The novel depicts Yang Lin, a native of Zhangde Prefecture (彰德府; present-day Anyang, Henan), as having a round head, large and beautiful eyes, a straight nose, a squarish mouth, a narrow waist, and broad shoulders.

Song Jiang sends Dai Zong to get Gongsun Sheng, who has been away for too long to visit his mother in Jizhou (薊州; present-day Ji County, Tianjin), back to Liangshan.

Yang Lin, a lone wanderer, bumps into Dai at a narrow lane and immediately could tell from the latter's speedy pace that he must be the famous "Magic Traveller".

While the two tries to locate Gongsun Sheng's home around Jizhou, they pass by Yinma River (飲馬川; in present-day Ji County, Tianjin) and are blocked by a bandit group led by Deng Fei and Meng Kang.

When Liangshan is about to attack the Zhu Family Manor, Yang Lin volunteers to sneak into its ground to spy out the terrain and gather intelligence.