Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 21 The Mysterious Person

The next morning, a group of people gathered at the street corner of Yanmen County.

Several constables were posting notices, which bore the official seal of the Taiyuan Prefecture Commandery and were also approved by the Weizhou Prefecture.

"By order of the Taiyuan Prefecture Commander, the document from Weizhou is hereby issued to apprehend the murderer Zheng Tu. He is a resident of Weizhou, aged twenty-six or twenty-seven, eight feet tall, with a fleshy face. This man has killed two people in Weizhou and is exceptionally vicious. Anyone who harbors him in their home or provides him with food and lodging will be punished the same as the criminal. Anyone who captures him and brings him to justice, or reports him to the authorities, will be rewarded with one thousand strings of cash."

The onlookers were abuzz with discussion. Some of the bolder ones had already secretly memorized Zheng Tu's features, thinking that if they were to bump into him, they would definitely report him to the authorities and claim the reward.

Meanwhile, inside Tongqinglou Restaurant, the morning market had just opened, and several tables were already occupied by customers.

Two men dressed as merchants were sitting at the table by the window, talking in hushed tones.

One of them said mysteriously, "Brother Zhang, have you heard? Something big happened in the city last night!"

"What is it?"

"That Master Zhao... is dead!!!"

"What?" The other man nearly dropped his glass. "How did he die? Could it be... he died on some prostitute's belly?"

The two exchanged a knowing smile, their expressions ambiguous.

People grow cold when they're gone; now that Master Zhao is dead, they've become more unrestrained in their speech.

A few busybodies at the next table overheard this and joined in. A sharp-faced man lowered his voice: "If he really died under the peony blossoms, at least he'd be remembered as a romantic ghost. You don't know, that Master Zhao died a horrible death... he was beaten to death with his fists!"

"Huh?" Everyone gasped.

"Tsk tsk, I heard that blood flowed from all seven orifices and the skull was completely shattered. The person who did it was truly ruthless!" the sharp-faced man said, a hint of pleasure flashing in his eyes.

This wealthy man, Zhao, had committed many evil deeds, and his death was secretly a source of joy for many people.

"I wonder which hero did this; such methods are truly acting on behalf of Heaven!" someone praised.

The crowd started discussing amongst themselves, some saying that Master Zhao had many enemies, others guessing that he was a chivalrous outlaw who had intervened to right a wrong.

The waiter was wiping the table nearby, listening half-heartedly, but in his heart he was thinking: What does it have to do with me whether Master Zhao lives or dies? I'll just keep running the waiter and earning my wages.

As they were discussing this, footsteps came from the stairs.

Everyone looked up and saw an unfamiliar man slowly walking upstairs. They didn't pay him any mind and continued chatting amongst themselves.

It was Zheng Tu.

He went straight up to the third floor and arrived at the door of the Jin family's room.

The satchel was placed on the ground with a dull thud. He raised his hand and knocked on the door, hearing light footsteps coming from inside. He immediately turned and left.

Once this matter is settled, he and the father and daughter will be even.

It's not that Zheng Tu is particularly kind; he's just pursuing a clear understanding of a concept.

He had already repaid the debts owed by the original owner of this body; he had suffered because of them time and time again, and now he was helping them out of their predicament. From now on, they would go their separate ways and have no further connection.

Jin Cuilian heard a knock on the door from inside the room. After hesitating for a moment, she opened the door to check.

But she only saw a burly figure turn the corner of the stairs and disappear. A hint of doubt flashed in her eyes; that figure... seemed somewhat familiar?

Looking down, I saw a blue cloth satchel on the ground.

She bent down to lift it, and it took all her strength to move it. She went back to her room, closed the door, and untied the ribbon to take a look.

It was a whole satchel full of gold and silver!

The gleaming silver ingots, the gleaming goldware, and the several pieces of jewelry shone brightly.

Jin Cuilian's mouth opened slightly, but she quickly covered it with her hand to prevent herself from screaming.

Doubt, surprise, joy, curiosity... all appeared simultaneously in her moist almond-shaped eyes.

It's hard to say how Jin Cuilian felt at that moment, when she was at her lowest point and had nothing left. She received such a generous gift.

It must be said that the young and beautiful woman's heartstrings seemed to be plucked for a moment by the sight of this imposing man from behind, and she felt an immense curiosity about this man she had never met before.

Downstairs, Zheng Tu came down from the third floor.

The waiter was carrying dishes past when he saw him coming down from the quarters of the singing girls. He assumed the man was going to see some lover and began to wink and tease him.

"Sir, you've come so early to have some fun? The ladies on the third floor probably haven't gotten up yet."

Zheng Tu smiled, offered no explanation, and simply nodded at him.

He harbored no ill will towards the waiter who had given him so much information. He took out a piece of silver from his pocket and tossed it over: "This is a reward for you."

The waiter was overjoyed when he received the silver and said several auspicious words.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed faint marks on Zheng Tu's fist, marks left from striking a hard object, the redness and swelling still present.

A thought struck him, and he suddenly remembered the conversation among the patrons about "Master Zhao being beaten to death with a fist"...

"No way..." The waiter shook his head, thinking he was overthinking things.

This customer looks ordinary; he doesn't seem like the kind of powerful figure who could kill Master Zhao.

There are plenty of people in the world with broken skin from punches, what a coincidence!

Zheng Tu left Tongqing Tower and strolled slowly down the street.

He had intended to stay in Yanmen County for a few more days to observe the situation and then plan his next move. However, as he approached the street corner, he saw a group of people pointing and gesturing around a notice. Upon closer listening, he realized they were discussing his own wanted poster!

"...A reward of one thousand strings of cash! Good heavens, who is this Zheng Tu?"

"I heard he was a butcher from Weizhou who killed two people and escaped."

"A butcher? Could a butcher really be that skilled? Killing two people and still escaping?"

Zheng Tu was startled, thinking that the incident of killing Master Zhao last night had come to light.

Upon closer listening, it became clear that it was an old case from Weizhou. That scoundrel Lu Da had actually issued a warrant for his arrest and had tracked him all the way to Yanmen!

He remained silent, quietly retreated into the crowd, and turned to leave.

"This is not a place to stay for long," Zheng Tu thought to himself.

He quickened his pace and headed straight for the city gate. Fortunately, there were many people leaving the city in the early morning, and the guards only did a cursory check. Seeing that he was dressed plainly and had nothing of value, they let him pass.

Once outside the city, Zheng Tu glanced back at the Yanmen County city gate and was momentarily dazed.

"Where should I go next?" He gazed at the distant official road, pondering.

Just then, a commotion arose at the city gate behind them. Several constables, holding portraits, were checking passersby, much more strictly than before.

Zheng Tu felt a chill run down his spine. Without further hesitation, he randomly chose a direction and rode off.

……

Inside Tongqing Tower, about an hour later, the county yamen runners indeed came to post Zheng Tu's portrait.

The waiter, having finished his work, went over to see what was going on. Upon closer inspection of the portrait, he was suddenly struck by a jolt!

How could he look so much like the customer who gave him the silver this morning!

Then, recalling the scars on that man's fist, and connecting them to the rumor that Master Zhao was beaten to death by a fist...

Xiao Er felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

"This person...this person is probably not..." His face turned pale, and he shook his head repeatedly, "What does this have to do with me! What does this have to do with me!"

The thought of reporting to the authorities and claiming the reward had just arisen when he forcefully suppressed it.

A thousand strings of cash is a lot, but you need to be alive to spend it! This kind of evil star dared to kill even Master Zhao. If he knew that I had betrayed him, wouldn't he wipe out my entire family?

The waiter wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and began wiping the table himself.