Chinese Name: Yang Xiong 

Japanese Name: Byōkansaku Yōyū

Rank: 32nd of the 108 Stars of Destiny  

Nickname: Sick Guan Suo 

Yang Xiong was a skilled fighter from Henan who worked as the chief prison warden and executioner in Jizhou. He is described as having long eyebrows with beautiful eyes, a small mustache and light brown skin. While walking home after an execution one evening, he was congratulated by the towns people and given many rolls of silk as gifts. Suddenly, a gang of thugs appeared and demanded he relinquish the gifts to them. Shi Xiu (plate 44) happened to be passing by when this scuffle was unfolding and jumped in to help. Together the two men managed to fend off and chase away the attackers. They introduced themselves to one another and became sworn brothers. 

After spending some time with Yang Xiong’s family, Shi Xiu became suspicious that Yang Xiong’s wife, Pan Qiaoyun, was having an affair on nights when he was away. Yang Xiong spent many nights away from home on official duties, so Shi Xiu waited for a night when he would be gone, and hid outside his home. At about 4 am a wandering monk arrived and began suspiciously looking around. Shi Xiu silently crept up and put his sword to the back of the monk’s neck and demanded to know why he was loitering outside Yang Xiong’s home. The monk divulged Pan Qiaoyun’s indiscretions, saying she would leave incense burning on the doorstep signaling it was safe for her lover to come over that evening. The monk would relay the information, then return and bang a wooden drum to signal it was time to leave. 

Shi Xiu killed him for assisting the two lovers, then put on the monk’s clothes and began to strike the drum. When Pan Qiaoyun’s paramour stepped outside, Shi Xiu killed him and took his clothes as well. The two bodies were discovered later that morning lying conspicuously outside Yang Xiong’s home. Shi Xiu brought Yang Xiong the two men’s robes as further evidence of his wife’s adultery.  

Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu lured Pan Qiaoyun to Mount Cuiping under the pretext of visiting the graves of Yang Xiong’s ancestors. Once there, he confronted her about her illicit affair, and she confessed. Fomented by Shi Xiu, Yang Xiong killed Pan Qiaoyun, then killed her maid for serving as her lookout. Knowing they would be prosecuted for murder, Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu fled to join the outlaw group at Liangshan Marsh. 

Yang Xiong is shown here interrogating his wife and her maid servant moments before slaying them.

Kuniyoshi recreation