Chinese Name: Xue Yong

Japanese Name: Byōtaichū Setsuei

Rank: 84th of the 108 Stars of Destiny

Nickname: Sick Tiger

Xue Yong’s grandfather had been a military man but because of conflicts with fellow officers, he was denied any advancement in rank, and his descendants were blacklisted from enlisting. As a result, Xue Yong and his father sold medicine from town to town while Xue Yong performed martial arts exhibitions in the streets for tips. He had no military training but was nonetheless very skilled with a staff. 

Chinese Name: Mu Chun

Japanese Name: Shōsharan Bokushun

Rank: 80th of the 108 Stars of Destiny 

Nickname: Slightly Restrained 

Mu Chun and his brother Mu Hong (plate 69) were highly skilled in martial arts, and came from a very wealthy family which allotted them a great deal of influence in their home town of Jieyang. The citizens there were afraid of the Mu brothers as they were notoriously tyrannical and short tempered. 

Song Jiang (plate 107) was being escorted to Jiangzhou Prison for murdering his mistress Yan Poxi. On the way, they passed through Jieyang, and Song Jiang happened to catch sight of Xue Yong performing for a crowd. Impressed with his skills, Song Jiang gave him five taels of silver. Mu Chun, monitoring Xue Yong’s performance, angrily pushed past the people in the audience to get to Song Jiang and shouted there was to be no money for street rabble. Song Jiang replied it was no business of his how he spent his money. Enraged, Mu Chun swung his fist at Song Jiang but Song Jiang took a step back and dodged the blow. Mu Chun advanced on Song Jiang again, but Xue Yong stepped in, hoisted Mu Chun up with his shoulder and threw him onto the ground. When Mu Chun tried to regain his feet, Xue Yong kicked him in the side and he was knocked down again. Song Jiang restrained Xue Yong from beating him further and Mu Chun retreated. 

Later, Mu Chun realized he had accosted the famous Song Jiang, and after apologizing, befriended Song Jiang as well as Xue Yong.

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Later on in the novel, Song Jiang was sentenced to death for writing a seditious poem on the wall of a restaurant. The Liangshan bandits made a daring rescue and saved Song Jiang moments before he was executed. While fleeing, they became trapped at a river with no means to cross. Xue Yong, Mu Chun, and several others Song Jiang had befriended in the Jieyang region, arrived in boats to save them. They escaped to Liangshan’s stronghold, and after much revelry for a successful rescue, all the newcomers were admitted into the bandit gang of Liangshan Marsh. 

 Xue Yong and Mu Chun are shown here as Xue Yong, baring his tattoos,  steps in to defend Song Jiang. 

Kuniyoshi Recreation