Just as Wang Xuan was trying to use his advantage as a time traveler to find a way for his disciples to make money, someone suddenly arrived at Shi Family Village.
That man was Wang Jin, the chief instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards, who was also Shi Jin's master in the original story.
Wang Jin's arrival marks the official start of the Water Margin storyline. In the days to come, the so-called Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends will all converge on Liangshan Marsh for various reasons—this is the inevitable trend of this world!
Wang Xuan put aside his distracting thoughts and met with Wang Jin.
Wang Jin truly lived up to his reputation as a grandmaster of his time, possessing extraordinary martial arts skills and a physical strength of 800 jin (approximately 400 kg). More importantly, he was proficient in all eighteen weapons and had extremely rich combat experience.
Upon hearing that Wang Jin had once been the chief instructor of 800,000 Imperial Guards, Shi Jin insisted on challenging Wang Jin to a duel.
This fight was extremely fierce. Shi Jin's martial arts skills were originally far inferior to Wang Jin's, but since he became Wang Xuan's disciple and practiced the "Ziyang True Explanation", both his strength and speed have increased significantly.
Moreover, Wang Xuan also taught him a set of staff techniques. This staff technique was only a basic martial art in the main world, but in this Water Margin world, it could be considered a top-level martial art, at least no worse than the spear technique used by Wang Jin.
The two exchanged a hundred or two moves in this fight, and in the end, Wang Jin won by virtue of his rich combat experience.
Wang Jin stayed in Shijiazhuang for half a month, cured his mother's illness, and then went to Yan'an Prefecture to join the army under General Zhong.
"It's time for me to leave!" After seeing Wang Jin off, Wang Xuan sighed and said goodbye to Shi Jin, Zhu Wu, and several other disciples.
After this period of instruction, Wang Xuan's disciples have all mastered the basics of the "Purple Sun True Explanation." What they achieve next depends entirely on their individual talent and effort.
Wang Xuan naturally couldn't stay here for too long. The Liangshan heroes were all waiting for him to teach them, and he wasn't going to tie himself to those crooked trees like Shi Jin and Zhu Wu.
Upon hearing that Wang Xuan was leaving, Shi Jin and the others tried their best to persuade him to stay. However, seeing that Wang Xuan was determined to leave, they decided to go with him.
Wang Xuan was somewhat tempted. After all, his master was in trouble, and he wanted to serve him. With several disciples by his side on the journey, there would be people to serve him tea and water, do his laundry, and cook for him.
Don't you remember that when Confucius traveled to various states, he always brought a group of disciples with him?
However, after careful consideration, Wang Xuan still refused Shi Jin and his group's request.
Zhu Wu and the other two leaders of Shaohua Mountain Stronghold had a large number of followers who made a living by following them, so they naturally couldn't just leave like that.
As for Shi Jin, according to the original plot, Wang Jin would stay in Shi Family Village to teach Shi Jin martial arts for half a year. Less than half a year after Wang Jin left, Old Master Shi died.
If that's the case, then Old Master Shi only has less than a year left to live. It's better to let Shi Jin stay at home and spend more time with his father.
Seeing the distressed expressions on Shi Jin and the others' faces, Wang Xuan's heart softened. He said to them, "I am heading east this time, intending to go to Liangshan Marsh in Dongji Prefecture. If you have any difficulties in your cultivation, you can come and find me there when you have time."
That's right, Wang Xuan was indeed planning to go to Liangshan Marsh.
At this time, the master of Liangshan Marsh was still Wang Lun, the scholar in white robes. He did not have many leaders with high martial arts skills, and even his henchmen numbered only a few hundred. In fact, his strength might not be comparable to Zhu Wu and others from Shaohua Mountain Stronghold.
The 100 heroes of Liangshan are now scattered all over the world. Instead of searching for them all over the world, Wang Xuan might as well just seize Liangshan and wait for the heroes to come to him, and enjoy being a bandit leader for a while.
Having learned where Wang Xuan was headed, Shi Jin, Zhu Wu, and the others were relieved and planned to make some arrangements before going to seek refuge with their master.
Despite Wang Xuan's principle of "spare the rod and spoil the child," which caused them immense suffering, their martial arts skills were indeed improving rapidly, a fact that Shi Jin and the others were well aware of.
If one can stay by the master's side at all times and listen to his teachings, one will naturally make faster progress than if one cultivates on one's own.
Chapter Thirteen: Ascending Liangshan on a Snowy Night
After bidding farewell to his disciples Shi Jin, Zhu Wu, and others, Wang Xuan rode a black steed eastward.
At this time, the plot of "Water Margin" had just begun, and it would take at least a few more months before Lin Chong and other heroes would join the Liangshan outlaws for various reasons. Therefore, Wang Xuan was not in a hurry to travel.
It took him two whole months to travel from Shijia Village to Liangshanbo.
In just two months, Wang Xuan's cultivation level broke through several minor realms, advancing from the fifth level of the Acquired Realm to the eighth level. His physical strength alone reached a full three thousand jin!
"My father told me that it would take me a year to master the first volume of 'The True Explanation of Ziyang' and reach the twelfth level of the Acquired Realm. But now I've only been cultivating for four months and I've already reached the eighth level of the Acquired Realm. It seems my talent is not bad after all." Wang Xuan walked to the shore of Liangshan Marsh with a bit of pride, but when he looked at the boundless lake in front of him, he was dumbfounded.
Even though his cultivation has reached the eighth level of the Acquired Realm, he still can't fly, and he can't swim either, so he can only obediently go find a boat.
It was already the dead of winter, and snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, soon turning into a heavy blizzard. In such weather, where could Wang Xuan possibly find a boat?
After carefully recalling the original work, Wang Xuan suddenly remembered that Wang Lun seemed to have set up a hotel by this lake, responsible for gathering information and making external contacts.
Of course, a hotel run by bandits is hardly a benevolent place; it's a complete shady establishment.
If anyone stayed at that hotel, poor people were fine, since there was no profit to be made, so they were just let in.
For those who possess valuables, the best they can do is drug them and steal all their things, while the worst they can capture them and turn them into human flesh buns.
Once Wang Xuan finds the hotel, he will naturally have a boat to Liangshan Marsh.
He walked around the lake and, as dusk approached, he indeed saw a hotel nestled by the stream and the lake.
Wang Xuan led his fine horse into the stables in front of the hotel, then went inside and casually found a table to sit down.
Soon a bartender came over and asked, "How much would you like to drink, sir? And what dishes would you like to eat?"
Wang Xuan rolled his eyes. The food and drink were most likely laced with sleeping pills. With his current constitution, sleeping pills had no effect on him anymore. Unless someone ingested several kilograms of sleeping pills at once, there was no way to knock him unconscious.
Even so, Wang Xuan didn't want to eat those random, unappetizing things.
Wang Xuan simply cut to the chase and said, "Call your shopkeeper here. I'm going to Liangshan Marsh to join the outlaws. Please ask him to give me a ride."
Upon hearing this, the bartender's expression changed, and he said, "Sir, I think you must be mistaken. We have absolutely no connection with Liangshan Marsh."
"This is like a prostitute trying to maintain a virtuous image!" Wang Xuan scoffed, casually slamming his hand on the table, which instantly crumbled.
The bartender was startled and quickly took a few steps back.
This inn was a shady establishment built by Liangshan bandits, and the people working there were all Liangshan outlaws. Hearing the commotion, they assumed someone was causing trouble, and soon a dozen or so men wielding swords rushed out and surrounded Wang Xuan.
Wang Xuan showed no panic whatsoever. Looking at the people rushing out from around him, he said to the bartender with a half-smile, "Now that things have come to this, can you still say that this place has no connection with Liangshan?"
The bartender didn't answer Wang Xuan's question. Instead, he reported to a middle-aged man, "Boss, this man's origins are unknown. He says he's going to Liangshan Marsh to join the outlaws."
After sizing up Wang Xuan, the middle-aged man said, "Judging from your attire, you don't seem like someone desperate enough to become an outlaw. Instead, you look like a young master from a wealthy family. Tell me, who exactly are you?"
Wang Xuan said in a serious tone, "You have a good eye! I was originally a rich man, my family was very wealthy, so naturally others were envious. Not long ago, the county magistrate framed me with a fabricated crime, robbed me of my money, and wanted to kill me. I had no choice but to come to Liangshan to become an outlaw through a friend's introduction."
The middle-aged man asked with some skepticism, "Who introduced you here?"
“My friend is Chai Jin, the Little Whirlwind of Cangzhou.” Wang Xuan directly brought up Chai Jin’s name. Because his family was wealthy, Chai Jin often helped down-on-his-luck heroes in the martial arts world, so his reputation in the martial arts world was quite well-known.
Sure enough, when the middle-aged man heard that Wang Xuan had been introduced by Chai Jin, his attitude immediately became friendly.
"So you were introduced by Master Chai, brother. I apologize for my rudeness earlier."
Wang Xuan was relying on Chai Jin's connections, and Chai Jin didn't suspect anything. After all, Wang Xuan was going to Liangshan Marsh, and if he were to lie, he would be exposed when he met the white-robed scholar Wang Lun.
After chatting for a while, Wang Xuan learned that this person was Zhu Gui, one of the 108 heroes of Liangshan.
As night approached, Wang Xuan, not wanting to delay any longer, urged Zhu Gui to arrange a boat for him, as he wanted to head to Liangshan Marsh that very night.
Zhu Gui originally wanted Wang Xuan to stay the night and come out the next morning. But Wang Xuan wanted to seize Liangshan Marsh as soon as possible, so how could he agree to that?
Zhu Gui didn't say much. He led Wang Xuan to the lakeside, took out his bow and arrow, and shot a signal arrow into the sky.
Not long after, a boat emerged from the reeds ahead, with several bandit henchmen on board rowing it.
Wang Xuan and Zhu Gui boarded the boat and rowed towards the center of the lake.
By the time the boat docked, it was completely dark.
After landing, Zhu Gui led Wang Xuan to the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, where three chairs were placed.
The person sitting in the middle chair is naturally Wang Lun, the scholar in white robes; the person sitting in the chair to the left is Du Qian, who touches the sky; and the person sitting in the chair to the right is Song Wan, the Vajra in the Clouds.
After Zhu Gui, Wang Lun, and the other two exchanged greetings, they pointed to Wang Xuan and introduced him, saying, "This brother is named Wang Xuan. He is highly skilled in martial arts and is said to have been introduced to join the group by Master Chai of Cangzhou."
"Did Master Chai introduce you? Do you have a letter of introduction?" Wang Lun naturally wouldn't believe it so easily; he needed to verify it further.
Where did Wang Xuan get Chai Jin's letters? He had previously written his own letter of introduction to fool Zhu Gui, since Zhu Gui didn't recognize Chai Jin's handwriting.
However, while Wang Xuan could fool Zhu Gui, he couldn't fool Wang Lun—Wang Lun had been corresponding with Chai Jin and naturally recognized Chai Jin's handwriting.
"I don't have any letters, but I do have two fists the size of sandbags. Do you want to see them?" Wang Xuan grinned maliciously, revealing his true intentions.
With his current strength, he could easily defeat Wang Lun and his men single-handedly. He tricked Zhu Gui earlier simply because he couldn't swim or row a boat, so he used Zhu Gui to infiltrate Liangshan.
Chapter Fourteen: Where are my trusted confidants?
"Wang Lun! The position of chieftain rotates, and this year it's my turn. Now that I, Wang Xuan, have come up the mountain, you'd better obediently hand over the chieftainship!" Wang Xuan drew the sword from his waist and pointed it at Wang Lun arrogantly.
By this time, Wang Lun and the others could easily see that Wang Xuan harbored ill intentions.
"Zhu Gui! Look what you've done! You even dared to bring such a madman to Liangshan, you've disappointed me greatly!" Wang Lun glared angrily at Zhu Gui. Having been the leader of Liangshan for so many years, he naturally possessed a powerful aura that chilled people to the bone.
Sweating profusely, Zhu Gui immediately pledged his loyalty, roaring, "Chief, this time it was my fault for misjudging people and bringing such a madman up the mountain. I, Zhu Gui, am willing to atone for my sins and capture this madman for you!"
Wang Lun didn't say anything, just watched coldly, which was obviously an admission.
Without further hesitation, Zhu Gui drew a large sword and charged towards Wang Xuan.
Wang Xuan rolled his eyes. Although Zhu Gui was one of the 108 heroes of Liangshan, his martial arts skills were not very good. Instead, he was the leader in charge of intelligence and logistics.
At this time, Liangshan Marsh had few leaders with strong martial arts skills. Zhu Gui was considered the best among the worst, but he could only be a minor leader and could not rise to the position of a leader, which shows what was going on.
Of course, with Wang Xuan's current strength, he could easily defeat even the likes of Lin Chong and Wu Song, let alone a weakling like Zhu Gui.
"Zhu Gui, get out of my way!" Wang Xuan didn't tolerate Zhu Gui's actions. He kicked out, dodging Zhu Gui's blade, and sent him flying, sword and all, unable to get up for a long time.
Upon seeing this, Wang Lun and the other two couldn't help but have their pupils suddenly contract.
Wang Lun tacitly allowed Zhu Gui to make a move simply because he wanted to use Zhu Gui to test Wang Xuan's strength. Although Zhu Gui was instantly defeated by Wang Xuan, Wang Lun also gained some insight into Wang Xuan's true abilities.
Keep in mind that Zhu Gui is a man weighing 150 or 160 pounds. Wang Xuan was able to kick him away with one kick, and it was obvious that he didn't use his full strength. That must have been at least 400 or 500 pounds of force!
"So you're a trained fighter, no wonder you dare to cause trouble at Liangshan! But you underestimate Liangshan too much. We have hundreds of men. Even if your body is made of iron, hundreds of swords will cripple you!" Wang Lun waved his hand and said cruelly, "All of you, attack! Kill this brat!"
As Wang Lun finished speaking, dozens of bandits rushed out from behind the Hall of Righteousness, each wielding a large, finely crafted steel sword, appearing extremely fierce.
"You know nothing about true power!" Wang Xuan sneered, and with a flick of his sword, a flash of silver light appeared, cutting five or six bandits in half at the waist.
Even though the bandits used their weapons to block Wang Xuan's sword, it was completely useless. You must understand that Wang Xuan's sword was a low-grade magic weapon; in the mythical Three Kingdoms world, it wouldn't be considered high-level, but in this Water Margin world, it could be called a divine weapon capable of cutting through iron like mud!
Wang Xuan stomped his foot heavily on the ground, leaving a deep footprint. He then charged into the bandits at lightning speed, slashing left and right, and in an instant, he killed half of the dozens of bandits!
Seeing how fierce Wang Xuan was, without Wang Lun giving any orders, Du Qian and Song Wan, the two Liangshan leaders, grabbed their weapons and rushed towards Wang Xuan.
"You scum dare to lay a hand on me? You're lucky you're both among the 108 heroes of Liangshan, blessed with great fortune. I'll spare your lives today." Wang Xuan unleashed a silver glint, snapping Du Qian and Song Wan's weapons in two. Before they could recover from their shock, Wang Xuan slapped them both to the ground, leaving them unable to get up for a long time.