Chapter 1, The Water Margin (Part II)

What are the "Tianjing Dynasty" and the "Duke of the State"? Li Fei had never heard of them, which only leaves one possibility: he has crossed over to another world! He couldn't help but feel anxious and hurriedly asked: "How many major countries are there in the world?"

Fang Jin is a rough man, and he opened his mouth but could not respond immediately. At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed in a long gown, with a fair face and a short beard, who appeared quite refined, approached: "I am Fang Zhimai, Fang Jin's cousin. I will speak on his behalf. This is Donghe City, which belongs to the fief of the Duke of Zhen Guo. We are subjects of the Tianjing Dynasty, and this year is the 32nd year of Longfeng..." This is Donghe City, which belongs to the fief of the Duke of Zhen Guo. We are subjects of the Tianjing Dynasty, and this year is the 32nd year of Longfeng...

At this moment, he finally had the time to examine the book closely. The cover featured a landscape painting, with distant mountains and nearby waters. By the water's edge stood a small thatched shop, its wine flag fluttering high at the entrance, while a few people inside were drinking together. Next to it, in neat clerical script, were the words "Illustrated Water Margin".

The soldiers on the tower, witnessing their leader being assassinated, shouted angrily and drew their bows to shoot at the civilians on the drawbridge outside, causing several people to fall to the ground in response to the arrows.

Around the other bonfire, there were more than twenty strong men, all armed with sticks and machetes, watching vigilantly. If Li Fei were to act ruthlessly, they would surely rush forward in a swarm. The rest were mostly elderly, children, and women, with at least a hundred people in the entire temple, and many of them were ill, coughing in unison

It is extremely unfortunate; it is better to hurry back to one's own world! However, in order to return, one must first understand how one arrived here. He strained to think, but his mind was blank, with no recollection whatsoever. Could it be that he lost part of his memory due to a concussion while crossing over?

Li Fei took out the book again. He could not remember how he arrived in this world, but this book belonged to his own world. When he touched it, there were both thunder and flashes of golden light. It was certain that hetushucomcom held a secret. If there was still a way to return, it must be related to it.

Li Fei silently cursed his luck, using the carriage and others as cover, and managed to escape across the suspension bridge in one breath. The people outside the city were unaware of what had transpired within; seeing the soldiers shooting arrows indiscriminately, they all turned and fled, leaving dozens of corpses at the city gate

If these people are truly provoked, it may be unbearable for oneself. Seeing that they are pitiable refugees, Li Fei felt a bit soft-hearted. It is not appropriate to display heroism in front of refugees, so he put away the wooden stick: "It's enough to comply. I never intended to fight for territory with you; I just want to warm myself by the fire. There's no need to go to such lengths, right? At home, one relies on parents; when out, one relies on friends. Please, come and sit down."

Seven or eight men brandished clubs, drew daggers, and spread out to confront Li Fei

The front of the book features portraits of the one hundred and eight heroes, while the back includes the main supporting characters from "Water Margin," such as Gao Yanei, Fan Jinlian, and Emperor Huizong, among others. There is no main text of the novel. The paper is high-quality Xuan paper, and the characters are outlined with an extremely fine brush, with simple yet expressive lines

As the person swung the stick down, he easily dodged to the side, grabbing the wooden stick and pulling it away. At that moment, the attacks from the others arrived. Li Fei swung the stick, and with two loud "bangs," he knocked the short sticks out of the hands of two individuals. The momentum of the wooden stick did not diminish, and it struck the third person down to the ground

Li Fei was stunned; he was just a second-year high school student who had never seriously practiced martial arts. Standing at 1.7 meters tall and appearing somewhat thin, although fighting was a common occurrence for him, he had always won less and lost more. He was jokingly nicknamed "One Hit Fly," as he was the one who got knocked away. How could he suddenly possess such great strength?

He took out "The Illustrated Water Margin" from his underwear, quickly flipped through the book, and the most suspicious thing was, of course, that talisman. He rubbed his finger over it, mimicking the scene of a Taoist priest performing a ritual from a television drama, reciting: "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, may the Supreme Lord appear, quickly send me back home."

If one were to travel back to ancient times, knowing some historical events would equate to understanding the fates of nations and notable figures, thus making it much easier to navigate through life. However, arriving in an unfamiliar world with no knowledge would not only present a significant disadvantage but also pose great risks, especially in a place where the roads are littered with frozen bones and human life is as insignificant as grass. It would be wise to find a way to return as soon as possible

Where there is a road, there are people; moving forward will surely lead to villages and towns. He shrank his head, crossed his arms, and ran forward along the road with his feet spread apart.

Several burly men hurriedly knelt down and pleaded for mercy: "We have been disrespectful just now; it is our fault. We ask the young hero to show mercy."

Li Fei asked the leader of the group, "What is your name, and why are there so many people here?"

Oh God, what kind of world is this? Dead bodies, wars, assassins, flying swords, lives trampled like wild grass... ? ... This is truly the end, that Taoist priest and the officials will surely consider themselves one of the assassins, entering the city is absolutely impossible now, and those refugees who have suffered greatly will not let me go either, where can I go now?

A dazzling beam of light shot into the city, spinning in mid-air like the sudden appearance of a sun. The heads of several people in front, along with those of three assassins, flew up, and blood gushed from their necks like a fountain.

He sprinted at a speed comparable to that of a hundred-meter dash, running all the way to the edge of the forest nearly a thousand meters from the city, before finally diving into it, at which point he was able to calm himself slightly

The general's momentum had already waned, and he hurriedly sidestepped to evade, but it was too late. Two poisoned arrows had struck his shoulder and side, and a wave of black gas instantly rose on his face

Several young men stood up by the other campfires, intending to come over and help. However, in the blink of an eye, the outcome was already decided. Li Fei's extraordinary bravery left them so startled that they halted in their tracks

At this moment, Li Fei finally saw clearly the large man who had instigated the trouble. He was in his thirties, about 1.8 meters tall, with a square face, a prominent nose, and a face covered in stubble. The other seven or eight men were all strong, in their twenties or thirties, wearing tattered clothes, with pale faces, clearly refugees.

Li Feiyue stepped forward, stepping on the leader's foot, and swung the stick above his head, saying: "I wonder which is harder, the watermelon or your head?"

"Try cursing again, will you?" Li Fei was convinced that he had become a little superhero, emboldened and strong. Without waiting for them to encircle him, he swiftly charged at a person holding a stick

After rubbing it dozens of times with no response, he rubbed the four characters "Acting on Behalf of Heaven" in the middle, yet there was still no reaction. Li Fei, anxious, stomped his feet, reciting the names of the Jade Emperor, Buddha, and God, hoping for a miracle as he frantically rubbed and searched. However, he felt despair; it was just a painting, just paper, and nothing unusual occurred.

Song Jiang with a black face and a smile, Lu Junyi with an imposing presence, Wu Yong with a feather fan and a square scarf, Gongsun Sheng with an ethereal demeanor... Apart from the somewhat conspicuous talisman on the first page, there is nothing unusual in other places

Thief, how dare you

"Spare me, young hero, I concede."

Li Fei could not help but feel fortunate; fortunately, when he sensed something was amiss, he stopped and retreated, promptly pushing back with all his strength towards the books. Otherwise, the creature that fed on his neck would have already taken its toll. The refugees, as if awakening from a dream, screamed loudly and rushed in a frenzy towards the city outskirts

My name is Fang Jin, and I am from beyond the pass. We fled here because the Black Liao Kingdom invaded, and we all escaped from beyond the pass.

Li Fei felt that the foot was coming a bit slowly, as if the video recording was playing at one and a half times slower than normal. Without a moment's hesitation, he pressed down on the foot with one hand and then threw a punch, landing squarely on the opponent's chest

"Blind your dog eyes!" someone shouted angrily, kicking over.

Once again, it is the Black Liao Kingdom. Li Fei furrowed his brows, as it seemed that there was no record of this country in historical memory: "What place is this, which country does it belong to, and what is the year of the calendar?"

Li Fei swung his bat wildly; although there was no technique, he excelled in speed and strength. Some people were struck on the arms, causing their knives and bats to slip from their hands, while others were hit on the legs and fell to the ground. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight men cried out in pain, rolling and crawling away in a hurry

Several individuals, both startled and fearful, cautiously approached while touching their painful spots, yet they did not dare to come too close. The others by the fire also returned to their seats.

Our Tianjing Dynasty has a history of six hundred years and is the foremost great nation in the world; to the north lies the Heiliang Kingdom, known for its abundant iron resources, whose people often have blue eyes and yellow hair, also referred to as the Rakshasa Kingdom; to the south is the Hamiguo Kingdom, which venerates its monks and is known for its sorcery; to the west is the Jinmeng Kingdom, renowned for its equestrian skills and archery, all of which can be considered great nations in today's world

The burly man who was thrown out struggled to get up and shouted angrily: "You little bastard, dare to hit me? Everyone, come at him, beat him to death!"

The entire book has yellowed pages, with the corners curled and damaged, and it is at least a hundred years old. Neither the cover nor the inner pages bear the author's name or any seal, nor do we know from which dynasty it originated

If he delayed any longer, he would freeze stiff. He put away hetushu.com and ran out of the forest, stepping forward through the snow-covered farmland, alternating between deep and shallow steps. He noticed a nearby path leading into another grove, with numerous footprints visible in the snow.

The flying sword—Xianxia? That magical flying sword brought him immense shock; it was precisely the object he had once yearned for. However, it was not he who wielded the flying sword, but rather someone who wished to kill him, akin to an invitation from the King of Hell

As I ran, the cold wind pierced through my clothes, chilling me to the bone. I had fled for a good seven or eight miles when I caught sight of a building peeking through the trees. The mud walls were damaged, and the two large doors, with their red paint peeling off, creaked in the cold wind. It turned out to be a dilapidated mountain god temple, from which smoke was still rising.

The Taoist paused briefly, as the radiant sword that could slice through a person's head like tofu flew back to its origin. A Taoist priest let out a long whistle, almost stepping through the air to catch the sword. He quickly took a gourd from his waist and poured out elixirs to save the fallen warrior. His pair of hawk-like sharp eyes, however, intentionally or unintentionally swept over Li Fei's face, startling Li Fei into not daring to look back, and he lowered his head to flee.

Li Fei was overjoyed and rushed through the main door without a second glance. Inside was a grand hall, adorned with several statues of deities. In front and behind the hall were several piles of firewood, and many people were gathered around to keep warm. He immediately dashed towards the most lively pile of fire, pushing aside several people in succession.

That book must have some issues

He suddenly understood that it was not the city gate guard and the person in front of him who were slow or light in body, but rather that his own reaction speed had increased and his strength had grown! It is very likely that during the process of crossing over, his physique had changed, and his abilities had significantly improved, including a substantial enhancement in running speed and evasion capability

With a loud bang, a man weighing at least 150 jin stumbled backward for five or six meters, knocking down the two people behind him