Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 168 Dong Chengning Refuses to Surrender, Wang Yan Is Eager for Revenge

After this battle, almost all of Tian Biao's troops were lost.

Li Hanxiao and his men captured more than a hundred prisoners of Tian Hu's army, including "Purple-Faced General" Zhang Xiong and Dong Cheng.

After cleaning up the battlefield, Li Hanxiao made a decisive move and led his troops away from the original location, traveling fifty miles along mountain roads. With such a large commotion and so many corpses, they were likely to be discovered, so they had to leave as soon as possible.

Finally, under the cover of night, Li Hanxiao found a secluded spot and set up camp in a cave.

He still had something to do, which was to interrogate "Purple-Faced General" Zhang Xiong and Dong Cheng at night, so as to find out exactly where Tian Hu's stronghold was.

Previously, Li Hanxiao had sent people to interrogate the henchmen, only to find that these soldiers were not in Tian Hu's own lair, but were the troops brought by Tian Biao, and had no idea where Tian Hu was.

Li Hanxiao then realized that this must be a protective measure taken by Tian Hu to hide himself.

It's estimated that only Tian Hu's subordinates, at the level of leaders, would likely know Tian Hu's exact location.

Therefore, it is still very important for Li Hanxiao to get these two people to talk.

The oil lamp cast a flickering shadow on the stone wall. Li Hanxiao flicked his sword with his finger, the metallic clang echoing through the cell.

Dong Cheng was bound to a wooden rack with a yak sinew rope. Fragments of the Po Feng knife were scattered at his feet, and the broken blade, weighing thirty pounds, still gleamed with a ghostly light.

Li Hanxiao first conducted some background research, and learned about Dong Cheng's information and past experiences from Tian Hu's soldier.

Without these skills, it's extremely difficult to persuade or interrogate someone.

"Dong Cheng, the head镖师 (镖头,镖师 is a term for镖局, meaning镖局, a type of镖局, and its镖局 is a type of镖局). Unfortunately, when you were escorting goods to Nanyang Prefecture, thirty-two cartloads of Shu brocade were robbed by bandits from the Taihang Mountains, and all the accompanying镖师 were killed."

Li Hanxiao suddenly spoke, his fingertips brushing against the caltrops on the torture rack. "Back then, although you fought desperately, you were no match for so many opponents. You were severely injured and left by the roadside, barely clinging to life. Later, Tian Hu led three hundred cavalrymen to retrieve your goods and even gave you fifty taels of gold for treatment—you remembered this kindness for three years and three months, and afterwards you followed Tian Hu. Am I right?"

Li Hanxiao told Dong Cheng everything. Dong Cheng suddenly looked up, causing the chains binding him to rattle.

He remembered that snowy morning when Tian Hu threw a blood-stained package in front of him, inside which was the head of the bandit leader.

At that time, he did not know that those "subordinates" of Tian Hu were actually assassins personally trained by Tian Hu.

Dong Cheng had to repay this favor. He stared at Li Han and said without any politeness, "You actually knew about this. Since you already know, why did you come to me? Just kill me!"

Dong Cheng's attitude was very tough.

"Why kill you? I see you're a grateful person, and you might even become one of my Liangshan brothers..."

Before Li Han could finish his joke, Dong Cheng interrupted him, saying, "You bastard! What! I, Dong Cheng, will never surrender! A loyal minister does not serve two masters, and a good woman does not marry two husbands. I will never surrender... What? You are from Liangshan?"

After Dong Cheng explained for a while, it became clear that they were actually from Liangshan.

"I am Li Hanxiao, the leader of Liangshan Marsh."

Li Hanxiao introduced himself and his family. Upon hearing this, Dong Cheng nodded, "No wonder he's so powerful..."

Dong Cheng had also heard of Li Hanxiao's reputation. Li Hanxiao's reputation in the martial arts world was indeed illustrious. If it weren't for the fact that Li Hanxiao's deeds hadn't yet spread on the way to Shaohua Mountain, he would probably have already become famous throughout the world!

"Does a loyal minister not serve two masters?"

After listening to Dong Cheng's explanation, Li Han suddenly grabbed a handful of charcoal ash and scattered it on the ground, where tiny sparks of unburnt embers were visible.

"On the fifteenth of last month, it was your men, Tian Hu's men, who led the army to massacre the village at the foot of Baodu Mountain. Seventy-four women and children were driven into the granary and burned. An eight-year-old girl, clutching half a sugar figurine, crawled out of the fire, only to be thrown into a well by you bastards. Eight years old! Just eight! How could you do such a thing?"

Dong Cheng's pupils suddenly contracted. He did remember what Li Hanxiao had said. In fact, he didn't want Tian Hu and his men to do such things, but after all, Tian Hu was known as the "King of Justice." It was not right for him to kill and rob ordinary people.

However, Tian Hu also had his own set of arguments. He said that to live, you have to seize the interests of others, otherwise no one can survive. He would only give justice to those who followed him, but as for others, he didn't care...

Just then, the sound of metal clashing suddenly came from outside the cave.

Wang Yan's knuckles turned white as he gripped the broadsword, the image of his younger sister being raped and killed by Tian Hujun flashing before his eyes.

Wang Yanli stood at the intersection of the lamplight and shadow, resembling a terracotta figurine with wide-open, angry eyes.

His beard and hair, which had not been shaved for half a month, were matted together, with a piece of dried skin stuck in them—it was bitten off with his teeth when he killed Tian Hu's subordinate general in battle a few days ago.

His eyes were bloodshot like a spider web, but his pupils were shrunk to the size of pinpoints, as if he wanted to pierce holes in everything in the world. The old scar on his left cheek, which ran diagonally from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth, was now writhing like a centipede due to the spasm of his facial muscles. Twenty-seven scabbed teeth marks covered his lower lip, and the newest bleeding gash was from when he bit through it half an hour ago when he heard the news of Dong Cheng's death.

Wang Yan's chest heaved violently, each breath accompanied by a hissing sound like a broken bellows. His ten fingers dug deeply into the elmwood hilt of his sword. His black battle robe was already covered in salt and blood stains, forming armor-like patterns. Most terrifying of all were his eyes. When Li Hanxiao mentioned the name "Tian Hu," Wang Yan's pupils suddenly dilated, a black tide engulfing his entire eye sockets, as if a demon was trying to break free from his skull. The veins on his forehead throbbed wildly, shaking off the dust covering his face and revealing the purplish flesh beneath.

Seven worm-like veins bulged on the back of his hand holding the knife, one of which burst due to excessive pressure, the blood trickling down the slab of the iron knife and converging into a stream between the engravings of "Revenge" on the hilt.

"Chief, hand him over to me, I'll skin him alive!"

"His entire family died at the hands of your Tian Hu army. Tell me, what wrong have they done, they were honest, law-abiding citizens?"

"Tian Hu gave you a new life, but millions had to be buried with you."

Li Hanxiao suddenly ripped open Dong Cheng's shirt, revealing a ferocious tiger head tattoo on his chest. "I heard from your Tian Hu's soldiers that this blood oath mark was tattooed with cinnabar mixed in, right? It seems to be proof of Tian Hu's so-called sworn brotherhood with you. This so-called King of Justice is fair to you, but unfair to others, resorting to slaughter. What kind of King of Justice is that? One day, I will carefully slice this bastard to pieces!"

"you dare!"

Dong Cheng let out a beast-like growl, and the three strands of the ox tendon rope suddenly snapped.

"You scoundrel from Liangshan, stop spreading your heretical rumors! You're asking for death!"

Dong Cheng suddenly sprang into action, the broken chains sweeping towards Li Han's smiling face like venomous snakes. He had been secretly exerting his strength for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, waiting for this thunderous strike.

Li Hanxiao seemed to have anticipated that Dong Cheng would be able to break free of the chains. He lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his innate pure energy carried him away.

The broken chain grazed Li Hanxiao's nose, sending sparks three feet long flying off the stone wall.

Just then, Wang Yan, whose eyes were bloodshot, swung his broadsword down, but Dong Cheng twisted his body to dodge it. The blade struck the rack, sending wood chips flying like snow.

"Watch out!"

Yang Zhi's cry of alarm came from outside the prison door. Dong Cheng had already grabbed a fragment of the Po Feng Blade and stabbed it towards Li Hanxiao's throat; the broken blade gleamed with a ghostly blue light in the dim cave.

This strike embodied the ultimate move he had made during his twenty years as a bodyguard, called "Meteor Chasing the Moon." Unfortunately, the blade was now destroyed, and its power was reduced to less than one-tenth. However, at such close range, he felt he could still win.

Li Hanxiao suddenly formed a sword shape with his fingers, and the Great Celestial Immortal Technique condensed into a golden aura around him, pinching the broken blade with one finger.

The broken blade could not advance any further, stopping three inches from the throat. Then, another kick was delivered, directly splitting Dong Cheng's tiger's mouth. But then, a blue light flickered from the opponent's fingertips, and innate pure energy transformed into power. Li Hanxiao delivered another punch, the power directly piercing through Dong Cheng's shoulder blade.

Although it's described as physical output, Li Hanxiao is still able to transform it into powerful force.

"One last question: where is Tian Hu's lair? I know there are many people in this world who are not afraid of death, and I have never wanted to threaten others with my own death. But if I truly have no other choice, then this is the only option I can have..."

Before Li Han could finish his joke, Dong Cheng suddenly bit his tongue, and blood shot straight into his eyes.

This move is the legendary "biting one's tongue to commit suicide," but in reality, the human tongue has a rich network of nerves. Even if you think you have bitten your tongue with all your might, your body will instinctively feel pain and will drive your instincts to protect yourself, causing your teeth to loosen and your tongue to retract.

The tongue is the hardest muscle in the human body. The biting force of human teeth is not strong enough to bite off the tongue in one go; it can only leave teeth marks or cause bleeding. But it is unlikely to bite off the entire tongue.

However, some unexpected situations cannot be ruled out. In a sudden emergency, if the speed and force are strong enough, and there is no time to react, it may bite a notch in the tongue or bite it in half, but it is unlikely to bite off the whole tongue.

Just as Li Hanxiao was about to stop him, Dong Cheng suddenly kicked Wang Yan to the ground. Caught off guard, Wang Yan threw his broadsword into the air. Just as he was about to grab it, Dong Cheng snatched it from his hand.

Dong Cheng's plan was to fake suicide, but in reality, he bit his tongue and spat out blood to lure Li Hanxiao to his rescue. His real intention was to turn the tables!

With a blade in hand, Dong Cheng unleashed a dazzling light towards Li Hanxiao's lower body, but Li Hanxiao remained unperturbed, dodging the blade and delivering a high kick that struck Dong Cheng directly on the back of the head.

"Um……"

Dong Cheng felt as if his head had been struck by a sledgehammer, and his mind went completely blank.

This kick knocked Dong Cheng unconscious, and he could no longer hold the broadsword in his hand!

Wang Yan immediately got up, picked up the broadsword that had fallen to the ground, and seized the opportunity to strike Dong Cheng in the back.

When the blade pierced three inches into the flesh, amidst a shower of blood, Dong Cheng's head was severed by Wang Yan's blade, and he was completely dead.

"His martial arts were impressive, what a pity. Give him a proper burial."

Li Hanxiao tucked his hand into his sleeve. He hadn't originally intended to kill Dong Cheng outright, but he hadn't expected Wang Yan to make the move.

"What? Chieftain, the one who gave Tian Hu a proper burial!"

Although Wang Yan had beheaded Dong Cheng in one fell swoop, he still harbored great hatred for Tian Hu.

"He doesn't have any direct hatred towards you either, and he's a man who would rather die than submit."

Li Hanxiao left with these words. He originally wanted to leave immediately, but then thought about it, went back, patted Wang Yan on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "You must remember, people will always be extremely hostile or hateful towards a certain group because of the problems of a few people. Do you think this is right? I won't give you the answer to this question, nor do I need to give you any predetermined answer. You just need to persevere in finding the answer to this question yourself."

"When you find the answer to this question, that will be the moment of your own enlightenment. And you must know that hatred is like a thorn under your skin. The more you hate, the deeper it will pierce, and sooner or later it will take your life. Alright, remember this, and clean this place up!"

Although Wang Yan remembered what Li Hanxiao said, he really couldn't understand the deeper meaning behind Li Hanxiao's words...

Now that Dong Cheng is dead, only Zhang Xiong remains. Li Hanxiao had learned about Zhang Xiong's experiences from Tian Hu's soldiers; he was also a typical example of "oppression leading to rebellion."

Now that only this one person remains, we absolutely cannot afford to fail. We must succeed on the first try and extract Tian Hu's location from him.

As Zhu Wu, the "divine strategist," watched Dong Cheng's decapitated body being carried out of Shandong, he, who was not stupid at all, knew exactly what had happened.

So he approached Li Han and said with a smile, "Chief Li, I don't think Zhang Xiong is easy to persuade to surrender. If you want to persuade him, you'll have to come up with a different idea..."

Li Hanxiao saw that the person who came was "Divine Strategist" Zhu Wu, and thought to himself that this guy waving a feather fan must have some ideas and came to offer advice.

So Li Hanxiao didn't stand on ceremony and asked directly, "What? Brother Zhu Wu, do you have a plan?"

Zhu Wu smiled and said, "Women adorn themselves for those who appreciate them, and men die for those who understand them. I've heard that Zhang Xiong was saved by Tian Hu, so he's also loyal to Tian Hu. If you want to persuade him to surrender, you must show him kindness..."

"It's a pity, I wonder what kind of kindness or favor is needed to win him over..."

Although Li Hanxiao didn't hear anything particularly insightful, he could tell that Zhu Wu had also inquired about Zhang Xiong's situation from the prisoners, and his thinking was quite advanced as well...