Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 24 Further Investigation, Further Report

Zheng Tu rode his horse back to the Shizipo Tavern, where the flirtatious woman was still leaning against the door.

She was wearing a loose-fitting shirt that revealed large areas of white flesh, with a wildflower tucked behind her ear, and was fanning herself with a handkerchief.

Zheng Tu reined in his horse, thinking to himself, "That vile woman is causing trouble here again."

Looking up, I saw that the woman was also looking over. Their eyes met, and a glint of light flashed in the woman's eyes. She then put on a big smile and swayed her hips as she came forward to greet me.

Zheng Tu dismounted and tied the reins to an old locust tree by the roadside.

The woman had already arrived and said in a sweet voice, "Sir, you must be tired from your journey. Please come in and rest. We have good wine and meat, and if you would like some snacks, we also have big steamed buns."

Suppressing his murderous intent, Zheng Tu pondered, "Those two idiots in the kitchen, one called Xiao Er and the other Xiao San, are both burly men who have been working hard at the meat counter for years, so their strength must be considerable."

"If I act now and alert the two of them, they'll both pounce on me. I'm not afraid, but two fists can't fight four hands, and I might not be able to guarantee my safety. It's better to wait for the five merchants to arrive and then deal with them. Seven against three, I'll have a sure win."

Having made up his mind, he followed the woman's lead and said, "I'm feeling a bit hungry and thirsty, so let's bring some wine and meat." With that, he followed the woman into the shop.

The shop still retains its old-fashioned appearance, with four or five cypress wood tables and stools placed in front of the door, and a row of wine jars against the wall, their mud seals covered in dust.

Zheng Tu picked a seat from the middle and sat down, but his eyes glanced at the curtain in the back kitchen.

The woman flirted and posed in front of Zheng Tu for a while, but seeing that he didn't pay much attention to her, she said with a coquettish smile, "Please wait a moment, sir, the hot dishes will be served soon." After saying that, she turned around and went to the back.

Zheng Tu nodded, and after the woman's figure disappeared behind the curtain, he suddenly stood up and said, "I must be really in a hurry, let's find a latrine." He strode out of the shop, but went around to the back of the house.

There was a small window in the back wall of the tavern, and the window paper was tattered.

Zheng Tu held his breath and leaned closer. Even though he was mentally prepared, he still gasped.

This kitchen is no ordinary cooking area; it's clearly a meat processing workshop!

Several skins stretched taut on the wall, their textures clearly defined; five or seven legs hung from the beam, their flesh shriveled and dry; in the corner were two large vats, filled with entrails.

Most horrifying of all were the two skinning benches, each with two naked, sheep-like creatures, already disemboweled.

Upon closer inspection, two shirtless men were busy at the table.

One had a blue mark on his face, and the other was missing half of his left ear. Both were eight feet tall and had waists ten spans wide.

Beneath his fat frame, muscles bulged like the gnarled roots of an old tree, and his arms were as thick as an ordinary person's thighs. He gripped two thick-backed cleavers and was chopping meat and bones on the table, the sound of chopping meat as loud as drumming.

Zheng Tu saw it clearly and was secretly alarmed: "These two fools look fierce, and they have fat bodies to protect them. Ordinary punches and kicks will probably not be able to hurt them. If it is one-on-one, I can still hold my own; but if the two of them attack me at the same time, it will take some effort."

Just as he was about to retreat, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

"That bitch actually followed us!" Zheng Tu's heart sank, but he remained calm on the surface, pretending to have finished relieving himself, dusting off his clothes and returning to the shop.

As soon as they sat down, the woman lifted the curtain and came out to serve wine and dishes, which were still the same jar of cloudy wine and a few small dishes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir." The woman's smile remained unchanged.

Zheng Tu pretended not to know, thinking to himself: "Those two fat men are strong, but they are still clumsy. When the fight starts, I will focus on dealing with one of them and I think I can kill him within fifty rounds. As for this woman, there is no need to worry about her. As long as four of the five merchants are tied up with the other one and the remaining one is in charge of this woman, the situation will be settled."

The more Zheng Tu thought about it, the more appropriate it seemed, and he felt much more at ease.

Plans are in place!

Before long, the sound of mule bells came from outside the shop. Zheng Tu looked through the window and saw that the five merchants had arrived.

They were all burly men, dressed in short-sleeved shirts, with bulging waistbands indicating they were carrying weapons. The five men tied two mule carts to a tree and walked into the shop, chatting and laughing.

They chose a seat near the back, unloaded their bags, loudly ordered wine and dishes, and chatted and laughed.

Zheng Tu suppressed his emotions, observed secretly, and waited for an opportunity.

The dark-faced man indeed spoke up, teasing the woman, "Madam, why is your wine so bland? Bring on some better wine!"

The woman responded and came out from the kitchen, smiling, "Sir, please don't be in a hurry. We do have some fine aged wine, though it's a bit cloudy. I wonder if that suits your taste?"

The burly man shouted, "Best! The thicker the meat, the stronger it is! Quickly, bring it and eat it!"

The woman replied "I understand" and turned to go back into the kitchen.

Seeing that the time was right, Zheng Tu suddenly stood up, took his wine bowl and walked to the table, and said with a smile, "Brothers, it is fate that we meet. I have served some good wine at this table first. If you don't mind, I will treat you to a bowl."

Before the group could answer, Zheng Tu sat down next to the leader and said in a low voice:

"My lords, this is a den of thieves! I just saw their kitchen; it's a murder workshop! Human legs are hanging from the beams! Corpses lie strewn about, a truly gruesome sight! The murky wine that woman went to fetch must have been drugged. You absolutely mustn't drink it!"

Upon hearing this, the five men's expressions changed drastically.

The man who appeared to be the leader narrowed his eyes, sizing Zheng Tu up and down, and slowly said, "Oh dear! Is that so? Now that you've seen through it, do you have any plans?"

Zheng Tu vaguely felt that he had made a mistake somewhere, but time was of the essence, and he didn't have time to think about it further.

While keeping an eye on the kitchen, he quickly explained his plan: "I've observed the situation; there are three people in the shop: a woman and two fat men. When the fight breaks out, I'll deal with one of the fat men, one of you can subdue the woman, and the other four can hold off the other fat man. Once I've dealt with this one, I'll come to your aid. That way, we'll be perfectly safe!"

The leader raised an eyebrow, a strange glint in his eyes, seemingly displeased: "So, this hero's martial arts must be quite formidable, to insist on fighting one person alone?"

Zheng Tu assumed that he was feeling slighted and resentful, so he hurriedly said, "Brother, don't overthink it! Those two fat men are burly and heavy, and they are hard to hurt with ordinary blows."

"I have some martial arts skills and can hold my own. You only need to hold off the other one, and once I succeed, the situation will be settled!"

The five men exchanged glances. The leader seemed to have made up his mind and said in a deep voice, "We have often heard people say when we travel the world: 'At the crossroads of the big tree, who dares to pass by? The fat ones are chopped up and used as filling for steamed buns, while the thin ones are thrown into the river.'"

"I never imagined it would actually be like this! Brother, your words are so sincere, we trust you! We'll follow your plan then!"

Seeing that they weren't the kind of stubborn, unreasonable people who insisted on arguing, Zheng Tu breathed a sigh of relief and was about to thank them...

The kitchen curtain was suddenly flung open.

The alluring woman gracefully stepped out carrying a wine jar, her smile unchanged, and announced in a loud, coquettish voice, "Gentlemen, the fine wine is here!"