In the Water Margin
Yang Zhi is a descendant of the famous Yang family of generals, and he wants nothing more than to restore that name through honest service to the court. A large bluish birthmark on his face gives him the nickname "Blue-Faced Beast". He is skilled, proud and stubborn, and almost nothing goes his way.
His troubles begin when a boat carrying ornamental rocks for the emperor, which he is responsible for, capsizes in the Yellow River. He flees, waits for a pardon, and then tries to buy his way back into office, only to be turned away by the powerful marshal Gao Qiu. A chain of further disasters follows, ending at Mount Erlong, where he holds a bandit stronghold with Lu Zhishen and later Wu Song. When the three strongholds of the region join Liangshan, Yang Zhi comes with them and is ranked seventeenth of the 108.
Key episodes
Selling the sabre. Penniless in the capital, Yang Zhi stands in the street to sell his family's treasured sabre. A notorious local bully named Niu Er demands demonstrations, refuses to pay and starts a fight, and Yang Zhi kills him. He gives himself up and is exiled to Daming.
The birthday gifts. In Daming, Liang Zhongshu takes a liking to him and puts him in charge of a convoy of treasure meant for the Grand Tutor Cai Jing. Yang Zhi drives the porters hard through the summer heat, quarrels with the steward who travels with them, and on Yellow Mud Ridge the whole convoy is drugged and robbed by Wu Yong's band.
A duel with Lin Chong. On his way to the capital Yang Zhi passes Liangshan, where Lin Chong, needing to prove himself to the band's leader, attacks him on the road. The two fight to a standstill, and Yang Zhi turns down the invitation to stay, a choice that comes back to haunt him.
