Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Zheng Tu collapsed to the ground, his face, which had been rosy just moments before, now gradually turning ashen. Only his chest rose and fell slightly, indicating that he was extremely drunk.

Wu Song was engrossed in his meal and didn't pay any attention, assuming he was just drunk. He laughed and continued to pour himself more wine, drinking three more bowls in a row. He smacked his lips and said, "This Brother Zheng is really useless; he's already like this after only a few bowls!"

Just as he was about to call Zheng Tu to drink again, the shopkeeper exclaimed in surprise:

"Oh dear! My friend, you've probably drunk too much; he's about to pass out drunk!"

Having said that, he hurriedly went around the counter to help Zheng Tu.

Wu Song then looked down for a closer look and saw that Zheng Tu's face was ashen, his lips were purple, and his eyes were closed; he was already unconscious.

He inwardly cried out in alarm. He had been so excited about the hunt that he'd drunk several bowls too much, not realizing that this seemingly burly and imposing Brother Zheng was actually a lightweight drinker! His expression changed immediately.

"Master, what should we do?!"

The tavern owner shook his head and sighed, "Look, I kindly advised you long ago that 'three bowls are not enough to cross the hill,' but you just ignored me. One of you insisted on drinking it all, and the other didn't stop you. Now look at this mess, and you come to ask me for advice."

Wu Song grew impatient and said urgently, "Master, stop talking nonsense! If you have a way to save us, tell me quickly! I, Wu Er, will be eternally grateful!"

The host then said, "I do have a folk remedy, let's give it a try. This guest has drunk too much, the alcohol is poisoning his heart, whether it works or not depends on fate."

After saying that, he hurriedly went into the back kitchen, took some kudzu root and kudzu flower, and boiled a pot of water using the embers on the stove.

Once the water had cooled to a lukewarm temperature, the shopkeeper and Wu Song worked together to half-lift Zheng Tu, pried open his jaw, and carefully poured the hangover remedy down his throat.

Zheng Tu swallowed hard, managing to swallow most of it, but some still spilled from the corner of his mouth.

After drinking two bowls, about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a thin layer of sweat gradually seeped out from Zheng Tu's noodles, and they gradually regained their color. His breathing also became more stable.

Wu Song checked his breathing; although it was still heavy, his life was no longer in danger, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

The innkeeper wiped his brow and said to Wu Song, "Sir, this Mr. Zheng is so drunk that he probably won't be able to leave tonight. There's a guest room in the back of the inn; why don't we let him rest here for the night? We can discuss things further tomorrow when he's sober."

Wu Song glanced at the sky outside the window; dusk was already falling. He then looked at Zheng Tu, who was lying dead drunk on the ground, and nodded, saying, "Very well. I'll entrust my brother Zheng to you. Take good care of him."

After saying that, he took out a handful of loose silver from his pocket and placed it on the table. "The cost of the wine and the room is all paid for. The extra is yours. If Brother Zheng wakes up, tell him that Wu Er has urgent business to attend to and will take his leave first. We'll meet again another day."

The shopkeeper responded, not bothering to count the money or listen to Wu Song's subsequent words. He simply used all his strength to carry Zheng Tu's burly body on his back and swayed as he walked towards the guest room in the back.

Seeing that everything was arranged, Wu Song picked up the staff leaning against the wall, put on his felt hat from Fanyang, and strode out the door.

Before leaving, he glanced back at the direction of the guest room and murmured, "This Zheng Tu is quite a straightforward man, it's just a pity he can't hold his liquor. If we meet again someday, I'll definitely make friends with him."

Having said that, he strode off quickly toward Jingyang Ridge.

The shopkeeper settled Zheng Tu in, took off his shoes and socks, covered him with a thin blanket, and placed a bowl of water by his bedside before closing the door and leaving.

Returning to the front hall, they found no trace of Wu Song, only empty bowls scattered on the table.

"Oh!"

The shopkeeper slapped his thigh, realizing something was wrong. "Oh no! Has this customer gone across the hill alone?"

He rushed out of the shop, but all he saw was twilight and winding mountain roads. There was no sign of Wu Song anywhere.

With Wu Song's incredible speed, he had already covered several miles in a short time.

The innkeeper stood at the entrance, stamping his feet anxiously, and sighed, "Oh dear! This customer is too impatient! He's drunk and still insists on crossing Jingyang Ridge! There are huge tigers roaming the ridge now, and the government has posted notices forbidding anyone from crossing alone. With his recklessness, I only hope he doesn't encounter that white-browed, snarling tiger, otherwise he might just be throwing his life away!"

He shook his head and sighed for a long time, but in the end, he had no choice but to return to the shop, clean up the dishes, and close the shop.

……

About half a day later.

Inside the guest room, Zheng Tu slowly woke up.

He felt a splitting headache, a dry mouth, and his whole body ached.

Opening his eyes and looking around, he found himself in an unfamiliar room, simply furnished but clean.

"This is... a guest room at the back of the hotel?" Zheng Tu rubbed his temples and struggled to sit up.

There was a bowl of water by his bedside. He picked it up and drank it all in one gulp, which made him feel a little better.

Hearing the commotion outside, the innkeeper lit a lamp and pushed open the door. Seeing that Zheng Tu was awake, he said happily, "Sir, you're finally awake! You were really drunk just now and almost caused a big trouble. Your friend was too impatient; he didn't even look at my lawsuit notice and left first. I couldn't stop him."

He spoke so hastily, clearly fearing legal trouble and trying to distance himself from the situation.

Although Zheng Tu had a general idea of ​​what was going on, he still casually asked, "What notice? Where did my brother go?"

The innkeeper said, "Sir, you are unaware of this. Recently, a large tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead has appeared on Jingyang Ridge ahead. It comes out late at night and has already killed thirty or twenty strong men. The authorities are now ordering hunters to capture and punish it. There are notices posted on both sides of the road at the ridge. Travelers are advised to cross the ridge in groups during the hours of Si (9-11 AM), Wu (11 AM-1 PM), and Wei (1-3 PM). Crossing the ridge is prohibited during the other six hours of Yin (3-5 AM), Mao (5-7 AM), Shen (3-5 PM), You (5-7 PM), Xu (7-9 PM), and Hai (9-11 PM). Furthermore, solo travelers must wait for companions and cross in groups."

He paused, then continued, "It's early morning, around 7 PM, and it's already completely dark. I saw your companion leave without asking anyone, carrying his cudgel and heading up the hill alone. By the time I chased after him out of the shop, he was already far away, and I'm afraid... I'm afraid he'll lose his life in vain."

Zheng Tu nodded and said, "It's alright, my brother is a lucky man and I expect he'll be fine."

Hearing this, the tavern owner could only smile wryly and say, "I hope so. Speaking of which, your brother is quite the drinker, no ordinary person. An ordinary person would be knocked out after three bowls of our wine. But he, he actually drank the whole thing... Let me count..."

The shopkeeper counted on his fingers: "When you passed out, he had already drunk seventeen bowls. After you passed out, he drank another nineteen bowls by himself! That's a total of thirty-six bowls! Such a massive capacity is something I've never seen in my twenty years of running this shop!"

Zheng Tu listened indifferently, after all, Wu Song's tiger-fighting was a preordained opportunity, a chance for him to make a name for himself, so what was there to worry about?

He was about to nod when he suddenly realized what the shopkeeper had said and exclaimed in surprise:

"What did you say?! Thirty-six bowls?! Wasn't it fifteen bowls?!"

The shopkeeper was taken aback by his question, puzzled: "It was indeed thirty-six bowls. I counted them one by one, there's no mistake. The first seventeen bowls were for the two of you to drink together, and the last nineteen bowls were for him to drink alone."

Zheng Tu felt a buzzing in his head, and the effects of the alcohol completely wore off.