Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 41

At this moment, Liu Hongcai could finally see Lu Zhishen's appearance clearly.

Golden sunlight poured down from the sky at dawn, caressing her smooth, mirror-like head, condensing into two golden specks at the tips of her brows. The morning sun shattered on her snow-white shoulders, dyeing her half-draped fire-red robe a flowing crimson, highlighting the two astonishingly large, jade-like peaks at her chest. Proudly, they stretched the robe to its limit, creating breathtaking curves between the embroidered Buddhist patterns!

Even the jade plate in the main hall of the temple cannot contain the magnificent snow-capped peaks that are a masterpiece of nature.

One hundred and eight blood sandalwood prayer beads adorn her jade neck, hanging down to her chest, yet they cannot diminish her majestic presence. Each agate bead, engraved with the Diamond Sutra, resembles a pilgrim prostrating herself on the shore of a sacred lake in the snow-capped mountains, rising and falling between the peaks and valleys of her chest with her breath.

The robe was draped diagonally, revealing one white arm and shoulder, a soft chest and jade-like back, embroidered with peony flowers, which looked particularly enchanting against the backdrop of fair skin: vibrant peonies bloomed from the collarbone to the waist, the tender stamens stretching and curling with each breath, like the ink splashes of flying apsaras painted by Wu Daozi in a drunken state. The cinnabar mole on the left breast was like the wind-stabilizing bead on the spire of the White Horse Temple, suppressing the raging demonic fire surging within this body.

This is no nun at all; it is clearly a Bodhisattva with lowered brows and a Vajra with wrathful eyes, locked in a thousand-year battle on flesh, brewing a vat of intoxicating rouge-colored Vajra that has intoxicated the mortal world.

Liu Hong stared in shock at Lu Zhisheng's extremely tall and beautiful figure, while Lu Zhisheng also looked at Liu Hong and Wu Song in surprise. Good heavens, these two were just as tall as him, both about 2.4 or 2.5 meters tall.

At this moment, the burning flames also outlined Lu Zhisheng's attributes, making him the most terrifying attribute Liu Hong had ever seen.

She is no longer an ordinary demon messenger, but a demon prince who has gone a step further! From borrowing the power of chaos, she has become one of the sources of demonic power herself!

Lu Zhisheng and Wu Song are both among the strongest fighters in the Water Margin. However, Wu Song has not yet reached his final form, but his fighting power is already quite terrifying.

Now, Lu Zhisheng in front of Liu Hong is in his complete form.

Lu Zhisheng (Devil Prince)

Level 12 (Level 10 Heroic Knight + 1 Lion Totem Barbarian + Level 1 Scale Armor Monk)

Life 370, Psychic 0

Strength 30, Agility 20, Constitution 30

Intelligence 8, Perception 12, Charisma 20

[Ascension Ritual]: You have transcended the realm of mortals. Attribute points +20, freely allocate to any six attributes. (Strength +10, Constitution +10)

【Demon Prince - Wrathful Vajra】: Your strength is equal to (Strength + Constitution), and your constitution is equal to (Constitution + Strength). Defense +7, Magic Resistance +7, Damage Reduction 7, Recover 7% HP per turn.

The simple and unadorned demonic power, if calculated this way, means that this nun's strength and constitution attributes are not the 30 on paper, but actually a total of 60 when added together!

20 is the limit of human strength.

A strength level of 20-30 indicates a powerful and formidable warrior.

Strength between 30 and 40 is equivalent to the strength of an elephant.

Starting at 40, one possesses the bearing of a true dragon, reaching the level of Ao Ying, the Dragon King of Jidu.

Lu Zhisheng's strength of 30 on paper is equivalent to that of an elephant. When combined with her abilities, it reaches 60! Even the strongest dragon would probably be evenly matched with her! In the entire world, there is probably no one stronger than her.

Not only that, but she also has a damage reduction of 7, meaning that no matter what kind of attack she suffers, the damage will be reduced by 7 points, and she can also recover 7% of her health each round... This is not human, she is clearly a flesh and blood Vajra!

Her profession is also quite formidable: a level 1 Lion Totem Barbarian provides charge attack for the entire round, a level 1 Vajra Monk provides noble charm with defense, and a level 10 Heroic Heavenly Slash is already at the highest level.

The author says:

Author's Note: I got the most monthly votes last month~ I drew a female version of Lu Zhisheng myself. It's been a while since I've drawn, so my skills aren't great. It should be prettier and more charming.

Chapter 88: The Martial Arts Traveler Meets an Old Friend in a Foreign Land

"I am Lu Zhisheng, the Flower Nun. May I ask your names, esteemed heroes?"

Lu Zhisheng clasped his hands in greeting to Liu Hong and Wu Song, but his gaze was drawn to the pair of golden wings behind Liu Hong, and he revealed a strange expression, as if he was deep in thought.

How strange, haven't I seen these golden wings somewhere before?

When her gaze fell upon Wu Song's face, she suddenly realized something, and her compassionate face, filled with Buddhist qualities, broke into a happy laugh. She rushed forward and gave Wu Song a big hug.

"Oh? Isn't this Junior Sister Wu Song?! I'm Lu Da! Do you remember me?! We met once in Qilin Village! I'm your Senior Sister! How is Master doing?!"

Wu Song was stunned for a moment, looking at Lu Zhisheng in disbelief. After thinking it over carefully, a look of joy appeared on his face.

When I escaped from Qinghe County and came to Qilin Village, a soldier of unusually large size did come to my teacher's side, but he only stayed for a day and left, saying that he had gotten into a lawsuit and had to go to Wutai Mountain to become a monk to take refuge. After that, nothing more was said.

"Oh my, it's you, sister! What a coincidence that we've met here! You've shaved your head since becoming a nun, I didn't even recognize you!"

Wu Song was overjoyed and hugged Lu Zhisheng, laughing heartily.

"Then this guy next to me must be Yue Fei, the new disciple Master took in at Qilin Village. I was wondering why this little golden-winged fellow looked so familiar. You've grown so tall in just two or three years!"

Lu Zhisheng looked at Liu Hong with great curiosity.

"Liu Hong greets Senior Sister."

Liu Hong bowed respectfully.

“But I am not Senior Brother Yue. I am Liu Hong, who was recently taken in by Master. These wings are borrowed from Senior Brother Yue by my own abilities.”

"Oh? You've gained another one. That's great! I'm your senior sister! In terms of seniority, I'm even older than Yue Fei. I became your disciple when our master was still fighting on the battlefield in Western Xia."

Looking at Wu Song and Liu Hong, Lu Zhisheng couldn't contain his joy.

"Why didn't my senior sister fight for the country on the battlefield in Western Xia? Instead, she ran to Kaifeng, shaved her head and became a nun, wasting her days. Last time, my senior sister left in a hurry, and I didn't have time to ask her."

Wu Song asked with great curiosity.

"Hey, don't mention it."

Lu Zhisheng gave a bitter smile, then his anger flared up, his arrogant and handsome face resembling an angry bodhisattva.

"In Weizhou City, there's a son of a bitch named Zhen Guanxi, who bullies men and women and commits all sorts of evil deeds! Do you know what? He married a woman, promising a dowry of three thousand strings of cash, but after the marriage, he didn't give her a single penny! Not only that, after he had his fill of ravaging the girl's body, he divorced her and made her repay the three thousand strings of cash dowry!"

"That woman was from out of town, all alone and destitute. Where would she get so much money? This son of a bitch knew she was from out of town and was trying to drive her to her death!!!"

Even after many years, Lu Zhisheng is still very angry when he talks about this.

"I saw injustice on the road and helped by throwing a punch to save the woman. I also punched Zhen Guanxi three times. I originally just wanted to teach him a lesson and vent my anger, but I never expected that the guy was so weak. He was killed by my three punches!"

My superior, that young General Zhong, was a good man and an excellent general, and he treated me well in general, but he was damn incorruptible! According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, he wanted to arrest me and sentence me to death. I had no choice but to run away.”

Lu Zhisheng muttered under his breath, his tone respectful to General Zhong, but also tinged with reproach.

"This is a lousy world! There are so many people in the government army who kill people at will! Many of them often kill innocent people to claim credit, and it has quickly become a complete industry chain! They just randomly kill a village of Song people or a group of herdsmen while patrolling the border, cut off their heads, shave their heads, and use them as Western Xia soldiers to collect rewards! I have seen too many of these things, and I have no respect for associating with such people!"

However, General Xiao Zhong has always turned a blind eye to this matter. As long as they don't spread the word and can still fight bravely on the battlefield, everything can be forgiven!

All I did was kill a notorious bully named Zhen Guanxi in broad daylight, and she wants to punish me with death!

Those who commit heinous crimes can run rampant in the countryside, preying on the people. Yet I, who stand up for the people, have to hide and flee, not only losing my official position but also needing a Buddhist ordination certificate to become a nun just to evade the authorities' capture!

After listening to Lu Zhisheng's long rant, Wu Song's eyes widened in astonishment. Her greatest dream was to go to the Western Xia battlefield and fight for fame and fortune with every sword and spear.

However, now, her senior sister has shown her the harsh reality that she was dreaming. Everything she saw in Qinghe County and Jizhou was not isolated. It was also happening in large numbers on the Western Xia battlefield, which was far away on the border. The entire court was rotten to the core.

"Ugh, let's not talk about this nonsense, it's annoying just thinking about it. You guys go to the market and buy some good wine! My junior sister and brother are here today, I'm going to drink with them until we're completely drunk!"

Lu Zhisheng generously pulled out a few pieces of silver from his pocket and ordered his gang of ruffians to buy wine. These ruffians addressed him as "Master" and went out one after another.

It seems that Lu Zhisheng has now taken over the vegetable garden, subdued the ruffians, and taught them martial arts.

"Oh? Right! Junior sister, junior brother, what brings you to Kaifeng?"

Lu Zhisheng took a deep breath, forgetting everything from the past, and then asked the two of them curiously.

"What a coincidence! I saw your names on the wanted posters a while ago. Wow, you stole the birthday gifts, burned down Zhao's army, and seized Liangshan to become kings. You're something else!"

“In Qinghe County, a wealthy man wanted to seize my wife. He even conspired with a constable to do so. I had no choice but to kill them all and fled all the way to Qilin Village. However, because I attacked the government troops, even a general amnesty could not absolve me of my crimes.”

Liu Hong gave a wry smile.

“There was no other way. My master wanted us to join the army to serve our country and earn a name for ourselves through swords and spears. But I committed an unforgivable crime. The only way was to rebel and wait for the government to lose and then recruit me as a local soldier.”

"Nonsense! If you ask me, junior brothers and sisters, you're doing just fine on Liangshan. Drinking wine from big bowls, eating meat in big chunks, living a carefree life, isn't that wonderful? Don't even think about being granted amnesty! The Guanzhong Army is already one of the best armies in the Song Dynasty, but it's in complete chaos internally. With my abilities, I'd only be a military officer."

Even my master never rose through the ranks in the Kansai Army his entire life! He remained a low-ranking officer until his retirement. If you go there, you'll only be repeating the same path as my master and me.”

Lu Zhisheng waved his hand, quickly dissuading the two from having this idea.

"To put it bluntly, I think Master is getting senile. Is he still in Qilin Village? I'll go and pay him a visit when I have time."

Chapter 89: Free Trading in the Commercial Street (Bonus Chapter 1850!)

Wu Song was torn and conflicted. The reason she accompanied Liu Hong in the rebellion was because she was afraid that something would happen to her younger brother. She thought that having more people and more helpers would allow her to rejoin the army after being granted amnesty and earn fame and fortune on the border.

Now, her plans for the future have been dismissed as worthless by Lu Zhisheng, leaving her torn between her own conscience and her own desires.

At that moment, a few ruffians also returned with wine. Seeing that the two were Lu Zhisheng's fellow disciples, they invited Wu Song's second master and Liu Hong's third master to drink and chat together. They had a great time. That night, the three of them got drunk and fell to the ground, sleeping fully clothed.

"Senior sister, we have three purposes for this trip."

The next day, Liu Hong revealed the purpose of his trip.

"First, we need to establish a base in Tokyo, whether it's a shop on the ground or a Ghost Tower underground, to facilitate gathering information about the Song Dynasty court and acquire a large amount of intelligence."

"Secondly, the bandit group lacks gunpowder and iron ore. We need to buy them in large quantities from the Tokyo market, especially gunpowder! The more the better."

"Third, the mountain stronghold is in dire need of rebuilding and lacks everything. We need to establish a waterway route from Kaifeng to Liangshanbo along the Ji River and maintain its operation for long-term trade."

“That’s easy to say. I’m currently acting as a black glove for the Great Xiangguo Temple. I handle things that the masters can’t do themselves. There are many Ghost Fanlou nearby. Junior brother, just go and take down one and become the king of the cave.”

"However, be careful of a monk. Besides me, there is another monk in the Great Xiangguo Temple who is quite powerful. His martial arts skills are almost on par with mine."

Lu Zhisheng nodded.

"Trade is even simpler, but Junior Brother, you'd better send your subordinates. You two are both 2.4 meters tall and too conspicuous, especially you, with your golden wings—it's practically shouting, 'I'm a wanted criminal! Come and arrest me!'"

"In that case, junior brothers and sisters, please hide well here with me for the next few days."

"Then thank you, Senior Sister."

Liu Hong arranged for the hundred Liangshan soldiers who had followed him to stay in the underground Ghost Fanlou or the vegetable garden on the ground. Some of the clever ones took the gold and silver to the market to buy and sell important goods, while some of the reckless ones began to explore the Ghost Fanlou, hoping to set up a Liangshan branch in the bustling Tang Dynasty Ghost Fanlou.

The three sisters practiced their martial arts and exchanged experiences in this vegetable garden.

Wu Song preferred short-range dual swords, thus learning the "Rolling Dragon Golden Saber" and the "Drunken Tiger Blood Claw." These are also known as the Desert Wind Style and the Tiger Claw Style.

Liu Hong wanted to learn spear and staff techniques, so he learned the "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear" and the "Flying Dragon Staff Technique." These are also known as the White Crow Style and the Stone Dragon Style.

As for Lu Zhisheng, she came from the imperial army and was proficient in all eighteen weapons, but she preferred to use the iron rod the most. This thing is a long weapon with a long enough range to deal with cavalry, and its armor-piercing power is also extremely high. With the help of her superhuman strength, she easily smashed the armor of the Western Xia army.

Therefore, she also learned the Flying Dragon Staff Technique from Zhou Tong. Later, she entered the Buddhist order and devoted herself to cultivating the Diamond Sutra, also known as the Devout School.

At this moment, having entered the Buddhist order, her weapon changed from an iron rod to a water-polished Zen staff weighing a full 100 jin. Seeing that her junior brother was learning the same set of staff techniques as her, she was naturally overjoyed and exchanged combat experience with Liu Hong.

Originally, Lu Zhishen did want to forge a 100-jin (50 kg) water-polished monk's staff, but the blacksmith was surprised and said that Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade was only 82 jin (41 kg), and 100 jin (50 kg) was too heavy. Therefore, after thinking about it, he finally forged only 64 jin (32 catties).

In this magical world, Lu Zhisheng is extremely confident in his power. "Guan Yu is Guan Yu, and I am I! My demons gave me so much power, what's a hundred pounds?! Attack me!!!"

Therefore, her water-polished Zen staff really weighed a hundred pounds, twice the weight of the Scale Shadow Spear, and Liu Hong couldn't wield it at all.

The appearance of this water-polished Zen staff is not that of a theatrical Zen staff with a crescent shovel at one end and a horizontal axe at the other, as such a design was illegal in the Song Dynasty.

The appearance of this staff is more similar to that of Tang Sanzang's Buddhist staff. It weighs 100 jin and swings with great force. Ordinary people would die if they touched it or be injured if they were grazed by it. It is extremely powerful. Liu Hong and Wu Song praised it repeatedly.

Just as the three siblings were exchanging martial arts tips in the vegetable garden, the henchmen who went out to buy goods ran into trouble.

Li Hu was from Yuncheng, Jeju. He was born into an ordinary family and lived an ordinary life. His family's land was taken over by a local wealthy man, and he himself became a serf living under someone else's roof.

With no other option, he simply participated in the local peasant uprising and was subsequently granted amnesty and became a local soldier.

Although it paid me money and was comfortable, there was no way to get promoted and the salary was very low. I originally thought that I would just drift through life like this, but firing three arrows in battle would be enough to make up for the military pay given by the Emperor.

However, just a few days ago, this group of Xiang Army attacked Liangshan Marsh and were all captured. Afterwards, they all transformed into Liangshan soldiers, and the leader changed from Commander He Tao to the Great Sage of Chaos Liu Hong.

From then on, his life underwent a dramatic change. The new leader was incredibly generous, truly paying anyone who defeated him! Not only himself, but the brothers and sisters in the team also saw a significant increase in their fighting enthusiasm.

Not only that, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven also led them back to Yuncheng, where the wealthy man who had seized their land was killed, and their parents and brothers, who had become serfs, were liberated and even received land. The serfs were now singing songs of liberation.

From this point on, Li Hu was deeply grateful to Liu Hong and trained even harder among the Liangshan troops. This was also the reason why Liu Hong dared to bring him along – the people who came to Tokyo this time were all from Yuncheng County, whose hometown had been liberated, and they were the most loyal to him.

After searching the market, the group discovered that even Kaifeng, the economic center of the Song Dynasty, did not sell gunpowder. This substance was a government-controlled commodity and did not circulate in the market.

It's alright. The group settled for buying fireworks and firecrackers instead. Those things are filled with gunpowder. If I buy firecrackers, I can just take the gunpowder out when I get back, right?

While you're at it, buy some saltpeter and sulfur. Mix them in a ratio of one part saltpeter, two parts sulfur, and three parts charcoal, and you can make gunpowder, the most potent kind of black powder.

This time, the group succeeded. With the backing of merchants and the government, they could legally sell fireworks. Saltpeter and sulfur, used as medicinal materials, could be found in pharmacies. Charcoal, on the other hand, was something everyone needed for cooking and heating, and there was plenty of it on the market.

It's possible that because the Song Dynasty was still pursuing advanced technologies like the Shenbi crossbow and the triple-bow crossbow, firearms only just had a starting point. Gunpowder was strictly regulated, but not excessively so.

After all that trouble, Li Hu realized the fireworks were overpriced, so he took his men to buy raw materials. Saltpeter cost 210 wen per jin, and sulfur, which could only be produced near volcanoes and was extremely scarce and expensive, cost 1350 wen per jin. Charcoal, the most consumed material, was worthless, only 30 wen per jin.

As a compromise, the raw materials for one pound of gunpowder would cost 500 coins.

At this moment, Liangshan was rolling in money after robbing the birthday gifts and beating up a wealthy man. Their inventory was a full 75,000 strings of cash. Li Hu waved his hand and ordered 10,000 catties of gunpowder, which cost only 5,000 strings of cash.