Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Zheng Tu rode his horse for another three or four miles. This official road was indeed different from the desolate place before. The road surface was slightly wider, and although the trees on both sides were dense, there were signs of logging, indicating that people often traveled on it.

After walking for a while, when I looked up, I saw a dark mountain shadow lying across the twilight ahead, like a giant beast crouching on the ground. It was none other than Jingyang Ridge!

Upon seeing this, Zheng Tu perked up and spurred his horse up the hill.

After walking less than half a mile, we came across a dilapidated temple by the roadside. The walls were crumbling, and in the moonlight, we could vaguely make out that it was a mountain god temple.

The temple door was half-closed, and a piece of paper was pasted on the door panel, rustling in the wind. It looked like an official notice.

Zheng Tu had no time to carefully read the contents of the notice; he already knew that it was probably the government's proclamation warning of tigers in the mountains.

He immediately cupped his hands to his mouth, gathered his strength, and shouted loudly, "Wu Song! Wu Erlang! Are you here?!"

The shout echoed through the valley, startling several night birds.

Halfway through the shout, a deafening tiger roar suddenly came from the depths of the dense forest to the northeast!

"roar--!!!"

That whistling sound was truly:

Its majestic power chills the heavens, and all beasts tremble with fear at the mere mention of its name.

It was like a thunderbolt falling from mid-air, or perhaps the gates of hell.

The howling echoed through the valley, startling roosting birds into flight and wild beasts into flight.

A pungent, stench of a apex predator wafted in on the night breeze, making one want to vomit.

Zheng Tu's hair stood on end, and his yellow horse reared up, letting out a long, mournful neigh.

A chill ran down my spine: judging from the force of the roar, the tiger was clearly unleashing its power!

Although his martial arts skills were not weak, he had already gained thirty points of enhancement, making his fist and foot skills even better than before. Ordinary three or five men could not get close to him.

But at this moment, he was all alone, facing a giant, white-browed tiger that was rumored to have killed thirty or twenty people and was practically a spirit, so he couldn't help but feel a little scared.

It should be known that human strength has its limits. This giant tiger has the strength of hundreds of thousands of pounds when it pounces, and its claws and teeth are like steel hooks. If it pounces once, or is swept by its sharp claws, it will suffer broken bones and disembowelment. Even those with copper muscles and iron bones would find it difficult to survive.

He was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but knew nothing about swordsmanship. Although the iron dagger in his hand was sharp, he might not be able to kill with a single blow.

Bare-handed and all alone, how could I possibly face these ferocious beasts in the mountains?

He had rushed here in a moment of impulsiveness after leaving the hotel, but now, with the night breeze blowing, he gradually calmed down and his courage subsided.

A thought popped into his mind: "If Wu Song has already been eaten by the tiger, wouldn't it be suicide if I went to look for him now? Perhaps I should..."

Just as he was thinking this, another roar of a large insect came from the mountains, this time closer, and it seemed to be mixed with the sound of some heavy object hitting something.

Zheng Tu's heart pounded, but he made up his mind and gritted his teeth, saying, "So be it! So be it! So be it! This trouble is my own doing. A true man acts only with a clear conscience. Even if I die in that beast's mouth, it's my own fault, and I can't blame anyone else!"

Once he made up his mind, he wanted to urge his horse forward.

But the yellow horse, upon hearing the tiger's roar, was so frightened that its hooves went weak. No matter how Zheng Tu whipped and scolded it, it just kept spinning around in place, neighing and trembling, refusing to take another step forward.

"You cowardly beast!" Zheng Tu cursed angrily, knowing that the horse was frightened and could not be ridden.

He immediately jumped down, casually tied the reins to a tree by the roadside, picked up the cloth-wrapped dagger, took a deep breath, and galloped away!

The mountain road was rugged and covered with loose stones.

Zheng Tu stumbled and nearly fell several times, but he paid no heed and charged toward the source of the tiger's roar.

He murmured softly, "Wu Erlang! You must hold on! Don't let that beast eat you!"

After passing through a tangled thicket of branches, the view suddenly opened up ahead.

It was a relatively flat open space on a hill, bathed in the bright moonlight, which cast a clear glow across the ground.

Zheng Tu looked closely and, sure enough, saw a large, smooth blue stone lying in the center of the open space. Beside the stone, on the ground, lay a huge tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead! This beast was at least eight or nine feet long, with an extremely exaggerated physique. The moonlight shone on the tiger skin, making its mottled fur look like ghostly scribbles.

Looking around the large blue stone, the ground was a complete mess!

The withered grass lay flat, the soil was churned, and bloodstains were splattered everywhere, creating a bloody scene.

Zheng Tu's heart sank, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"Too late...too late indeed! Wu Erlang has likely already met with a terrible fate!"

Thinking of how he had almost died from drunkenness just now, and how the hero Wu Song, whom he had finally befriended, had so carelessly perished in the tiger's mouth, Zheng Tu felt a surge of indescribable emotions.

"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have drunk with him! Such a peerless hero! And all because of my momentary impulse..."

Looking at the large insect again, having eaten its fill of people, it lay there resting comfortably, clearly looking quite content.

An unnamed fire rose in Zheng Tu's chest, burning away the last bit of fear.

"You wicked beast! Today I will make you pay for your crimes in blood, and kill you on the spot to avenge Wu Erlang!"

He reversed the weapon in his hand and quickly and cleanly tore off the strips of cloth wrapped around it.

"Buzz"

With a soft hum, a sharp iron dagger suddenly appeared!

The moonlight shone on the blade, creating a cold, autumn-water-like gleam, and the edge of the blade exuded a chilling aura.

It is truly a fine knife that can cut hair in an instant and slice iron like mud!

Zheng Tu gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, and made two empty slashes in the air. The blade cut through the air with several sharp sounds.

His gaze was sharp as lightning, fixed on the crouching tiger, and he had already made up his mind:

"In a hand-to-hand combat, I certainly cannot defeat it. But since this beast is well-fed and sound asleep, completely unprepared, with this sharp blade in hand, I have a chance to subdue it in one strike! If I approach stealthily, aim for its throat, eye socket, or other vital points, and deliver a sudden blow... it might very well be a fatal blow!"

With a sharp blade in hand, the urge to kill arises spontaneously!

Zheng Tu took a deep breath, lowered his body, held his breath, and crept step by step toward the giant insect.

He walked very lightly, his footsteps barely making a sound as he stepped on the withered grass.

One step, two steps, three steps...

They could see that the distance was getting closer and closer.

Ten feet, eight feet, five feet...

The pungent, fishy stench emanating from the tiger assaulted Zheng Tu's nostrils. Despite his best efforts to suppress it, his breathing became rapid and involuntary, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest, as if it were about to burst out of his chest.

Although he had been mentally prepared, he only realized how formidable the giant worm was when he faced it up close.

The mountain lord is a tiger!

The tiger that Wu Song killed with his bare hands was a colossal creature capable of shattering mountains and splitting rocks; how could human beings possibly accomplish such a feat?

Upon closer examination, his strength is truly unfathomable!

Even now, he was probably like an ant in the blue sky, or a frog in a well to the moon in the sky!

Such people died here as easily as weeds?!

Thinking of this, Zheng Tu felt even more indignant at the beastly behavior.

He gripped the knife handle tightly with both hands, slowly raised it, aimed the tip at the vital spot, his arm muscles taut like iron, ready to stab with all his might after taking just two more steps closer!

Just when things were at their most critical, a sudden change occurred!