Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 41: Could it be that he has the appearance of an old friend?

In that instant, even a thousand words could not fully express the myriad feelings in Wu Song's heart.

Was it surprise? Or was it nostalgia?

Or perhaps a whole host of other indescribable and inexplicable feelings were churning and surging in my chest, like boiling water.

He stared blankly at the broad, protective back that held him firmly behind him. For some reason, Wu Song inexplicably thought of his elder brother, Wu Dalang.

For no apparent reason, the two figures were completely dissimilar.

One was tall and broad-shouldered, the other short and hunched. In terms of appearance and bearing alone, the two were naturally incomparable.

If we insist on making a comparison, one is like a bear and the other is like a sesame seed cake; they are completely incompatible.

But despite this, the two completely different figures gradually merged into one in Wu Song's eyes.

Both of them displayed an unyielding and selfless attitude of mutual protection.

It had been a long time since Wu Song had felt the warmth of being protected like this.

He lost both his parents at a young age, and his eldest brother was like a father to him.

In their childhood, his elder brother was able to protect him somewhat, carrying a shoulder pole and selling steamed buns from door to door to make a living for the two brothers. The front basket of the shoulder pole was filled with steamed buns, while the back basket contained Wu Er. The two brothers depended on each other for survival, enduring the scorn and ridicule of others.

As he grew older, Wu Song's temper became fiery, and he was fond of drinking and showing off, often causing trouble. Whenever he got into fights or caused trouble while drunk, his elder brother would stand hunched over in front of him, apologizing and begging for forgiveness. His short body always stood like a mountain in front of him.

On his last occasion, he got drunk and punched the secret agent unconscious. He thought he had gotten himself into a huge legal trouble and had no choice but to flee to another place to avoid the disaster.

I still remember my elder brother holding my hand as we parted, his eyes brimming with tears: "Second Brother, Second Brother, when you're out there... don't be so stubborn anymore, be more tolerant in everything..."

This separation lasted for years.

This Zheng Tu before me, a mere stranger I'd met over a drink, was now willing to risk his life to face the two "tigers" and shield me behind him.

This act of loyalty and mutual support is reminiscent of an elder brother's care.

In an instant, his longing for his brother and the actions of the person before him merged into one, stirring up waves of emotion in Wu Song's heart.

"Brother Zheng...why...did it come to this..."

Wu Song opened his mouth, as if to say something.

His eyes were wide open as he stared blankly at the broad back in front of him, his throat choked with emotion, unable to utter a complete sentence.

His tiger-like eyes glazed over, and two streams of tears flowed down his cheeks.

This tough guy had his softest spot hit hard.

How could Zheng Tu know the surging emotions Wu Song was feeling behind him?

He focused intently on observing the movements of the two "tigers" before him, thinking to himself, "Although the book says that these two tigers are hunters in disguise, if there is any mistake and they really are two tigers with glaring eyes and white foreheads, that would be quite unpleasant... I must be careful."

As the distance between them gradually decreased, when the two tigers reached the moonlight, the two "big insects" stood upright in the shadows, and they were indeed human!

They were clearly two strong men, wearing sewn tiger-skin garments that were so realistic they were almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

The two men, each carrying a five-pronged hunting fork, were greatly surprised to see Wu Song and Zheng Tu, and cried out in alarm:

"You...you two, have you eaten bear's heart, swallowed leopard's liver, and grown lion's legs?! You're all cowards! How dare you two, alone, in the dark, without any weapons, just cross this hill like this! Are you human or ghosts?!"

His voice trembled, clearly showing extreme horror.

Zheng Tu then feigned sudden realization, turned to Wu Song, and laughed, "It was my oversight! I went to all this trouble! It turned out to be two hunters in disguise. I've made you laugh at me, Erlang, hahaha..."

Before he could finish speaking, the laughter abruptly stopped.

He was struck by the sight of Wu Song, this stalwart hero, whose eyes were red and whose face was streaked with tears, staring at him with a complex and unreadable expression.

"This..." Zheng Tu was taken aback, secretly wondering, "Could it be that my act had such a miraculous effect?"

Wu Song, having regained his senses, hastily wiped his face with his sleeve and forced a smile, saying, "It's alright! A gust of mountain wind just swept by, stirring up dust that got into my eyes. I'm sorry, brother."

After saying that, he turned his face away, using the darkness to conceal his expression.

What a fine Wu Erlang! He certainly cares about his reputation.

Zheng Tu didn't point it out, secretly pleased, and simply followed up, saying, "I see. This mountain wind is indeed annoying."

The two hunters had now approached and were carefully examining the two men by the moonlight.

The two men were tall and imposing, with an extraordinary bearing, but they did not look like ordinary merchants.

One of the hunters asked hesitantly, "Gentlemen, could it be... could it be that you've come down from the hill?"

Wu Song had by now regained his composure and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Indeed. May I ask what brings you two here?"

The two hunters exchanged a glance, and one of them sighed, "I'm glad you two know that we are hunters from Yanggu County, ordered by the county magistrate to capture that large, white-browed tiger on Jingyang Ridge. That beast is incredibly fierce and powerful, and no one dares to approach it! We hunters have been beaten countless times for it, but we just can't catch it."

Another hunter chimed in, "It's our turn to hunt again tonight, so we and a dozen or so villagers set out our traps, arrows, and poison, waiting for that beast to appear. Just now we heard a tiger roar on the hill and some fighting noises, so we disguised ourselves as tigers and came out to investigate, but we ended up bumping into you two."

Having said that, the two men looked Zheng Tu and Wu Song up and down, their faces showing curiosity: "Strange! You two walked down the hill so casually, how could you be so lucky as not to have encountered that tiger on the hill?"

Zheng Tu and Wu Song exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.

Wu Song pointed behind him and said calmly, "If it is that beast... then you all need not search any further."

The two hunters were taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"The tiger you two are looking for has already died by the edge of the tangled woods on that hill."

"What?!" the two hunters exclaimed in unison, their voices a mixture of shock and delight. "Dead?! Who killed him?!"

Upon seeing this, Zheng Tu couldn't help but laugh and replied, "It was my brother who ran into that tiger on that hill and was beaten to death by him."

The two hunters were stunned by what they heard, and refused to believe it.

If it were said that the giant insect was killed by setting a trap, gathering a force, or by using poison, arrows, or fire, it would be plausible, and the two would believe it to some extent.

But to say that he killed the tiger with his bare hands and fists would be a huge joke.

The tiger is no ordinary cat. If such a person truly exists in the world, could he be the reincarnation of the Vajra Arhat?

The two shook their heads, saying only, "This is beyond human capability."