Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 26 So Incompetent

A rustling sound came from the dense bushes, as if something alive was moving around.

Zheng Tu was bending down to check the iron clamp on the yellow horse's leg when he heard the sound and immediately became alert, squinting his eyes to look in the direction from which it came.

The branches and leaves swayed, but no one was in sight.

"call out!"

A sudden whooshing sound filled the air!

Zheng Tu felt a chill on his face, and the hairs on his body stood on end. Almost instinctively, he twisted his neck to the side!

"Knock!"

An eagle-feathered arrow grazed past his ear and embedded itself deeply in the trunk of an old pine tree behind him.

The arrow shaft had penetrated more than three inches into the wood, and its tail feathers were still vibrating with a "buzzing" sound.

Zheng Tu felt a chill run down his spine, but his feet moved swiftly. He flipped over and flashed behind a tree, his eyes like those of a hawk, fixed on the direction from which the arrow had come.

"What bad luck! I thought it was a deer, but it's just a peasant!"

Four figures emerged from behind the jungle.

The first one was a young man who looked like a young nobleman, about sixteen or seventeen years old. He wore a golden crown to tie his hair up, a brocade robe with embroidered patterns, and held a precious bow with gold and jade inlays on its body. The bow was very exquisite. When the young man saw that he had not shot his prey, he curled his lip and looked disappointed.

The boy was accompanied by three men, all dressed as guards, with broadswords at their waists.

The leader was a middle-aged man around forty years old, with slightly bulging temples and a calm expression, clearly an experienced martial artist.

The other two, who were younger, were also strong and fit, and stood guard on either side of the boy.

The boy quickly spotted the yellow horse lying on the ground. He took a few steps closer, frowned, and became even more annoyed: "Uncle Zhang, look! The trap on this horse's leg, isn't that the one we set up the other day? We were going to catch a wild boar, but this beast trampled it, so we have to go through the trouble of setting it up again."

The middle-aged man, called Uncle Zhang, stepped forward, squatted down beside the horse carcass to examine it, and shook his head after a moment, saying, "Young master, don't be upset. Although we didn't get the wild boar, this yellow horse has at least three hundred catties of meat. Dragging it back to the manor will be a good harvest."

The two men ignored Zheng Tu as if he didn't exist, and just kept talking to themselves.

After saying that, Uncle Zhang winked at the two young guards: "Go, drag the horse over here."

The two guards responded and stepped forward to pull the horse away.

Seeing their behavior, Zheng Tu frowned, peeked out from behind the tree, and said in a deep voice, "Shouldn't you all give an explanation for what you've done?"

The boy and Uncle Zhang had already turned to leave, but they both turned back when they heard the sound.

The young magistrate sized up Zheng Tu a few times. Seeing that he was dressed in simple clothes and straw sandals, looking travel-worn, he couldn't help but sneer. He slowly raised the bow in his hand, vaguely aiming at Zheng Tu's face, as if he were aiming to play a trick on him.

Uncle Zhang, however, was a seasoned veteran. He scanned Zheng Tu from head to toe and, seeing that although his clothes were simple, he had broad shoulders and a steady posture, and his accent carried a hint of Guanzhong, he said with a forced smile:

"Brother, you're not from around here, are you? Take my advice, don't make a mistake for yourself, you'd better leave quickly. Do you know who we are?"

He paused, his voice turning cold, "In this desolate wilderness, let alone taking your horse, even if a man or two dies, they'll just end up as food for jackals. Do you think the authorities would come to this remote valley to search for corpses?"

The threat in his words was fully revealed.

Zheng Tu, who had been frowning, relaxed upon hearing this, his expression returning to normal. He slowly took a step back and disappeared into the shadows behind the tree.

Upon seeing this, the boy laughed loudly: "A peasant is still a peasant!" After saying that, he turned around and left, not caring at all.

Uncle Zhang shook his head and smiled, saying to his companion as they walked, "He's smart enough to know his place. If he had spoiled the young master's enjoyment..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred!

A handful of yellow sand hit me in the face!

It turns out that Zheng Tu hid behind the trees not to retreat, but to use the trees as cover and silently circle around, eventually approaching the three from behind!

Uncle Zhang, being a seasoned veteran, remained calm despite his initial shock. He drew his sword with his eyes closed, shouting, "Not good! Young master, hurry..."

Before the word "fast" was even uttered, the fist had already arrived.

The punch struck his nose hard, making a crisp sound. Uncle Zhang felt stars flash before his eyes, and hot, acidic liquid gushed across his face.

He was a man who had lived a life of danger; despite the heavy blow, he did not retreat but advanced, raising his right hand to slash.

But Zheng Tu is even faster!

Having landed a punch, he darted toward the young man in brocade robes.

The young master was still young and short. He was positioned a little further away when the sand and dust came, so he wasn't greatly affected. But seeing his guards being attacked, in his panic, he even thought of drawing his bow and nocking an arrow, and tremblingly aimed at Zheng Tu.

Zheng Tu wouldn't allow him to draw his bow.

His left hand shot out like lightning, grabbed the bow and pressed down, while his right foot rose early and delivered a heavy kick to the young magistrate's heart!

"Bang!"

The young master flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a tree trunk and rolling to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and the bow flew out of his hand.

This series of changes happened in the blink of an eye.

Although Uncle Zhang was severely injured, he still had solid basic skills. Seeing the boy cough up blood and fall to the ground, his eyes were bloodshot. He roared and raised his broadsword, quickly rushing towards Zheng Tu!

The blade flashed down like a bolt of lightning.

Zheng Tu sidestepped, took a step forward with his left foot, and snatched into Uncle Zhang's arms. He grabbed Uncle Zhang's right wrist, which was holding the knife, with his left hand and lifted it upward, while his right arm wrapped around Uncle Zhang's neck like a venomous snake. With a twist of his waist and hips, he achieved his goal.

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, Uncle Zhang went limp.

At this moment, the two guards who were dragging the dead horse finally realized what was happening. They were already more than ten steps behind, and by the time they realized what was going on, Uncle Zhang had already fallen into a pool of blood.

"Zhang, the boss!"

"Young master!"

The two cried out in unison, abandoned their dead horses, and charged forward, drawing their swords. One from the left and one from the right, their two broadswords aimed at Zheng Tu from the top and middle.

Zheng Tu met them twice and killed them both at once.

In just a few breaths, four lives were lost.

Suddenly, the forest fell silent, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.

Zheng Tu took a breath, wiped the bloodstains from his face, and looked at the young man in brocade robes.

The boy had already woken up and was struggling to get up. When he saw Zheng Tu looking at him, he trembled with fear.

"You...you can't kill me, my father is..."

Zheng Tu, expressionless, kicked him in the neck, snapping it. The boy's head lolled to the side, lifeless.

Looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, Zheng Tu muttered to himself, "I thought he was some kind of formidable figure, but it turns out he's so easily defeated."

Zheng Tu, seeing their arrogant attitude, assumed they were skilled in martial arts and had something to rely on, and had originally planned to give in and retreat.

But the anger in his heart was too hard to swallow, and he also wanted to test his current limits, so he suddenly launched an attack.

Unexpectedly, these people were all bark and no bite, proving to be so easily defeated.

Zheng Tu shook his head, speechless for a moment.

Suddenly, shouts and footsteps came from the distant woods, indicating that there were probably a dozen or so people coming this way.

Zheng Tu's expression changed slightly. He knew that this place was not a good place to stay. He looked around, hurriedly grabbed a few money pouches, and then disappeared into the deep forest. He was gone in a few leaps.

Before long, a group of men dressed as servants arrived at the scene. Upon seeing the corpses scattered on the ground, their cries of horror echoed through the mountains and forests.

"Something terrible has happened! The young master is in trouble!"