Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

Chapter 97 Man-made Disaster

"Alright, everyone, you can all leave now."

Zhu Biao straightened up on his horse and clasped his hands in greeting.

"We'll stay in our Little Creek Village tonight and keep watch for everyone. If that beast wants to hurt anyone again, he'll have to get past us first!"

He wasn't just making empty promises; his efforts to solve the tiger problem in Xiaoxi Village stemmed not only from his sense of duty to his fellow villagers and his responsibility as a local militia member.

It's also a political show!

To establish a foothold in Huchoujian, dominate Dulonggang, and further extend its reach to Qing and Ji prefectures, and even the entire Shandong province, it is all inseparable from these fellow villagers.

To put it arrogantly, the more than 20,000 fellow villagers of Zhujiazhuang were his "elders of Jiangdong" and the "foundation of his hegemony."

"Young Master is truly benevolent!"

"Your Honor, the Just Magistrate!"

"Third Master, you've come to our rescue!"

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the villagers were moved to tears and started shouting all sorts of things.

A moment later, at the ancestral hall in Xiaoxi Village.

As soon as he entered, Zhu Biao's warm demeanor vanished, replaced by a stern face as he solemnly gave his orders.

"Honestly, quickly bring me pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. Also, find two experienced hunters; I have some questions for you."

"Yes, yes."

Although Zhu Laoshi didn't understand what was going on, he still nodded in agreement. However, as soon as he turned around, he heard Zhu Biao add another sentence.

"The hunter should find a trustworthy and honest person, and you should not go yourself, so as not to disturb the other villagers."

"Yes, I understand."

Zhu Laoshi didn't dare to ask any more questions and left, completely bewildered.

"Third Brother, your brow is furrowed so deeply, what did you find out?"

Pang Qiutang is straightforward and close to him, so he always speaks his mind.

"Phew~"

Zhu Biao exhaled a breath of stale air.

He mentally reviewed the scene of the victim's investigation, and finally shook his head.

"It's not certain yet, we only have some vague guesses. Just wait patiently, and we'll know for sure soon."

Pang Qiutang pursed her lips helplessly and muttered under her breath.

"It's always like this, always speaking in riddles, making me seem like I'm stupid."

Hey~

Wu Song was not far from her, and upon hearing her muttering to herself, he couldn't help but grin.

"Hey big oaf, what are you laughing at? Have you figured something out too?"

"Uh~"

Wu Song was speechless.

What did he even see? Everyone has a tendency to be lazy, and Wu Song was no exception. After following Zhu Biao, he no longer needed to worry about anything and became even lazier to use his brain.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Pang Qiutang immediately mocked, "So what's the use of being strong? All you can do is wield a stone roller; your brain is still just a blockhead!"

At this moment, Su Fang suddenly stepped forward and mustered his courage to ask.

"Does the young master think that the two victims' residences are a bit too far apart?"

"Oh?"

Zhu Biao suddenly looked up, his eyes lighting up.

"Su Fang, you actually found out too? You're quite the clever lad, well done!"

Su Fang blushed at the praise and scratched her head shyly.

"Hey, I don't deserve your praise, young master. It's just that my house is close to the grasslands, where wolves often roam in winter, so I know a little about the habits of wild animals."

"Su Fang, you don't need to be so modest. Everyone here is on our side. What else have you discovered? Please speak freely!"

Zhu Biao smiled and encouraged him.

"yes!"

At this moment, everyone was staring intently at him. Su Fang's face turned even redder, but his eyes were sparkling.

"Well, then I'll tell you what I know: wild animals are actually quite cunning."

Even when extremely hungry, if they venture into a village in search of food, they will only target chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep. They won't even bother with large livestock like cattle and horses, let alone people.

"so what?"

Zhu Biao's interest grew even stronger, and he gently guided him on.

"So, I think this tiger didn't come into the village to hunt for food, but only to kill!"

Zhu Biao clapped his hands: "That's right! But not quite accurate. I think it killed people for revenge."

Just then, Zhu Laoshi strode in, carrying a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

"Young Master, the paper and pen have been brought over. Old Hunter also had my grandson secretly go and fetch them."

7

"Um."

Zhu Biao nodded.

"Honestly, I remember you attended a private school and even worked as an accountant in the city for a few years?"

"Exactly."

"Could you perhaps create a map of the terrain around Xiaoxi Village?"

Zhu Laoshi was slightly taken aback by this request, and humbly replied with a cupped hand: "It is worth a try, but it will certainly be crude."

Zhu Biao waved his hand: "It's alright, just focus on drawing. You don't need to draw the houses, just use the names of the people instead."

After a moment, he put down his pen and blew on the ink.

"Young Master, the drawing is finished."

Zhu Biao quickly got up to look, and the others also gathered around.

Zhu Laoshi's drawing is quite good. It's not exactly beautiful, but the handwriting is very clear. Xiaoxi Village is built along the stream, and the whole structure is presented as the character "几".

To the north, nestled against the mountains, live more than thirty hunting families; to the south, beside the water, are scattered more than a hundred farming households.

"Be honest, lure out the two families who were murdered."

"Yes."

Zhu Laoshi quickly picked up his pen and circled the two households.

A hunter surnamed Tang lived in the north of the village, while a farmer surnamed Zhu lived in the south, separated by more than half the village.

Zhu Biao's eyes flashed, and he hurriedly ordered, "Draw the tiger's route again!"

At this moment, Zhu Laoshi also realized something was wrong. As soon as Zhu Biao finished speaking, he immediately marked two dotted lines on the map.

The tiger's route was even more unpredictable.

They entered the village from the northwest, first raided the home of the hunter Tang, then bypassed most of the village to reach the home of the farmer Zhu, letting countless livestock graze along the way, and finally returned to the mountains from the northeast.

"This...is this beast deliberately picking on someone to harm?"

Zhu Laoshi wasn't stupid; he had already figured out the problem.

"Heh~"

Zhu Biao sneered and said in a low voice, "Harm people? I think it's revenge, isn't it? Honestly, aren't these two families still alive? Go, bring the living people here."

A short while later, the sky began to darken.

The ancestral hall was lit up, and the originally spacious hall now felt crowded.

In addition to the group brought by Zhu Biao, there were two hunters and two family members of the victims in the hall.

From the Tang family in the north of the village came their daughter-in-law, who had lost an arm; from the Zhu family in the north of the village came the head of the family, Zhu Geda, who had been scratched on the back by a tiger.

There were other people in these two families, but they were either too badly injured, too old or too young, or not at home.

Currently, the only people who can still move and respond are these two people in front of me.

Zhu Biao sat firmly in his chair, and without wasting words, went straight to the point: "Speak! What inappropriate things have your two families done recently, or what inappropriate things have you eaten?"

"Sir, my family has always been honest and law-abiding, and we would never dare to do anything reckless."

The Tang family's daughter-in-law was a fiery woman; her eyes reddened, and she answered without hesitation.

"Ouch~"

However, upon hearing this question, Zhu Geda instinctively tried to bend over and lower his head, which aggravated the injury on his back, causing him to grimace in pain.

Zhu Biao's gaze swept over him instantly, locking onto him tightly.

"Zhu Geda, you answer me!"

Whether from pain or fear, Zhu Geda trembled all over, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, no, no."

"No?"

Zhu Biao didn't fly into a rage; he just smirked and said mockingly, "Zhu Geda, have you thought this through? That tiger has gone mad and will definitely continue to seek revenge. Your family only has the old, weak, and disabled left. Can you hold them off?"

"Seeking revenge?"

Before Zhu Geda could reply, Tang's daughter-in-law asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that, sir?"

This woman is a strong-willed person. Last night, her husband died, her brother-in-law is now seriously injured and on the verge of death, and she herself has lost an arm.

However, instead of crying and wailing, she went out into the public eye and gritted her teeth to support the family.

"What do you mean? Why did that vicious tiger spare the livestock of the entire village, bypass most of the village, and only kill your two families?"

Pang Qiutang, being impatient, scoffed and answered Zhu Biao's question for him.

"what?"

Tang's daughter-in-law was stunned.

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she rushed to Zhu Geda, grabbed his collar with one hand, and roared with red eyes.

"Tell me! Was it you who did this? You killed my whole family?"

"Nonsense, what nonsense are you talking about! My family was also harmed by that beast."

Zhu Geda's eyes darted away, but he kept stubbornly arguing.

"But not a single person in your family died! All the men in my family are dead!"

Tang's daughter-in-law roared.

Zhu Biao winked at Pang Qiutang, who understood and immediately went over to pull her aside, whispering something in her ear.

"Don't worry, my third brother is a master judge, he will surely give you justice."

Once the scene quieted down, Zhu Biao ignored Zhu Geda and turned to the two old hunters.

"You are all experienced hunters, surely familiar with the ways of the mountains and forests. Do you recognize this ferocious tiger?"

The older hunter hesitated, seemingly wanting to speak but holding back, while the younger hunter blurted out, "I recognize him!"

"This tigress has been living in the North Mountain for the past few years, but she is not a vicious tiger. She has never come down the mountain to do evil, nor has she hurt anyone."

He suddenly bowed and clasped his hands in greeting to Zhu Biao.

"It's been driven mad!"

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