Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 83

"Oh my, isn't this my junior brother? I've finally found you! I've been asking around in Qingzhou for ages about how to get to Liangshan Marsh, but nobody knows. I've been stuck in Qingzhou for ages, and I'm so grateful to have troubled you to come find me in person!"

"It's alright, it's alright. How have you been these days, sister?"

Liu Hong hugged Lu Zhisheng excitedly; they had finally found him.

"It's alright, it's alright. Apart from not having enough to eat, everything is fine. I don't want to rob innocent people. The poor families I saved don't have much rice either. Look, I've gotten thin from hunger."

Lu Zhisheng said self-deprecatingly.

"I never imagined that someone as capable as myself would suffer from hunger after leaving the system."

"Hey, that's because you have such a big appetite, Auntie. I've almost been eaten out of house and home by you these past few days. You're like a living Buddha reincarnated, an Arhat descended to earth. No ordinary person has such an exaggerated appetite."

Cao Zheng, shirtless and wearing an apron, was working in the enclosed kitchen, butchering chickens and ducks with a wry smile, preparing a feast for Lu Zhisheng.

Standing at two meters tall, she was already quite imposing to ordinary people, but compared to Lu Zhisheng and Liu Hong, who were both two and a half meters tall, she still appeared as small as a child. Beneath her blood-stained apron, she wore only shorts, her entire flawless, white back completely exposed. Her trapezius muscles, like beautiful hills covered in silk, gradually transitioned downwards into the relaxed, arched latissimus dorsi muscles, brimming with terrifying muscular potential even in stillness. The erector spinae muscles, along the sides of her slender, jade-like spine, outlined two deep grooves, like wings protecting the central vertebrae.

These muscles are not sharp, rigid sculptures, but rather vibrant, beautiful flesh that rises and falls with each breath, revealing their full potential when exerting force and rippling like water when relaxing. They possess both feminine grace and explosive power.

"Who is this……"

Liu Hong looked at the female butcher with exaggerated back muscles with curiosity, wondering who she was.

"Hey, this is Cao Zheng, the master scalpel, who is our niece."

Lu Zhisheng introduced the two to each other.

"She used to work in the Imperial Guard in Kaifeng. She was one of Lin Chong's apprentices. Later, she couldn't stand the corrupt atmosphere within the Imperial Guard and was unwilling to flatter her superiors, so she offended many people and was dismissed. From then on, she wandered the Jianghu and eventually opened a hotel business in Qingzhou. This kid is quite capable; he can hold his own against me for a few rounds."

"Cao Zheng, this is my junior brother, the leader of Liangshan Marsh, the Great Sage of Chaos, Liu Hong! I don't need to introduce him, do I?!"

"So it's my martial uncle! I've heard so much about you, but I've never had the chance to meet you. Now that I've met you, it's truly a case of seeing is believing!"

Cao Zheng bowed respectfully to Liu Hong, treating him as if he were an elder.

"I never expected that my martial uncle would be the master of Liangshan Marsh. My martial aunt and I were just discussing taking over Erlong Mountain as a place to stay. Now that my martial uncle is here, why don't we just go to Liangshan Marsh and settle down? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Alright, let's go! Liangshan has enough food to feed tens of thousands of people for half a year. There's absolutely no chance of my sister and niece going hungry!"

Liu Hong readily agreed and took the two back to Liangshan. Lu Zhisheng, who had been wandering in Qingzhou for a long time and was always hungry, was naturally very happy and shouted that he would no longer attack Erlong Mountain and would return to Liangshan Marsh. Cao Zheng, who had been wandering alone and miserable, did not hesitate to cling to Liu Hong's coattails.

At this moment, Liu Hong discovered that his abilities had changed once again.

【Lu Zhisheng - Heavenly Lone Star】: Your Heavenly Gang Slash gains additional Wrathful Vajra Power, each of the seven Heavenly Gang Slashes deals +7 damage, and half of the damage type is converted into Holy Flame damage.

【Cao Zheng - Earth Star】: Heavenly Gang Slash deals an additional 1.5 times damage to animals.

Lu Zhisheng's abilities remain as powerful as ever. The amplification of Tiangang Slash is no less than that of Qin Ming's Hellfire, and it even makes Liu Hong's Tiangang Slash damage type half Hellfire and half Holy Flame.

Cao Zheng's ability is a bit peculiar and powerful, but its target range is too small. What kind of animal is worth my Heavenly Gang Slash? But this is still a bonus.

The three abandoned their attack on Erlong Mountain and returned directly to Liangshan Marsh. Lin Chong was overjoyed to see his sister return and went to greet her. The two chatted and laughed, embracing and hugging. Lin Chong was also very pleased to see his former disciple Cao Zheng return. The family was reunited, and Liu Hong held a grand banquet to celebrate and welcome the two back. Afterwards, they quickly spread their wings and headed to Mengzhou in Henan to find the whereabouts of his other sister.

Chapter 210: Wu Song Fights the Tiger in Mengzhou

Liu Hong successfully brought Lu Zhisheng and Cao Zheng to the mountain stronghold, while Wu Song's fantastical journey also came to a head.

Wu Song wasn't that bad with directions. She had stayed at Liangshan Marsh before and knew its exact location. After passing through a village and realizing she was in Mengzhou, Henan, she determined the general route: following the direction of the rising sun, she figured she could eventually get back to Liangshan Marsh. So, leaning on her staff and carrying her monk's knife, she drank two jars of wine and ate half a sheep in the village, then dragged her heavily injured body to begin her march.

"No, sir, there's a tiger lurking on the hill ahead! It's extremely dangerous. Stay at our hotel tonight and wait until tomorrow when the soldiers and hunters who specialize in dealing with this tiger are out. You can cross the hill with them!"

A waiter hurriedly stopped Wu Song.

"Besides, sir, with all these injuries, don't you really need to stay in the doctor's shop for a few months? It's terrifying!"

"Screw the tiger, I think you just want me to spend the night in your shop!"

Wu Song snorted coldly and turned to leave. Although she had been beaten to the point of near death by Li Cunshen that day, she was not afraid of anything because she relied on the power of the demon. The more blood she had, the worse her condition became, and the greater the damage she could do. "I beat up that old dragon that had survived for more than two hundred years. What is a tiger?"

Moreover, she was also afraid that the waiter, seeing how badly injured and weak she was, and that he had offered her a place to stay overnight at the hotel, might try to take advantage of her while she was sleeping to rob and kill her. This kind of thing was much more troublesome than a tiger.

The highly vigilant Wu Song simply walked away. In the hillside, the night wind blew stronger and stronger, and as the saying goes, "Clouds rise from the dragon, wind from the tiger." As the wind passed, a loud thud was heard from behind the tangled trees, and a large, white-browed tiger with piercing eyes leaped out.

Its massive form resembled a small mountain of muscles, standing three meters tall. Its body was covered in bulging muscles, with short, stiff, yellow-black fur. Amber-colored vertical pupils gleamed with bloodlust on its ferocious tiger head, its fangs protruding and stained with blood. Its forehead was covered with dark red curse marks and scars, as if corrupted by chaotic sorcery. It wore rusted bronze shoulder armor and tattered animal hides, with trophies of white bones hanging from its waist. Its reversibly knuckled tiger claws shattered rocks and crumbled earth when it stomped the ground. It wielded a massive cleaver wreathed in black and red demonic energy; when it swung it, black wind howled, and its fur stood on end like steel needles. It was like a bloodthirsty beast broken free from purgatory, every inch of its body radiating violence and oppressive power.

This isn't some tiger outing at all; it's clearly a chaotic demon descended to earth!

The tiger demon, both hungry and thirsty, made a hand seal with his left hand and teleported to Wu Song's side as if by magic, then slashed with his sword! Upon seeing this, Wu Song quickly flipped off the blue stone, grabbed his staff, and dodged to the side of the blue stone.

When his first attack failed, the tiger demon suddenly hurled his broadsword, forcing Wu Song to dodge while simultaneously leaping forward, attacking Wu Song from both directions with the thrown broadsword! This blocked all of Wu Song's escape routes; no matter how she dodged, she was bound to be hit by the flying broadsword or the lunging tiger demon!

Wu Song was so startled that he broke out in a cold sweat. In the blink of an eye, she dodged the first flying broadsword, then thrust out her cudgel. Taking advantage of her arm span and weapon length, she first struck the tiger demon that pounced on her. The cudgel plunged into the tiger's gaping maw, filling it with blood.

Before the tiger demon could even bite the wooden stick in its rage, Wu Song roared, exerted force with both arms, and swung the staff to the left, sending the tiger demon flying! It slammed heavily into a tree on the left, shattering branches and scattering leaves everywhere. Several of the tiger's teeth were broken by Wu Song.

The tiger demon stared in shock at the mortal before him. "Is this even human?!" he thought. "I weigh at least half a ton, and my attacking momentum was unstoppable, yet she sent me flying with a single blow?!"

Wu Song stared in shock at the demon before him. "Is this a tiger? I only hit it once with my stick, and the recoil is still shaking my arms. What kind of demon is this?"

The two demons exchanged a few tentative blows. After dodging several times, Wu Song finally chose to hide behind the tiger demon. The tiger had no choice but to retreat; no matter how it attacked, it couldn't reach behind it. Wu Song simply dodged to the side.

Seeing that it couldn't kill her, the tiger roared angrily to the sky, but it was like a thunderclap in the sky that shook the entire hillside! It raised its iron-like tail and swept it horizontally, sending Wu Song flying and crashing heavily into a pine tree!

Seeing that Wu Song had made a mistake, the tiger demon quickly turned around, picked up his broadsword, and was about to pounce on him. Wu Song saw the tiger turn back, swung his staff with both hands, and leaped into the air like an arrow. With all his might, he brought his staff down from mid-air!

"clang!!!"

When the staff struck the tiger demon's head, it instantly broke in two. Only then did Wu Song realize that the tiger demon had just transformed itself into a bronze statue. His blow hadn't landed on flesh and blood, but rather on a massive bronze boulder! No wonder the recoil had left his arms numb and his palms bleeding.

Is this his ability?

After breaking the stick, Wu Song immediately drew his pair of daggers and engaged the tiger demon in close combat. The two demons fought so fiercely that the sky darkened and the sun and moon lost their light, with the clanging of their weapons never ceasing!

On this side is a man with a head of bronze and bones of iron, impervious to swords and spears. He wields a large sword with a whooshing sound, and with each swing, the sky collapses and the earth cracks, trees fall and birds scatter. His movements are expansive, powerful, and unparalleled in their ferocity.

Over there, ice and fire intertwined, the leg techniques were agile, and the two ring knives outlined arcs of ice and fire. When they attacked, flames exploded and ice froze, it was exquisite and graceful.

The two demons fought for twenty rounds without a clear victor, but Wu Song was still seriously injured and his sword could not break through the demon's defenses, while the tiger demon could hit him and cause damage. He gradually lost ground, and his twin swords were also worn down because they were hitting the tiger demon's copper head and iron bones every time. The damage to the swords was so severe that they were soon broken and could no longer be used.

"Ha! You demon, you've lost your weapon, let's see how you fight me now! Just obediently let me devour you!"

The tiger demon laughed loudly and charged again, brandishing his broadsword. But this time, Wu Song, who had thrown away his twin swords, did not dodge. Instead, he slid down from between the tiger's legs and jumped onto its back, swinging his fists to smash it over its head!

"clang!!!"

With a single blow, the tiger transformed its flesh and blood into brass, becoming impervious to blades and spears, and suffered no damage whatsoever. Instead, Wu Song's fist slammed into the brass, causing him to bleed profusely and even tear his skin.

Wu Song didn't utter a sound, enduring the pain, and launched a rapid series of punches, landing seven or eight blows on the tiger in one go. His right hand was torn open, bleeding profusely, and even a deformed bone fragment was exposed.

"What are you doing? Sticks and knives can't hurt me, and you think you can break my indestructible body with your fists?"

Tiger Demon laughed heartily, finding it all amusing, and let Wu Song humiliate himself.

However, the more negative status effects Wu Song had, the lower her health and the greater the damage! She was already severely injured, and when the tenth punch shattered her right hand's five fingers, causing blood to flow like a river, the damage from the Heavenly Wound exploded once again, reaching its peak. After the eleventh punch, the tiger demon's brass skin was directly smashed apart! The tiger demon felt dizzy, her eyes rolled back, her legs went weak, and she was knocked to the ground by Wu Song's bloodied fist.

"Roar!!!"

Bloodthirsty Wu Song, with his scarred right hand, grabbed the tiger demon by the scruff of its neck, then raised his undamaged, massive left fist and began to relentlessly pound the tiger's head! He used all his strength, striking relentlessly, unleashing fifty or seventy punches in succession, each one causing the entire hillside to tremble! Countless birds and beasts were startled into flight, and blood gushed from the tiger's eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. Even if its flesh and blood were transformed into brass, Wu Song's inflicted wounds would reduce it to scrap metal!

The author says:

Author's Note: I was too tired yesterday and just woke up. Sorry for the late update.

Chapter 211: The World-Shaking Dual-Demon One-Man Walker

"Crack!!!"

When Wu Song's final punch landed, the copper-headed, iron-armed tiger demon was physically destroyed by Wu Song's bloody fists and banished back to the subspace. Demons have no concept of physical form; if they want to walk in the mortal world, they need to construct a suitable body or simply inhabit the body of another person.

Once their physical form is destroyed, their souls in the real world will be forcibly expelled back into the warp. This is the truth behind why demons are indestructible. Destroying a demon's body is at most killing a game account that has entered extreme mode and will permanently die. Demons on the other side of the warp can easily spend a lot of time and energy to create a new account and put it back into the real world, endlessly and without limit.

Unless, when your account is deleted, you are suddenly caught and unable to return to the subspace.

Having already dealt with the internal injury, Wu Song knew very well what these demons looked like. Without hesitation, he grabbed one and swallowed it, leaving the demon completely bewildered.

"Are you insane? A mortal's body can only hold one demon at most! You can't handle it! And even if you could, so what? Two tigers can't share one mountain, and two demons can't share one body. I can't possibly share your body with the demon inside you! Either the stronger demon will drive out the weaker one, or there will be an endless struggle between the two demons, which will eventually tear your soul and spirit apart. This is what you Chinese call 'insatiable greed'..."

The moment the demon uttered its first word, it was swallowed up by Wu Song. Afterward, he saw that another demon was indeed living there.

However, she had completely lost the arrogance and domineering nature that a demon should have, and she didn't even have the most basic concept of cooperation with her host on an equal footing. She was weak, helpless, and pitifully huddled in a corner, trembling.

“I know, I know everything you’re saying. I’ve never encountered another unclaimed demon before. I’ll give you two choices.”

Wu Song, exhausted, lay down directly on the body of the demonic tiger, clearly having exhausted all his strength.

“Your soul is now being devoured by me. You must find a way to escape. If you can’t, my body will be your prison for life, and every time you try to break out, I will beat you. You can bet on how many years I can live and how many years you will be imprisoned before you regain your freedom.”

"Or, you could do what that guy does and we could sign a contract: you give me power, and I'll give you my soul."

Wu Song said nonchalantly, but his eyes were filled with a thirst for power. "I thought I was strong enough, but I never expected there were even stronger people in the world."

"Everyone says that one person cannot tolerate two demons, but I, Wu Song, refuse to believe it! I, Wu Song, have done what others cannot. Today, I will see if I, Wu Song, can tolerate two demons!"

"I refuse..."

The tiger demon was about to refuse and even tried to mock him, wanting to know what gave Wu Song, a mere mortal, the right to speak so arrogantly.

But when he caught a glimpse of another demon huddled in the corner, trembling, he suddenly fell silent. A suffocating chill rose within him.

Weird, so weird.

Wu Song's actions were tantamount to dragging a burly stranger into the most private bedroom of the Heavenly Wounded Demon. Even if he didn't grab a knife and beat Wu Song out, couldn't he at least yell a few times, curse a few times, and at least try to maintain appearances?

But what's the meaning of you cowering in the corner, not daring to utter a single word?

Unless… if I refuse, Wu Song will do to me what he did to the Heavenly Demon, until I become just like him…

Thinking of this, Tiger Demon immediately cowered. Although he didn't know what had happened, this guy was only left with a sliver of health and he could still crush my copper head and iron bones in thirty rounds. Who knows how terrifying he would be when he was at full health? His knees buckled and he actually knelt down before Wu Song, kowtowing and signing the contract without hesitation.

For a time, Wu Song truly became an extremely rare, even unprecedented, dual demon messenger.

[Demon Messenger - Bronze Head and Iron Bones]: Transforms the user's body into an invulnerable body of bronze and iron, granting 100 points of damage reduction for 1 second. Can be used 11 times per day (at character level 11).

Wu Song nodded, realizing that the demon's ability wasn't invincible, but rather a very abstract damage reduction. Any damage that hit him would first have 100 points deducted. No wonder he couldn't break through the tiger demon's defenses when he fought it before, and it wasn't until he had accumulated enough Heavenly Wounds that he was able to blow its head off.

However, while this ability is powerful, it also has weaknesses. First, Lu Zhisheng's ridiculously high-damage Buddha's Wrath Heavenly Slash, which definitely deals over 100 damage, can still break through defenses. But it will also be weakened by 100 points, resulting in a significant reduction in damage.

Secondly, this is an active skill, not a passive skill of Heavenly Wounds, and it can only last for one second each time. It can only be used eleven times a day, so you need to predict the timing of activation. Otherwise, it's a complete blank skill. If you are ambushed, you will die before you can activate Copper Head Iron Bones. You need to practice this a lot.

However, if handled properly, this demon is a perfect match for Heavenly Wound! Normally, when Heavenly Wound's damage is at its maximum, Wu Song is already crippled and could easily die from a single touch.

But now Wu Song can completely control himself to a low-health state, then activate his almost invincible Copper Head and Iron Bones for eleven seconds, and use the maximum Heavenly Damage amplification to fight head-on with people!

After dealing with the demon, Wu Song was exhausted and sleepy. Her body had not fully recovered and she was still seriously injured. She had also fought with all her might to kill a demon with extremely abnormal abilities. At this moment, she was so tired that she simply used the tiger skin as a pillow and fell asleep. The next morning, several soldiers and hunters found her and were immediately amazed by her beauty!

Good heavens, the Tiger Demon that dozens of us couldn't defeat was taken down by this hero all by himself?

However, when they went to wake Wu Song, they found that he had fought the entire underground city of Tokyo, first against Li Cunshen, and then against the tiger demon. He was so exhausted that he had fainted and could not be woken up no matter how much they called him. In an instant, the hunters and soldiers worshipped Wu Song and placed him on a stretcher to take him back to Mengzhou City to celebrate this tiger-slaying hero. The whole city was filled with food and drink and cheered to celebrate that the tiger demon who had been harassing them had finally been killed. The county magistrate even wanted to promote Wu Song to the rank of captain.

But just then, several sharp-eyed people suddenly noticed that the unconscious man was a wanted criminal!

Chapter 212: Catgirl's Aid in the Bitter Prison

Fortunately, the bounty on Wu Song was not much. Although she was nominally the second-in-command of Liangshan, there were too many people in Liangshan, and the defeated soldiers could not remember them all. In addition, the government troops who escaped alive did not fight with Wu Song. Instead, the blame for the robbery of the birthday gifts was placed on Liu Hong, the Great Sage of Chaos, as well as the traitorous vanguard Suo Chao and Yang Zhiming, the Blue-Faced Beast.

As for the attack on Tokyo, the main culprit was Lin Chong. Gao Qiu raised Lin Chong's bounty to an astronomical level, while others were indifferent. Wu Song's highlight was almost killing Li Cunshen, a prominent figure from the previous era, with a single blow. If this incident were to be revealed, Wu Song's bounty could have been second to first in this conflict. However, Gao Qiu was too ashamed to say so, so everyone regarded Wu Song as an accomplice and did not raise the bounty too much.

Therefore, the report submitted by the magistrate after capturing Wu Song did not attract the attention of Gao Qiu and others. The magistrate was also a man who valued talent. Because she was a tiger-fighting hero, he gave her a lenient sentence of two years and even imprisoned her in Mengzhou City. He wanted to recruit her to his own service and did not even punish her with a disciplinary rod.

Wu Song was also somewhat helpless at this moment, plotting how to escape from prison. Humans are social animals, and the feeling of being all alone is really unpleasant. He was already annoyed by being forced to leave his family because he accidentally knocked out the thugs. He finally found his brother, and even had a younger brother and sister-in-law. He had his own family and lived a happy life for a while, but the feeling of being forced to leave again was really unbearable. He wished he could leave now and return to Liangshan Marsh.

And this opportunity came unexpectedly. On the day he was imprisoned, Wu Song discovered that his food standards far exceeded those of the other prisoners. He was served good wine and meat every day, and if he was not full, he could have more rice. Moreover, the person who delivered the food said that the person who delivered the wine and meat to him was the same person who exempted him from the beating.

With his keen mind, Wu Song immediately guessed that someone had something important to trouble him with, so he began to wait and take the opportunity to rest.

Sure enough, after seven days of such service, a catgirl dressed in fine silk and satin, accompanied by several servants, came to the prison carrying a large amount of wine and meat. She had extremely gorgeous long golden hair, two cute golden velvet cat ears on her head, and golden vertical pupils like a cat's eyes. A fluffy golden tail adorably peeked out from the hem of her skirt, while the rest of her body resembled that of a young and beautiful girl.

Seeing that the main character had finally arrived, Wu Song immediately bowed.

“I am a prisoner under your jurisdiction and have never had the honor of meeting you. You have spared me a hundred lashes and now treat me to fine wine and food every day, yet you have not done me any favors. I have done nothing to deserve such treatment and cannot eat or sleep properly. May I ask your name, sister?”

The catwoman clasped her hands in return and replied, "Your sister, Golden-Eyed Leopard, is kind to me. My father is the warden of the prison. I have long admired your great name, Sister Pilgrim, and it is as loud as thunder in my ears. I only regret that the journey has been so long that I have not been able to meet you! Today, I am fortunate to have you here, Sister. I am eager to pay my respects to your esteemed presence, but I regret that I have nothing to offer you. Therefore, I am ashamed and dare not meet you."

"I do have something to trouble you with, sister, but you have traveled a long way here, and you are covered in wounds and exhausted. Please rest for three months until you are fully recovered, then we can discuss the details."

Upon hearing this, Wu Song laughed loudly and said, "Seven days ago, I was on the verge of death, yet I was still able to kill a tiger with my bare hands. Besides, I have already recovered sixty or seventy percent of my strength after seven days of rest! What are you afraid of!"

The catwoman Shi En was somewhat flustered and quickly advised Wu Song, "The opponent is too powerful and not to be trifled with. Let me rest for a few more days until I am fully recovered before I dare to tell you."

Seeing that he couldn't reason with Shi En, Wu Song decided to let his strength do the talking. His hands instantly turned into brass, and with a powerful push, he tore open the chains. Before anyone could react, Wu Song broke several iron bars of the prison as easily as breaking chopsticks. If she wanted to escape, she could indeed leave at any time. Spending seven days here was simply to recover her strength and injuries, as well as to scout the situation and plan her escape route.

Seeing Wu Song's incredible prowess, all the jailers and prisoners were terrified. Wu Song twisted two iron bars together with his bare hands, turning them into an iron rope, without turning red in the face, his heart pounding, or panting, which made everyone admire him even more.