years. In the end, it was Erlang Shen Yang Jian who subdued him. Zhenwu the Great's tortoise and snake blocked the Tang army, but were captured by Fan Lihua and eventually taken away by people from Wudang Mountain.

Su Baotong was repeatedly defeated by Xue Dingshan and Fan Lihua, and was unwilling to accept it. So he invited many immortals and set up the Golden Light Formation.

Unable to break the formation, Fan Lihua went to find his master, Wang Chan, who instructed him on how to break it. Fan Lihua gave birth inside the formation, thus breaking the Golden Light Formation, and Su Baotong was captured.

Later, he encountered a wild bear spirit and a bull spirit, and ran the Five Dragons Formation. In order to break the Five Dragons Formation, Dou Yihu asked Princess Iron Fan to borrow her magic fan, which is exactly the plot of "Journey to the West".

There's also the story of Qin Han going to the South China Sea to find Guanyin, and fighting with the Good Fortune Boy Red Boy, who helped him break the Five Dragons Formation.

Su Baotong failed repeatedly and was captured again, put in an iron cage and thrown into the sea. With the help of the Dragon King, he escaped and followed his master Li Daofu to Jinshan Xiaoyao Palace to find Jin Bifeng, the leader of the Jie Sect at that time.

Under the instigation of Su Baotong and Li Daofu, the leader of the Jin sect arranged for all the immortals to gather and set up the Immortals Formation at Yulong Pass.

Fan Lihua was no match for him, so the Old Mother of Lishan descended the mountain to prepare for a battle of magic with the immortals.

At this time, the leader of the Golden Wind Sect also came down the mountain and met Huang Mei Da Tong Zi, the attendant of Maitreya Buddha in "Journey to the West", and together they fought against another faction of immortals.

The immortals from the Tang Dynasty include Ancestor Xuanyuan, Ancestor Wang Ao, Ancestor Wang Chan, Elder Zhang, Li Jing, Xie Yingdeng, Sun Bin, Holy Mother of Wudang, Holy Mother of Peach Blossom, Five Immortal Mothers, and Old Mother of Lishan.

When the Yellow-Eyebrowed Boy produced his human seed bag, most of the immortals were trapped inside. Just as the Chan Sect immortals were about to be wiped out, Tang Sanzang returned from his pilgrimage.

At this moment, Sun Wukong shouted, "The Great Sage Equal to Heaven is here! Take my staff!" and stepped forward to rescue the immortals. Huang Mei Tong Zi, who had been beaten and frightened on the journey to the West, ran away immediately. Jin Bi Feng and Li Dao Fu transformed into a golden light and left, having been driven away by Sun Wukong. Thus, this battle of the immortals came to an end.

If the Shang and Zhou dynasties were the first great war of the Investiture of the Gods, and the later battle between Sun Bin and Pang Juan was the second great war of the Investiture of the Gods, then Fan Lihua's expedition to the west is the third great war of the Investiture of the Gods.

This time, Su Baotong sought revenge for his family, triggering a great battle among the gods. This brought out the gods, hermit immortals, Erlang Shen, Sun Wukong, Red Boy, and others from heaven. His revenge failed, which was the will of Heaven, something he couldn't change, so he didn't lose out.

The fourth great war of the gods took place during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang in the novel "The Romance of the Tang Dynasty". The main character was Guo Ziyi, who was the reincarnation of the White Tiger Star, and his great enemy was An Lushan, who was the reincarnation of the Azure Dragon Star.

The actual situation was that Zhang Guolao boasted to Li Longji that he knew Chang'e from the Moon Palace while drinking. Li Longji went to the Moon Palace with Zhang Guolao and saw Chang'e. Li Longji thought Chang'e was too slender, so he wrote a poem, which angered Chang'e, who then complained to the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor then dispatched the Azure Dragon Star to descend to earth and become An Lushan, the White Tiger Star to descend to earth and become Guo Ziyi, and Venus to transform into Li Bai.

This was all caused by the events in the Moon Palace, hence the name: Moon Tang.

After the An Lushan Rebellion ended, the Tang Dynasty fell into a state of fragmentation for more than a hundred years. Predictably, various factions in the immortal realm arranged their own agents to join the struggle for control of the Central Plains and dominate the nine provinces.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, in order to support Zhao Kuangyin, the descendant of the Thunder God, to ascend to the throne, the Heavenly Court appointed the Patriarch Chen Tuan as the overall person in charge and arranged for Guo Wei (the Black Dragon) and Chai Rong (the Little Green Dragon) to serve as intermediaries. Zhao Kuangyin then staged a coup at Chenqiao Post Station, donned the yellow robe, and replaced the Later Zhou Dynasty to establish the Great Song Dynasty.

After the periods of "Zhao Kuangyin's three campaigns against the Southern Tang" and "the Yang family generals' resistance against the Liao", the conflict between the Chan and Jie sects was alleviated, and they gradually merged and integrated into Taoism.

It's important to note that both the Heavenly Court and Taoism want to control the human world. The Heavenly Court is the Heavenly Court, and Taoism is Taoism. The Heavenly Court is the nominal ruler of the Three Realms, while Taoism is the place where the Taoist tradition resides. They are two different forces.

The Chan and Jie sects stopped fighting and became incredibly powerful. The Heavenly Court was about to be suppressed. The Jade Emperor couldn't stand it. To resist the pressure from Taoism, he actively arranged for the Barefoot Immortal to become Emperor Renzong of Song, the Long-Eyebrow Immortal to become Emperor Huizong of Song, and the Wen and Wu Qu Stars to descend to earth as famous ministers such as Bao Zheng and Di Qing.

Finally, the Song Dynasty thus formed a pattern in which the Heavenly Court and Taoism shared the earthly imperial power.

Chen Tuan, the patriarch, was sent down by the Heavenly Court to maintain this order. Do you think he would agree to that?

During this period, Buddhism, which originated from the West, struggled to expand eastward into the Central Plains after a thousand years of planning. Although it was introduced to the East after "Journey to the West" and flourished once, it also experienced the "Tang Wuzong's persecution of Buddhism" and the "Later Zhou Chai Rong's persecution of Buddhism". These two persecutions completely destroyed the effect of Tang Sanzang's journey to the West.

During the reign of Emperor Huizong, the eighth emperor of the Song Dynasty, the "eastward expansion" strategy of Buddhism, which was recovering its vitality, was launched again.

When Emperor Huizong of Song presented tribute to the Jade Emperor, he wrote "Jade Emperor" in the slender gold script, but he made a mistake in the character "大" (great), turning it into "犬" (dog).

Back in the day, in the story of "Journey to the West," the magistrate of Fengxian County overturned the offering table, and the dog ate the offerings for the Jade Emperor. So he ordered that it would not rain in Fengxian County for three years.

The opportunity for Buddhism to spread eastward was that Emperor Huizong of Song disrespected the Jade Emperor, and the Red-Bearded Dragon was reincarnated in the Jurchen Jin Kingdom in the north, preparing to wreak havoc on the Song Dynasty according to the Jade Emperor's will.

At this point, Li Hanxiao roughly understood what was going on, because it involved the content of "The Complete Biography of Yue Fei". Considering the restraint on the Red-Bearded Dragon, if the Jade Emperor punished Emperor Huizong of Song and Jin Wuzhu was completely out of control and completely destroyed the Song Dynasty, the Jade Emperor would also face enormous pressure from Taoism. Therefore, he discussed with the Buddha Tathagata and arranged for the Golden-Winged Roc to descend to the mortal world to protect the Song Dynasty so that it could remain in a corner of Jiangnan.

So, Yue Fei came down. From beginning to end, the Heavenly Court didn't actually want to destroy the Song Dynasty, otherwise they wouldn't have sent Chen Tuan and Yue Fei down.

Therefore, Li Hanxiao didn't need to ask Chen Tuan about his attitude; he could figure it out himself by thinking about it...