Water Margin: Hu Sanniang and I swapped clothes

"...Having nowhere else to go, I had no choice but to come and seek refuge with my junior brother, but unexpectedly, I fell into a trap while passing through Dengyun Mountain!"

At the banquet, Luan Tingyu drank several bowls of wine and then poured out all his grievances:

"Luckily, I met you, brother..."

Luan Tingyu held Sun Xin's hand with a sigh.

If he hadn't met Sun Xin, he would most likely have died under mysterious circumstances.

These days, many heroes roam the world, only to eventually pass away peacefully in their graves.

That's it!

Sun Xin never expected that Luan Tingyu would appear here, only because he, this little butterfly, flapped his wings.

In the original novel, Luan Tingyu's death was shrouded in mystery, only mentioned briefly by Song Jiang:

"It's a pity that we killed that hero, Luan Tingyu."

This can be considered one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in Water Margin.

Because Luan Tingyu was nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead, and it was not even revealed who killed him.

However, even if Luan Tingyu hadn't died and had escaped, he certainly wouldn't have come to join Sun Li.

After all, he was killed because of Sun Li's scheme.

This time, it was Sun Xin, disguised as Hu Sanniang, who helped Song Jiang destroy the Zhu Family Village.

So after Luan Tingyu escaped, he had nowhere to go, so it was only natural that he came to Dengzhou to seek refuge with his junior brother Sun Li.

As a result, Luan Tingyu, that unlucky fellow, fell into a trap on Dengyun Mountain and became the prey of Zou Yuan and Zou Run.

He would have died if Sun Xin hadn't arrived in time, so Luan Tingyu was extremely grateful to Sun Xin.

Even if we round up or down, this is the grace of saving a life.

"Why are you being so formal, brother?"

Sun Xin touched his wine bowl to his with deep affection:

"You and my brother have been learning from the same master since childhood and are as close as brothers. You also watched your younger brother grow up!"

"There's no need to say more about our friendship. Now that you've come to Dengzhou, if I have a steamed bun, you'll definitely have half a steamed bun too!"

"I won't say more, it's all in the wine!"

Sun Xin's words warmed Luan Tingyu's heart, and after downing a bowl of strong liquor, he was completely intoxicated.

After Luan Tingyu finished telling his story, Zou Yuan asked Sun Xin:

"Second Brother, what is it that requires our help?"

Sun Xin sighed and told the story of how Xie Zhen and Xie Bao had been framed at the dinner table.

Without hesitation, Zou Yuan said, "I have about twenty trusted men here. Let's get this done tomorrow!"

Luan Tingyu actually didn't want to break into the prison.

He sought refuge with Sun Li to gain a better life; wouldn't breaking into prison make him a wanted criminal?

But Sun Xin just saved his life today, and Zou Yuan and Zou Run have both expressed their support, so how can he stand idly by?

Therefore, Luan Tingyu also said, "Brother, I must be included in this matter!"

"Thank you, brother!"

Sun Xin had been waiting for him to say those words.

A fierce general of Luan Tingyu's caliber is a rare find.

Although Zou Yuan and Zou Run were loyal, their strength was limited. With Luan Tingyu by their side, it was like having a bomb in their hands.

Although Luan Tingyu is only considered a 4-3 in terms of bombs, even the smallest bomb is still a bomb.

"Brother, don't be so formal with me. If it weren't for you today..."

Luan Tingyu realized halfway through his sentence that it wasn't a good idea, since he had already made peace with Zou Yuan.

Bringing up this matter repeatedly makes it seem like he still harbors resentment towards Zou Yuan.

So Luan Tingyu learned a trick from Sun Xin and used it on the spot:

"I won't say more, it's all in the wine!"

After Sun Xin and Luan Tingyu had drunk a bowl of wine, Zou Yuan said:

"But after I do this tomorrow, I won't be able to stay here any longer..."

coming!

Upon hearing this, Sun Xin knew exactly what Zou Yuan wanted to say. In the original story, this was exactly what Zou Yuan had suggested going to Liangshan Marsh:

"Now Liangshan is very prosperous, and Song Jiang is very willing to recruit talented people."

"When he saw that three of my acquaintances were there—Yang Lin the Leopard, Deng Fei the Fiery-Eyed Lion, and Shi Yong the Stone General—they had all been with him for a long time."

"We rescued your two brothers; how about we both go to Liangshan Marsh and join our ranks?"

From Zou Yuan's perspective, he definitely wanted to join Liangshan, since he had many acquaintances there.

Moreover, Liangshan Marsh had gained considerable influence in Shandong and had become a force to be reckoned with, far surpassing Dengyun Mountain.

But Sun Xin didn't want to join the Liangshan bandits.

If he had no other choice, he wouldn't have wanted to join Liangshan even when he was called Hu Sanniang.

There's no other reason than that his legs and feet aren't strong enough to kneel down!

Sun Xin was preparing to refute Zou Yuan after he finished speaking, but then he heard Zou Yuan say:

"I had thought of a place to go, but after thinking it over, it still didn't seem right..."

Zou Yuan glanced quickly at Luan Tingyu.

He thought he had done it discreetly, but Sun Xin saw it all and knew that he was wary of Luan Tingyu.

After all, Luan Tingyu had already become enemies with Liangshan Marsh. Going to Liangshan Marsh would be putting Luan Tingyu in a difficult position.

This saved Sun Xin the trouble of explaining, so Sun Xin took the opportunity to suggest:

"I've also thought of a place to go."

Zou Yuan: "Where to?"

Sun Xin: "Have you ever heard of Erlong Mountain in Qingzhou?"

Zou Run: "I have heard that at Baozhu Temple on Erlong Mountain, there is a 'Flowery Monk' named Lu Zhishen, a 'Blue-Faced Beast' named Yang Zhi, and a 'Pilgrim' named Wu Song, all of whom are brave enough to fight ten thousand men."

"I don't know if it's just hype, but where in this world are there really so many people with unparalleled bravery?"

You might not believe it, but these three are truly brave enough to take on ten thousand men!

Sun Xin immediately gave Erlong Mountain a shout-out:

"Lu Zhishen was a man of great righteousness and loyalty. He once escorted Lin Chong, the 'Leopard Head,' who was exiled to Cangzhou, for a thousand miles..."

"Wu Song was the tiger-slaying hero of Jingyang Ridge back then..."

There are so many things to brag about Lu Zhishen and Wu Song, but Yang Zhi really doesn't have much to brag about, so we'll have to omit that.

Seeing Sun Xin's high regard for Lu Zhishen and Wu Song, Zou Yuan and Zou Run were also quite tempted.

Zou Yuan: "Erlong Mountain has indeed been quite prosperous lately. It would be good if we could join them, but we have no one to introduce us..."

"That's alright. Master Lu and Wu Erlang are righteous and magnanimous people. They won't refuse to accept us."

To reassure them, Sun Xin proposed another contingency plan:

"Or perhaps we can broaden our horizons further."

"Outside of Shandong, there was Tian Hu in Hebei, Wang Qing in Huaixi, and Fang La in Jiangnan, all of whom were recruiting talented people."

"Each of us brothers possesses unique skills; how could we possibly lack a place to stand in this vast world?"

"Second brother is right!"

Zou Run suddenly felt enlightened after Sun Xin's words; they didn't necessarily have to defend Shandong to the death.

The world is so big, Zou Run also wants to see it.

Having agreed on their destination, Zou Yuan added, "There's one more thing. If we capture the man, I fear some troops from Dengzhou might pursue us. What should we do?"

Sun Xin chuckled: "My own brother has been appointed as the military commander of this prefecture."

"Now he's the only one in Dengzhou who's capable, are you still afraid he'll come after me?"

"Even if you chase after me, it's fine. I have a plan."

Sister-in-law Gu carefully served Sun Xin from the side. Seeing Sun Xin talking eloquently and with great enthusiasm, she felt that she had been sitting on a mountain of treasures for the past three years without realizing it, and was living in a world of blessings without knowing how lucky she was...

By the time she realized it, Sun Xin was no longer hers, and Sister-in-law Gu was filled with deep regret.

Although it was Sister-in-law Gu standing and Sun Xin sitting, Sister-in-law Gu felt as if she was looking up at Sun Xin.