Gongsun Sheng
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Gongsun Sheng (公孙胜), nicknamed Dragon in the Clouds (入云龙), was a Taoist priest and one of the pioneering members and most senior 36 Heavenly Spirits of the Liangshan bandits in the epic Chinese tale Water Margin. Gongsun stood at about 8 feet and had '8-character' 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 and Wu Yong to form the Righteous Seven with the Ruan brothers and Liu 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 with Luo Zhenren, self-proclaimed immortal Taoist magician.
It took Dai Zong and Li Kui a great amount of determination to bring him back to the Marsh when Song Jiang and his men were embroiled in a crisis, while attacking Gaotangzhou to rescue Chai 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 sent Shi Jin to attack Mangdang Mountain, Shi lost the first battle due to the magic powers of Pan 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 magician Qiao Daoqing, thus clearing all obstacles needed to eliminate Tian Hu. After Wang 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 practised Taoism with his soul and mind.
