Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 137 Innate Pure Qi Heals External Injuries, Traveling to Shangdang to Visit Heroes

Xu Guanzhong was deeply ashamed and said, "I'm so ashamed. I don't know what happened either. Chief Li, what do you think?"

After moving his hands and feet, Li Hanxiao said, "It seems that this pure energy has opened up my eight extraordinary meridians, and I feel quite comfortable with it..."

Xu Guanzhong nodded. "The three volumes of the Heavenly Book are, after all, spiritual treasures of heaven and earth. If they are transformed into this pure energy and enter the body, it should be beneficial and harmless. You can start practicing the method that Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun just taught to Chief Li to refine the pure energy of the three volumes of the Heavenly Book for your own use."

"This place is spacious. I will perform the hair-protecting ritual for Chief Li. You can follow the method yourself, circulating your Qi throughout your body. Chief Li may wish to use the Ren and Du meridians as the pivot, dividing the pure Qi into thirty-six Heavenly Generals..."

Xu Guanzhong gave Li Hanxiao some pointers, and Li Hanxiao nodded. They then rested there for the time being. Li Hanxiao sat cross-legged on the ground and began to cultivate the Great Celestial Immortal Technique, following the cultivation method in his mind.

This training session lasted another day. It wasn't that they were deliberately slowing down the journey, but rather that the previous dangers had left everyone exhausted. Moreover, Ling Zhen was still not fully recovered and couldn't continue the journey, so they had to rest for a day.

As the setting sun dyed the foothills of the Taihang Mountains crimson gold, the pure energy held in Li Hanxiao's palm had condensed together. This Dao embryo, formed from innate Qi, was absorbing starlight, and the faint patterns of the Hetu and Luoshu could be seen flowing within its body.

He had already mastered the basic techniques of the Great Celestial Immortal Technique. Under the guidance of Xu Guanzhong, he channeled the pure energy from the three volumes of the Heavenly Book into his limbs and bones, which he found quite beneficial.

"How is Chief Li feeling now?"

Xu Guanzhong asked.

Li Hanxiao stretched his muscles and bones, then suddenly drew his fingers towards the cliff to the left. The three-pointed double-edged sword was drawn in response, and the blade's clear energy surged three zhang, carving the four powerful characters "Acting on behalf of Heaven" into the granite.

In the past, he would never have had such strength, but now, with the support of the Great Celestial Immortal Technique and the Pure Qi, his physical functions have probably surpassed the limits of humanity!

"What superb swordsmanship!"

Wang Yin, Si Xingfang, and the others were utterly amazed. They had all witnessed the divine manifestation of Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun before, and Li Hanxiao addressed him as "Master." Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun acknowledged Li Hanxiao as his disciple and stated that he was his only disciple...

After all that fuss, it turns out their own chieftain is a disciple of a deity! At this moment, their awe of Li Hanxiao only increased.

"Chief Li, this can be considered a success!"

Xu Guanzhong nodded as he looked at Li Hanxiao's condition. It seemed that Li Hanxiao had also attained cultivation, but he did not use incantations or talismans to unleash his skills. Instead, he could only transform them into bodily functions and unleash them in the simplest way.

This is understandable, because although Li Hanxiao is a disciple of Suan Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun, he is not a cultivator and has not entered the Jade Void Palace, so he cannot possess the magical power of a god.

There is a fundamental difference between cultivators and kings and generals who fight for supremacy in the mortal world. Li Hanxiao is not a cultivator, and Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun has already been very biased towards Li Hanxiao, giving him the power to protect himself and allowing him to cultivate a part of the Great Grade Celestial Immortal Technique. This is an extremely high-level technique that even ordinary immortals do not know.

Li Han laughed, saying that he now represented the fortune of "human beings." If he could not influence the general trend of the world with human power, then heaven might send down something else, because the power was unbalanced.

This has always been the case. Sun Bin and Pang Juan, Zhang Yi and Gongsun Yan, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, Li Yuanba and Luo Shixin, and so on. Whoever is too strong, God will surely send down an equal opponent.

At this stage, Li Hanxiao is capable of handling everything, except that he has no way to resist the methods of those Xuanmen sects. It's easy, firstly, he can find someone knowledgeable to help him, so Xu Guanzhong found Li Hanxiao.

Considering the greater good of the world, the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden gave Li Hanxiao three volumes of the Heavenly Book, and Erlang Shen gave him the Great Celestial Immortal Technique and his own Three-Pointed Double Blade, thus enabling Li Hanxiao to protect himself and resist.

In comparison, that's enough; after all, too much of a good thing can be bad.

"Chief Li, I am quite ashamed this time for causing such a big mess. However, I have also learned that Chief Li is the chosen one, an unparalleled hero. Please, Chief Li, keep me by your side and assist me."

Xu Guanzhong knelt on one knee and then explained his purpose.

"Mr. Xu, please rise. With your help, it would be wonderful. Please rise! We are on our way to rescue a friend, and with your assistance, our chances of success are surely much greater!"

Li Hanxiao understood that Xu Guanzhong's role was no less important than that of "Dragon Entering the Clouds" Gongsun Sheng, and might even be stronger.

After all, Xu Guanzhong's magic is far more powerful than that of "Entering the Clouds Dragon" Gongsun Sheng. He can use thunder magic, which is considered a high-level magic in Taoism. The current "Entering the Clouds Dragon" Gongsun Sheng has not yet received the "Heavenly Gang Five Thunder Orthodox Method" taught by his master, Luo Zhenren, so his combat power is relatively limited. It is estimated that he would have a hard time defeating people like Gao Lian, "Illusionary Demon Lord" Qiao Daoqing, and "Mischievous Demon King" Fan Rui from the original work.

Although Xu Guanzhong was truly helpless when facing the Nine-Tailed Fox Fairy of the Jie Sect, it was not his fault, because the difference in strength was too great.

Don't be fooled by how badly this old fox was beaten by Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun. After all, he was a disciple of Tongtian Jiaozhu and a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. He has tens of thousands of years of cultivation. How many years has Xu Guanzhong cultivated?

Moreover, Xu Guanzhong is also outstanding in other areas. He is proficient in various languages, knows the classics, history, philosophy, and literature, and is well-versed in military strategy and tactics. In addition, he is highly skilled in martial arts. Back then, he won the martial arts examination and became the top martial arts scholar in that examination. His martial arts prowess is not to be underestimated!

Although Gongsun Sheng, nicknamed "Dragon Entering the Clouds," had defeated more than a dozen servants of Chao Gai's manor, nicknamed "Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King," he was still much weaker than Xu Guanzhong, the martial arts champion.

"Mr. Xu, we're all family now. Brother Ling Zhen was injured by the golden-armored deity you summoned, but he's alright now. Go and save him!"

Li Han smiled and said.

“Alright, but the chieftain can also try to save him. The chieftain is now a person with magical power and innate pure energy, which can heal injuries. Why not give it a try? It can also strengthen your control over your magical power.”

Xu Guanzhong also wanted Li Hanxiao to strike while the iron was hot and consolidate the gains. Hearing what Xu Guanzhong said, Li Hanxiao realized that what he said made sense. So Li Hanxiao stood up and went to check on Ling Zhen's injuries.

At this moment, Duan Jingzhu, the "Golden Retriever," was taking care of Ling Zhen, the "Thunderbolt." Ling Zhen had previously been whipped on the back by a golden-armored god, causing him to vomit blood. When Li Hanxiao took off his clothes, he saw that his back was covered with bruises and blood, indicating that he had internal injuries.

"You sir, you went a bit too far!"

"Desperate Saburo" Shi Xiu looked at Xu Guanzhong and couldn't help but say "I love you."

Xu Guanzhong remained silent. For Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," and the others, what he had done had indeed put them in danger. However, if he didn't do this, it seemed he wouldn't be able to uncover Li Hanxiao's true intentions...

But ultimately, it was Xu Guanzhong who started it all. Thinking of this, Xu Guanzhong lost the desire to talk back and simply shut his mouth.

"what should I do?"

Li Hanxiao arranged Ling Zhen, who was sitting cross-legged, in front of him. He himself also sat cross-legged on the ground and circulated his Qi according to the Great Celestial Immortal Technique. He immediately felt all seventy-two acupoints in his body tremble at the same time. The pure Qi and power in his body rushed straight to his fingertips along the meridians. However, he still did not know what he should do now.

"Chief Li, simply channel your power into this brother's veins!"

In fact, Xu Guanzhong knew Taoist arts, so how could he not see that nine out of ten of the twelve people who came with Li Hanxiao were Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends? They were all star deities sent down from heaven. Before their mission was completed, they would naturally be blessed by heaven and nothing serious would happen. Otherwise, he would not have been able to invite the golden-armored deity out.

(As for the death of "White-faced Gentleman" Zheng Tianshou, since the predetermined ending of the gathering of 108 heroes was changed by Li Hanxiao, his existence was useless, so he could be killed and returned to his position ahead of time...)

Following Xu Guanzhong's instructions, Li Hanxiao channeled his power into the major acupoints of Ling Zhen, the "Thunderbolt."

While unconscious, Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," suddenly convulsed violently the moment the power entered his body, his body trembling uncontrollably as he was enveloped by the pure energy.

Suddenly, Ling Zhen, known as "Thunderbolt," spat out black blood, which was considered to have forced out the stagnant blood in his internal organs. All done!

"Thank you so much, Chieftain..."

After Li Hanxiao channeled his power and forced out the stagnant blood, Ling Zhen, wielding the "Thunderclap," instantly regained consciousness. He weakly propped himself up and felt that the flow of qi and blood within his body was even smoother than before he was injured...

"call!"

As Li Hanxiao guided his Qi back to its origin, he indeed discovered that he seemed to have a stronger control over these powers and true Qi...

It seems I should practice more in the future. If I had the chance to unleash this power, wouldn't I be invincible?

With Ling Zhen, nicknamed "Thunderbolt," having recovered and with the help of Xu Guanzhong, nicknamed "True Lord Xu," Li Hanxiao felt that his chances of rescuing Shi Jin, nicknamed "Nine-Tattooed Dragon," were much greater. So the group set off again, preparing to leave the Taihang Mountains, head straight for the Shangdang region, and pass through Huguan to enter Shanxi.

The ancient Shangdang region included four prefectures: Ze, Lu, Liao, and Qin, which are now Changzhi City, Jincheng City, Yushe, Zuoquan, and Heshun counties in Jinzhong City, and Anze County in Linfen City. This area was the jurisdiction of Shangdang Commandery during the Qin and Han dynasties.

It crosses the Taihang Mountains to the east and south, connecting with Hebei and Henan provinces, and crosses the Taiyue Mountains to the west and north, connecting with southern and central Shanxi provinces.

Unlike the neighboring basins, the Shangdang region is not covered by large plains. About 93% of the area is mountainous and hilly, with a significantly higher elevation than the neighboring Yuncheng Basin, Linfen Basin, and Taiyuan Basin. Geographically, it is known as the "Shangdang Plateau".

During the Five Dynasties period, when the Later Liang Dynasty besieged Luzhou, Prince Li Cunxu of Jin once said: "Shangdang is the protective barrier of Hedong. Without Shangdang, there is no Hedong."

Shangdang is the backbone of the country and the neck of Hebei, protecting the Luo River region. If it is lost, everything will be lost. In later generations, Shangdang was the Changzhi area of ​​Shanxi. This shows the importance of Changzhi in history.

If Li Hanxiao wants to conquer the world in the future, he must fight for Shangdang and Huguan, which are key areas in Shanxi and even the entire Taihang Mountains region. It is perfectly acceptable for him to take a trip there in advance to familiarize himself with the terrain.

Moreover, Li Hanxiao also knew that there was a good man hiding in this place.

Who was this person? He was none other than Shan Shiqi, a subordinate of Tian Hu, who would later become the "Prince of Jin".

Shan Shiqi was originally the son of a wealthy family in Qinzhou. He was incredibly strong and skilled with a staff. After committing murder and fearing punishment, he joined Tian Hu's army. He distinguished himself in resisting the enemy and was falsely appointed as the military commander. He was adept at using a forty-pound iron staff and was highly skilled in martial arts. In the original novel, he could fight "Leopard Head" Lin Chong for fifty rounds, making him a highly skilled general.

Where is Qinyuan? Qinyuan County was under the jurisdiction of Weisheng Army during the Song Dynasty, and later belonged to Changzhi City, Shanxi Province. It is located in the Shangdang region, in the south-central part of Shanxi Province, on the eastern foothills of Taiyue Mountain, in the northwest of Changzhi City. It borders Qin County to the east, Tunliu District, Anze County, and Gu County to the south, Lingshi County and Huozhou City to the west, and Pingyao County and Jiexiu City to the north.

Shan Shiqi was convicted of murder and joined Tian Hu's side. He wasn't exactly a pure bad guy; in fact, he was a rich kid, probably similar to the "Nine-Tattooed Dragon" Shi Jin back then. He was good with weapons but didn't do any proper work, and he had a lot of wealth but didn't bother to manage it.

Li Hanxiao felt that such a wealthy young man was relatively easy to persuade. If he could win him over, he would have gained a valuable asset for the operation and a great general in the future.

He could fight "Leopard Head" Lin Chong for fifty rounds, so he should at least have the strength of the vanguard of the Liangshan Eight Cavalry Generals. However, in the original work, this guy's fighting ability is quite low, and Li Hanxiao cannot estimate his upper limit.

The reason is that in his final battle, he fell into a vicious cycle of low combat strength.

In the Battle of Yique Mountain, Wei He, a lieutenant general in the western camp, wielded a large sword and rode ahead on horseback. In the Song camp, Shan Shiqi leaped on his horse and brandished his spear, cutting off the enemy without saying a word. For some reason, Shan Shiqi abandoned his preferred iron rod and used a long spear instead.

The two horses clashed for over thirty rounds in front of the battle line. Fortunately, their spear skills were still decent. Shan Shiqi thrust his spear and struck Wei He's horse in the hind leg. The horse stumbled and fell off its hind legs, causing Wei He to fall off the horse. Shan Shiqi then killed him with another spear thrust.

At this moment, Feng Tai, a general under Wang Qing, was furious. He brandished two iron maces and spurred his horse to attack Shan Shiqi. The two generals fought for more than ten rounds. When Bian Xiang saw that Shan Shiqi could not defeat Feng Tai, he picked up his spear and spurred his horse to join the battle.

This is quite intriguing. Shan Shiqi didn't use his iron rod, which he was good at, but a gun instead. Bian Xiang, who used a large axe, also stopped using his axe and started using guns instead!

Before Bian Xiang could even join the battle, Feng Tai roared and with a single mace, knocked Shan Shiqi off his horse, then finished him off with another blow.

However, Feng Tai was later pierced in the heart by Bian Xiang's spear and died on horseback. This proves that although Bian Xiang used a spear, his spear skills were at least much better than Shan Shiqi's.