Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 5 General Li Zhong, the Tiger Slayer

Suddenly someone called out, "Master Zheng!"

When Zheng Tu looked closely, he saw a waiter dressed as a waiter in a hotel, with his head wrapped in a handkerchief, standing in the sun, looking quite strange.

Zheng Tu then shouted, "You scoundrel, what do you want? Why are you dressed like that?"

The waiter hurriedly untied his handkerchief, revealing his face.

His left cheek was swollen high, with a huge handprint running from his cheekbone to the corner of his mouth.

With a pained expression, his tongue seemed to be half-shortened, and he sobbed, "My lord, you are truly forgetful! The other day you personally instructed me to keep an eye on that old man Jin who sings for money and his daughter, saying that they owe money for pawning their bodies that they haven't paid off yet."

I kept it in mind and kept an eye on them morning and night. This morning, before dawn, the father and daughter packed their belongings and tried to slip away, but remembering your words, sir, I desperately blocked their way at the door…”

As he said this, tears welled up in his eyes: "Who would have thought that I would run into that Commander Lu from the Military Governor's Office! Without asking any questions, he just thought that I was bullying the weak, so he spread his five fingers and slapped me across the face. That slap was really powerful! It made me spit out blood."

Just as they were about to explain, the constable punched again, this time right in the doorway…

As he opened his mouth, it was clear that two of his front teeth were missing, causing him to speak with a lisp.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Tu was enraged, thinking to himself, "This Lu Da is merely a military officer, yet he acts so arrogantly and domineeringly!"

Looking at the waiter's swollen face and leaky appearance, one can't help but find it rather comical.

On second thought, "This fellow is an honest man. He was ordered around by me and suffered such humiliation for no reason." He couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

He reached out and patted himself all over, but after a long while, he only managed to pull out two or three taels of loose silver. He held them in his hand and sighed.

"I didn't bring much with me today, just these silver and silver coins. Take them and ask a doctor to take a look. Use the rest to buy some wine and meat to calm your nerves." With that, he stuffed the silver into his younger brother's hand.

The waiter was taken aback.

Although this Master Zheng is known for his wealth, he is usually very stingy. Even when he gives a reward, it is only a few dozen copper coins. Why has he changed his ways today?

Looking down, he saw the gleaming silver snowflakes in his palm, and forgot most of the pain. He hurriedly took them, thanking them profusely, "You are a great man, so kind as to give me a second life! My lowly life was given to me by you!"

He kowtowed twice more, beaming with joy, and then dashed off.

After bidding farewell to the waiter, Zheng Tu pondered to himself, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind:

That's right! Even he himself has servants tipping him off. If Commander Lu is under the command of General Xiao Zhong, wouldn't his spies be everywhere in Weizhou City and its surrounding areas?

How could he possibly hide the slightest movement or disturbance in the city from his eyes and ears!

As long as I, Zheng Tu, am here, I am like a piece of fat meat on a chopping board. Whenever he wants to take my life, it's just a matter of turning my hand over.

Even if we manage to escape today by sheer luck, what about tomorrow and the day after?

Who knows, one day that wicked man might remember the words "Zhen Guanxi" and get angry, then find an excuse to drag me here to beat and kill me again.

Why not...why not pack up our valuables and escape this place of trouble! The world is so vast, where can't we find a place to settle down and make a living?

Having made up his mind, Zheng Tu acted decisively.

I'll settle things with that adulterous couple first, then pack my things and leave! Now that I'm prepared, dealing with that adulterous couple will be a piece of cake!

He immediately chose a quiet alley and took a shortcut home. He didn't take the main road, but only the shady alley, walking quickly with his head down, and encountered very few people along the way.

Halfway there, they saw the plaster stall again, and the burly man was still standing alone against the wall.

There wasn't a single customer around; it was incredibly deserted.

It was none other than Li Zhong, the tiger-slaying general, who was still selling his plasters in that deserted spot.

Zheng Tu did not intend to stay any longer.

After all, in his memory, Li Zhong, the Tiger Slayer, was just the master who taught Shi Jin, the Nine-Tattooed Dragon, how to fight.

What skills could a craftsman who later wandered the world selling his art and medicine have?

Even Shi Jin, the Nine-Tattooed Dragon whom he personally trained, was defeated in one move by Wang Jin, the instructor of the Imperial Guards, which shows that he only knows some empty tricks.

Therefore, Zheng Tu did not take Li Zhong, the tiger-slaying general, seriously and had no intention of befriending him.

A tiger-hunting general? He's nothing but a nobody who sells his head for profit.

But I noticed that there were about a dozen poles neatly stuck in his stall, the poles straight and shiny, looking quite handy.

A thought struck her: "If I go back empty-handed, that adulterer still has some strength and will be difficult to deal with. I might as well borrow a stick for self-defense."

He quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Good sir, could you lend me your cudgel? I'll send someone to return the money shortly after I get home."

Li Zhong crossed his arms over his chest, slightly raised his eyelids, and looked Zheng Tu up and down.

Seeing that this man looked like an idler, and that his shirt was of poor quality, he did not seem to be a penniless person.

He thought to himself, "This guy doesn't seem like a good person. Could he be one of those scoundrels who comes here specifically to cause trouble and extort money?"

He'd been in the underworld for over a decade and had seen plenty of these kinds of tricks.

So he said in a lukewarm tone, "Borrowing the stick is not difficult, but you must first buy three plasters from me."

Zheng Tu said in surprise, "How strange! Borrowing the stick is borrowing the stick, and buying medicine is buying medicine. Why are you forcing us to buy it together?"

Li Zhong grunted an "Mmm" through his nose and then fell silent, focusing instead on tidying up the items on his stall.

This tiger-slaying general has no real skills, but he's certainly got a lot of problems.

Zheng Tu was anxious and afraid of being late, so he said, "Fine, fine! I'll buy two from you, but you have to pay on credit. You can use the cudgel first!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhong smirked coldly.

Having roamed the world for many years, how many times had Li Zhong suffered losses from buying on credit? How could he possibly listen to such tricks?

He immediately shook his head and said, "My small business has never had a rule of credit."

Zheng Tu patiently replied, "You ignorant fellow! My butcher shop is located under Zhuangyuan Bridge; everyone on the street knows it. Do you think I'd cheat you out of a few coins for this plaster?"

Li Zhong looked him up and down, a mocking expression immediately appearing on his face.

It turns out that this scoundrel was Zhen Guanxi, who had forcibly taken Jin Cuilian's place.

However, after years of navigating the world of martial arts, Li Zhong was no longer the chivalrous person who stood up for justice. He simply grew increasingly disdainful of the man before him.

He scoffed, "Master Zheng? What kind of scoundrel is that? Even if the Jade Emperor himself came, there's no reason for me to give you credit!"

These words were like adding fuel to the fire; Zheng Tu felt an inexplicable rage surge to the top of his head.

He thought to himself, "Since you don't know what's good for you, I won't force you to lend it to me; I'll just take it from you! It's just a cudgel, what's it worth?"

Fearing that he would be caught and killed by Naru Tixia if he lingered too long, Zheng Tu did not answer. He suddenly bent down, pulled out a cudgel, and ran away.

He refused to believe that Li Zhong would abandon his plaster stall to chase after his cudgel! He could always give him more compensation after the deed was done!

I'm in a huge rush right now and don't have time to joke around with him.

"You shameless thief!"

Li Zhong roared angrily!