- Gongsun Sheng
Gongsun Sheng (公孙胜, 公孫勝), nicknamed Dragon in the Clouds (入云龙, 入雲龍), was a Taoist priest and one of the pioneering members and most senior
36 Heavenly Spirits of theLiangshan bandits in the epic Chinese taleWater Margin . Gongsun stood at about 8 feet and had 'eight-character (八)' eyebrows, almond-like eyes and had a noble appearance. He was known to be able to perform magic and could summon the wind and bring the rain, ride the mist and drive the clouds - such was his sheer power and mystique.He joined
Chao Gai andWu Yong to form the Righteous Seven with theRuan brothers andLiu Tang . Together, they would attack the convoy of the Birthday Gifts, as vividly depicted in the opening chapters of the story. Despite his many contributions, Gongsun missed his mother and wanted to return home to visit her. He also sought to retire from the cause to study withLuo Zhenren , self-proclaimed immortalTaoist magician.It took
Dai Zong and Li Kui a great amount of determination to bring him back to the Marsh whenSong Jiang and his men were embroiled in a crisis, while attacking Gaotangzhou to rescueChai Jin from the clutches of Gao Lian. Gao Lian used some dark magic but his evil magic was broken by Gongsun Sheng's own magic which was more powerful. And when Song Jiang sentShi Jin to attack Mangdang Mountain, Shi lost the first battle due to the magic powers ofPan Rui . Gongsun Sheng came to the rescue yet again and broke Pan Rui's magic charms. Later, Pan Rui decided to join the Liangshan band and learn Taoist magic from Gongsun Sheng.Later in the story, Gongsun Sheng followed the pact signed with the Imperial Court and went out on expeditions with the band. They defeated the invading Liao troops from the North and several other Southern rebels. When the Liangshan heroes were at war with the rebel,
Tian Hu , Gongsun Sheng used his powerful magic to defeat Tian Hu's magicianQiao Daoqing , thus clearing all obstacles needed to eliminate Tian Hu. AfterWang Qing , another rebel, had been eliminated, Gongsun Sheng retired and went to study Taoism. Despite making great contributions to the Court, he refused to accept an official post. He went back to Jizhou where he practisedTaoism with his soul and mind.
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