Chapter One, Water Margin (Part One)

Oh, it turns out the alarm clock went off. Why is there no signal... I'm dizzy, it's now 10:30 PM. What on earth is going on

This fellow is akin to the reincarnation of Guan Yu, his formidable presence startling everyone into a hasty retreat

It was probably due to excessive force that when Li Fei turned around, he slipped and fell hard, landing in a rather embarrassing manner.

Li Fei then realized that most of the people entering the city were holding a bamboo plaque, which was embossed with exquisite patterns; how could he conjure one out of thin air

Li Fei imitated the ancient customs, cupping his fists and smiling: "Your Excellency, you have worked hard. I am neither a monk nor a spy, and I have no idea what the Black Liao Kingdom is. I only wish to enter the city to escape the wind and snow"

Regardless of the circumstances, I must leave this place to find somewhere warm; otherwise, I will soon be accompanied by these frozen corpses! I cast my gaze upon the main road, where the muddy snow bears the traces left by some pedestrians and vehicles, indicating that someone had passed by not long ago. Without giving it much thought, I stuffed the book into my inner clothing and hurriedly ran in that direction.

Li Fei stumbled out of the snowdrift, carelessly brushing off the snowflakes from his mouth, with a dazed smile still on his face

Unexpectedly, the assassin's other hand released another shot from the tube. It turned out that the previous wave was merely a bait to lure the enemy, while this wave was the real killing strike

In this moment, he was unsure whether to feel joy or shock: the joy of finally being free from exams and his mother's nagging, achieving complete freedom; the shock of being utterly unprepared, in this unfamiliar place where he had no acquaintances, not knowing when he might become a lifeless body ignored by passersby.

On the suspension bridge, many individuals with oxen and horses, or those carrying firewood, are entering the city with their identification tags; among them are dozens of thinly clad individuals, appearing to be refugees, jostling to blend into the crowd and gain entry into the city

My head is pounding painfully, and I cannot remember anything clearly. However, this vast, undulating expanse of white snow, along with the sparse trees by the roadside, appears utterly unfamiliar. Especially those strange branches protruding from the snow in the distance; heaven knows what kind of tree could grow so small and ugly.

With so many knives, he certainly cannot fight back, and the common people are angrily cursing him, not allowing him to escape. In a moment of desperation, Li Fei shouted, "There are not many people at the entrance; brothers who want to enter the city, rush in quickly! This opportunity is fleeting and will not come again!"

The refugees pushed forward, while the civilians with identification badges sought to retreat and avoid the conflict. They collided with one another, and even the cattle were startled. Chaos ensued on the suspension bridge, with many people being pushed off. The sounds of crying and shouting were deafening

The three individuals launched their attacks with slight differences in timing, and the three waves of nine steel arrows were almost shot out in succession. They were less than ten meters away from the military general, and the speed of the crossbow bolts was astonishingly fast, making it apparent that the general was facing certain death.

I noticed an old book bound in thread lying in the snow pit that had just been uncovered. I hurriedly picked it up and saw that the cover was inscribed with "Illustrated Water Margin." Upon opening the first page, I found the four large characters "Upholding Justice on Behalf of Heaven" arranged vertically in the center, with a complex red cinnabar talisman on the left side.

The general was indeed remarkable; his figure swayed slightly, and the large blade sprang to life, emitting dazzling flashes of light like waves rising in layers, sending all the steel arrows flying, yet not injuring a single civilian

The city guard leader rolled his eyes and asked, "Do you have a badge?"

He stopped in shock, only to see a general clad in full armor, wielding a nine-ring broadsword, leap down from the city wall. With a loud "bang," he landed in front of the crowd, the force of the impact scattering the dirt, snow, and mud on the ground in all directions.

Li Fei angrily said: "I was simply inquiring about something, and if you don't want to answer, that's fine, but why insult me? Please step aside and let me pass first"

Hand ... ... mobile phone ?

His original intention was merely to push the city guard leader aside, but unexpectedly, the leader was as light as a child, staggering and falling out. His foot slipped in the rotten ice and muddy snow, and he tumbled off the suspension bridge with a "thud," crashing into the icy river, creating a human-shaped hole in the ice surface.

There is no director, no camera, no sound engineer, and no makeup artist... This is not filming a movie, it is absolutely not filming a movie! My goodness, he actually, unexpectedly, truly traveled through time!

Before he finished speaking, his phone was damaged with a "hiss" sound due to water seeping in from the snow. Angered, he threw this so-called "waterproof, theft-proof, and drop-proof" phone far away, not knowing where it landed among the snowdrifts.

The small leader of the city guards came out upon seeing this and shouted angrily: "What are you pushing for! What is all this noise! You, monk, dressed strangely and speaking with an odd accent, could you be a spy from the Black Liao Kingdom?"

A loud thunderclap erupted beside him, leaving him dizzy and disoriented, while enormous golden characters flashed before his eyes: "Spirit energy enters the orifice, cleansing the tendons and marrow; the malevolent star possesses spirit, commanding gods and ghosts; penetrating the acupoints and solidifying the soul, the spiritual body becomes golden; the heavenly star enters the body, ascending to the white sun..."

The city guards in the doorway saw that his agility surpassed that of a flea. Although seven or eight more people emerged, they did not dare to approach too closely. They merely waved their knives, making a whistling sound, and shouted loudly: "Capture the spy, do not let him escape!"

The last few people carrying firewood turned around, their big eyes staring at the small ones, as if they had seen Martians. Then they all turned back, and a chorus of different voices erupted: "Madman!"

Li Fei quickly crouched down and dug out the counterfeit iPhone from the snow.

The blizzard has ceased, and the sky is tinged with a strange rose-red hue, reminiscent of a type of foreign wine that others have once offered him.

He seemed to recall something and instinctively reached out to touch that symbol

Not far ahead, the outline of a city wall gradually emerged, prompting Li Fei to quicken his pace. The scenery before him became increasingly clear, yet his heart sank; it turned out to be an ancient city. The walls were over ten meters high, surrounded by a moat. On the city walls, soldiers clad in armor and wielding long spears and broadswords patrolled back and forth, while inside the city gate, about twenty guards were inspecting those entering the city.

What kind of place is this? Has the apocalypse arrived early? I can't possibly be dead too! He suspiciously touched his chest, and feeling his heart still beating strongly in its place, he slowly let out a sigh of relief

After running a few steps, I began to feel somewhat awake. I should not have been drunk last night; even if I were, I wouldn't be drunk enough to end up in the Arctic, would I? Where could there be such thick snow? Could it be that this icy world is also an illusion?

The city guard leader glared with small eyes and said: "Hmph, how dare you be so arrogant without a waist badge! With hair this short, you still claim not to be a monk! The Black Liao army is pressing in, and there are refugees everywhere. You actually say you don't know what the Black Liao Kingdom is? Clearly, you are speaking nonsense with your eyes wide open. Someone, take him down!"

Several city guards responded immediately, and the leader of the guards drew his sword with one hand while reaching for Li Fei with the other. Li Fei found it strange that the man's hand did not extend quickly, so he used his left hand to push it away and forcefully pushed with his right hand against the man's chest

The two city guards rushed forward, wielding their dual blades. Li Fei quickly retreated, grabbing a person beside him and pushing them forward, using them as a shield. Then, he crouched down and darted under the belly of a horse, making his way past.

He was so frightened that he kept retreating, nearly tripping over another corpse in the snow and landing on his back.

"Who dares to storm the city? Where is the law of the land!" The general shouted in anger, swinging his sword. A wave of sword energy swept over like a ribbon, causing the cotton-padded coats of the first few men to be torn at the chest, leaving their skin lacerated and bleeding.

It turns out that those short trees I saw earlier are ... ! ... the frozen corpses of arms !

The dense crowd became agitated, and those nearby were nearly pushed off the suspension bridge. The crowd responded with angry curses, but upon seeing him acting somewhat erratically, they all understood that a madman can sometimes be more terrifying than a rogue, and they had no choice but to create some space for him to push his way to the front.

Li Fei exclaimed "Oh my!" as if he had mistakenly grabbed a cobra, hurriedly tossing the book aside. He shook his head, dug at his ears, and blinked; where were there any sounds of thunder or words?

Everyone thought he was trying to cut in line, but instead he stood in the middle, blocking the way.

Is this a sacred text or a cursed one? He shivered again, but this time it was not just fear; it was the cold wind seeping into his clothes. He was only wearing a thin autumn shirt along with a set of jeans. He distinctly remembered it was autumn, having just passed the National Day holiday, so how could there be such heavy snow?

Ah... how unfortunate!

Beneath the snow, it seems that the sounds of suona and gongs are echoing, and there are also people singing: "When encountering injustice, let out a roar, strike when the time is right, boldly traverse the nine provinces..."

Li Fei ran over and loudly asked, "Excuse me, uncles, what place is this, and which dynasty is it?"

Last night, did I get into a fight with some jerk at the bar again? Most likely, after being dealt with by that senior, who is at least half a head taller than me, nicknamed "Optimus Prime," I was dragged out here to this desolate place like a wild dog

With a sense of resentment, I grasped a "branch" beside me and struggled to rise. Suddenly, I felt something was amiss with the texture in my hand. Looking down, I realized it was not a branch at all, but rather the frozen, stiff arm of a corpse.

"Charge! Charge!" The refugees mixed in the crowd have long awaited such an opportunity. As soon as someone incites them, they surge forward like a released flood, knocking the city guards to the ground and even pushing down the drawbridge. The barricades blocking the entrance are also overturned to the side.

Illusion, it must be an illusion! He steeled himself to pick up the book and reached out to touch the runes; indeed, there was no response. After calming his mind, he continued to flip through the pages, which were filled with meticulous portraits of figures, the brushwork vivid and the lines refined, depicting the heroes of Liangshan.

Li Fei charged forward with the refugees, quickly passing through the archway. Suddenly, he felt the sky darken, and a tremendous pressure descended upon him like a waterfall, the fierce wind cutting through him as if he were being sliced by blades, making it nearly impossible for him to breathe

Li Fei let out a cold laugh: "You bunch of fools, do you think you can block the entrance like this? Have I been squeezing onto buses for over ten years for nothing?" With his legs slightly bent and his body leaning forward, he took a reckless stance and charged ahead, pushing and shoving, darting left and right, shouting: "No responsibility for dead chickens or ducks, medical expenses for broken arms and legs are self-managed, those afraid of dying should step aside!"

Li Fei was taken aback. Was it that the people in this world were particularly light, or had his own strength increased? This could really cause trouble

At that moment, three refugees in the crowd raised their arms towards the military officer, and the sound of "bang bang bang" echoed. With each sound, three steel arrows, each about eight inches long, were shot out, their pointed tips glinting with a hint of blue light

The crowd was in a state of chaos, resembling startled chicks. A city guard rushed forward, swinging a blade at him. Li Fei was not someone easily bullied; since trouble had already been stirred up, he decided to go all out. He dodged to the side, seized the guard's arm, and forcefully flung him away, lifting him off the ground and throwing him down to the suspension bridge below