Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 42 No story is complete without a coincidence!

The two hunters, upon hearing Zheng Tu's words, were not quite convinced and kept looking him up and down.

Wu Song was not annoyed and said calmly, "If you don't believe me, just look at the bloodstains on my body."

After saying that, he turned to the side, and sure enough, his front and cuffs were covered in bloodstains, which had already congealed into blood clots.

The two hunters leaned closer for a better look, gasped, and asked, "Hero... did you really kill him? How... how did you kill him?"

Wu Song then recounted in detail how he was startled awake by the tiger, how he dodged its pounce, its flip, and its scissors, how he grabbed the tiger's head, and how he punched and kicked it.

The two hunters were both surprised and delighted, exclaiming repeatedly, "Truly a god descended from heaven! Truly a god descended from heaven!"

He then summoned the ten villagers who were hiding in the woods.

The ten villagers, each wielding a steel fork, crossbow, knife, or spear, gathered together and approached.

Wu Song asked, "Why didn't the rest of them come up the mountain with you two?"

The hunter smiled wryly and said, "It's good that you know that the beast is too fierce for them to dare come up! They just set up an ambush here."

A group of more than ten people gathered in front of them. Two hunters told them about Wu Song killing the tiger. The group looked at each other, none of them believing it.

Seeing this, Wu Song said loudly, "If you all don't believe me, come with me up the hill and see for yourselves."

Everyone carried flint and steel, and immediately lit five or seven pine torches, which blazed brightly and illuminated the surroundings.

The group, surrounding Wu Song and Zheng Tu, climbed the hill again.

Upon reaching the large blue stone, they indeed saw the large, white-browed tiger lying dead in a pile, its head sunken, blood flowing from its seven orifices, its teeth bared and claws outstretched, a horrifying sight.

Everyone who saw it was horrified, and then erupted in thunderous cheers:

"Magi is dead! Magi is dead!"

Immediately, one person was dispatched to run and inform the county head and the households under his jurisdiction; the remaining five or seven villagers used ropes to tie the four legs of the tiger, found two thick wooden levers, threaded the ropes through them, and lifted it up.

Although the tiger was dead, it still weighed four or five hundred pounds, and it was still difficult for eight men to carry it.

Upon reaching the foot of the ridge, seventy or eighty people who had heard the news rushed over, crowding the mountain road. When they saw the tiger's carcass, which was the size of a tiger, they were all speechless with astonishment.

The group first carried the dead tiger in front to clear the way, then found a sedan chair with a soft cloth saddlebag, determined to carry Wu Song directly to the home of a wealthy family surnamed Zhao in the area, and waited until dawn to report to the authorities and request a reward.

Zheng Tu knew that this was the time when Wu Song would make a name for himself and would inevitably have to meet the county magistrate, be dressed in red and colorful robes, parade through the streets to show off his official position, and accept the post of head constable of Yanggu County.

Such glory is well-deserved for Wu Song.

However, Zheng Tu had other plans: Firstly, he was carrying a criminal case in Weizhou, and although the two places were far apart, he was still uneasy, fearing that the magistrate of Yanggu County might have seen the wanted poster and portrait. Secondly, he had always been impatient with these official formalities and noisy scenes.

"To have forged such a friendship with Wu Erlang is already an immense stroke of luck. Qinghe County and Yanggu County are so close, we will surely meet again in the future. Why linger here?"

He then bid farewell to Wu Song, saying, "Second Brother, you have rid the people of a scourge this time, and you deserve this honor. I am not used to such commotion, so I will head to Qinghe County first. We are brothers, and there will be many more days to come."

Upon hearing this, Wu Song, who was being ushered into the sedan chair by the crowd, saw Zheng Tu about to leave. He quickly pushed through the crowd, rushed forward a few steps, grabbed Zheng Tu's arm, his tiger-like eyes gleaming, and solemnly said:

"Brother, you are a man of unparalleled loyalty and righteousness. I truly regret not having met you sooner! As we part, if you do not dislike my rough manners, please accept my four bows and become my sworn brother, so that we may be bound together by life and death!"

Zheng Tu was overjoyed upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "I couldn't be happier!" But on the surface, he quickly said, "Brother, you flatter me! I am unworthy of such an honor..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Song immediately bowed down like a mountain of gold and a jade pillar collapsing, performing the four-bowing ceremony with utmost respect.

Zheng Tu hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, repeatedly saying, "Brother, please rise! You're making me feel terrible!"

Having become sworn brothers, Zheng Tu originally intended to give some silver as a token of their brotherhood, but when he reached into his pocket, he only managed to pull out a few loose silver coins.

"This is far too shabby; it's really embarrassing to present."

Just as he was feeling awkward, he suddenly caught sight of the steel dagger at his waist, and a thought struck him.

"This knife is a fine weapon, its cold light is sharp, and it can cut through iron like mud. I am not skilled with a knife, so keeping it would be a waste of my talents. Wu Song, on the other hand, is very skilled with a knife, which is perfect for him. Giving him this precious knife shows my sincerity and fulfills our brotherly bond."

He immediately unsheathed his knife and presented it to Wu Song with both hands, saying, "Second Brother, I have nothing of value but this weapon that I carry with me. I'm giving it to you today as a token of our meeting; please don't refuse!"

Seeing the cold glint of the blade, Wu Song knew it was a precious weapon. Remembering that Zheng Tu always carried it with him and must cherish it greatly, he quickly waved his hand, saying, "Brother, this is your familiar weapon. How could I, Wu Er, dare accept it? Absolutely not!"

Zheng Tu's face darkened, and he feigned anger, saying, "If you refuse again, my brother, you will disown me as your elder brother!" With that, he forcefully shoved the knife into Wu Song's hand.

Wu Song gripped the still-warm hilt of the knife, recalling how Zheng Tu had risked his life to protect him on the hill and how he had now presented the knife to him to express his gratitude. The loyalty they had shown each other in this one day was truly greater than ten years of friendship!

His nose tingled, and he choked out, "Brother's kindness, Wu Er... Wu Er..." He was speechless for a moment.

Those around them, seeing the deep bond between the two sworn brothers, were all moved and sighed with admiration.

Some of the more astute among them whispered among themselves, "If this tiger-slaying hero is so formidable, how much less skilled can his sworn brother be? Even if he's not a tiger-slaying hero, he must at least be a leopard-hunting champion!"

Let's set aside the opinions of the crowd for now.

The two parted in tears.

Wu Song was escorted by the crowd to Yanggu County, while Zheng Tu returned alone and found the yellow horse. The horse, having spent half the night in fear, was slightly calmed down and snorted affectionately when it saw its master return.

"You beast!"

Zheng Tu slapped the horse's neck in annoyance, mounted it, flicked the reins, and, taking advantage of the moonlight, headed straight for Qinghe County.

After traveling for most of the day, past noon, the outline of the city wall appeared ahead, which was Qinghe County!

Everything remains the same.

The city gates remain the same, the streets remain the same, and the bustling crowds and carriages remain the same.

Zheng Tu led his horse slowly into the city, where he saw shops lining both sides of the road, wine flags and tea banners fluttering in the wind, and the sounds of hawking and laughter filling the air—a truly bustling scene.

"I'm back again..." Zheng Tu was filled with emotion. In his previous life, he was beheaded by Wu Song in this very place, but in this life, he became sworn brothers with Wu Song. There is no greater wonder in the world than this.

He led his horse slowly along the street, secretly planning what to do next.

As he was pondering this, he passed by a building facing the street.

As the saying goes, "No story is without coincidence."

Zheng Tu was walking past the curtain when he suddenly heard a noise above him.

Somehow, a forked pole got caught on my hand and slipped out of the window, falling right down, neither straight nor upright, but striking straight down!