xymnovel Chapter 4: Who is Loyal and Who is Treacherous?
Chapter 4: Who is Loyal and Who is Treacherous?
Zheng Tu walked briskly with his head down, and when he reached the west entrance of Gulou Alley, he saw a burly man standing alone against the wall.
With a dozen or so sticks in front of him, and a dozen or so plasters neatly arranged on the ground, served on plates with paper labels stuck on them, he was clearly a street vendor selling medicine with a weapon.
There wasn't a single customer around; it was quite deserted.
"That outfit... must be Li Zhong, the tiger-slaying general? No wonder he was penniless when Lu Da asked him for money, he'd chosen such a desolate place to sell medicine!"
Zheng Tu was speechless, but he kept walking and hurried home.
Thinking of that despicable couple, one a skinny monkey-like mistress, the other a virtuous woman, with my body that's been slaughtering cattle and pigs for years, how could I not handle them?
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the courtyard and raised their hands to knock on the door knocker.
A muffled, sticky voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
Zheng Tu felt disgusted. How could someone steal food from such a creature? He must be starving…
He remained silent and kowtowed three more times.
The light footsteps drew closer, and the woman's voice carried a hint of annoyance: "They're here! Like a death knell!"
The latch clicked open, and Zheng Tu suddenly lunged in. Before the woman could even see clearly, the cold blade was already pressed against her plump, white neck.
"Where is he?" Zheng Tu squeezed out three words through gritted teeth.
When Madam Fu saw it was her own husband, she was about to curse him for "courting death" when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her neck. Looking down, she saw the gleaming blade, and her face turned pale instantly: "Who...who is it? Why is my lord playing with a knife? You've frightened me to death..."
"Stop talking nonsense!" Zheng Tu pressed down on his wrist, the blade instantly cutting through the greasy skin, blood seeping out. "Where is your adulterous scoundrel hiding?"
The woman was terrified, thinking to herself, "How did this killer know? Could he have been possessed?"
But he screamed, "He's...he's lying dead on the kang (heated brick bed) in the inner room!"
"Tell him to get out here!" Zheng Tu forced her to move inside with his knife, his eyes wide like copper bells.
Zheng Tu pressed her forward while glancing around.
As soon as I entered the main room, I suddenly heard a whooshing sound behind my head!
What a scoundrel! That pale-faced man is quite bold! He suddenly appeared from behind the door and kicked me right in the chest.
Hearing the commotion, Zheng Tu quickly turned to dodge, but was kicked in the arm.
Suddenly feeling a sharp pain, the knife in his hand clattered to the ground.
The two immediately rolled around in a heap, exchanging punches and kicks, overturning tables and chairs.
This thin man looked frail, but he actually possessed some fighting skills and acted ruthlessly.
Although Zheng Tu was physically imposing, he didn't have many martial arts skills to show off, and the original owner of the body was addicted to wine and women, so he had long been hollowed out.
For a moment, they couldn't subdue the pale-faced man.
In the midst of the fierce fight, Zheng Tu suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower back!
But Fu found a sharp knife on the ground and stabbed it fiercely, half of the blade sinking straight into her waist.
Zheng Tu, in pain, roared like thunder. He turned around and kicked the woman over, forcefully pulled out the sharp knife from his waist, and, exchanging injury for injury, aimed for the white-faced man's heart.
With a soft "plop," both men were jolted. The skinny man stared wide-eyed and collapsed limply, blood gushing out onto the ground.
"Murder! Murder!"
Fu got up with disheveled hair and screamed at the top of her lungs.
Zheng Tu's eyes turned red. He rushed over, covered her mouth, and stabbed her three or four times with his knife. The woman's hands and feet twitched, and then she stopped moving.
Zheng Tu sat there catching his breath for a moment, his waist soaked with blood.
Suddenly, he heard what sounded like a neighbor opening their door outside the wall. He thought to himself, "That wretched woman was shouting so loudly just now; the neighbors must have heard it. Someone will probably come soon! I can't stay here any longer!"
"At worst, I can join the Liangshan Marsh. With my own insights, I might find a place to use my talents!"
He gritted his teeth and rushed into the bedroom, grabbed a bed sheet, wrapped some clothes and valuables around his waist, and stuffed the silver ingots haphazardly into his bosom.
Just as he was about to rush out the door, he looked up and saw the entrance.
A towering man stood there, with a round face, large ears, and a thick, pungent beard. He was eight feet tall and had a waist ten spans wide.
Who else could it be but Lu Zhishen?
Lu Da's eyes, sharp as copper bells, first swept over Zheng Tu's blood-stained clothes, then glanced at the bundle in his hand, and finally caught sight of the two corpses lying in the room. Suddenly, he grinned:
"Master Zheng, not only do you seize innocent women, but you also dare to kill and rob! You really have some skills!"
Before Zheng Tu could explain, Lu Zhishen had already raised his fist and stepped forward.
What a fast punch, what great power!
With just one punch, which landed squarely on Zheng Tu's temple, it was as if a grand Buddhist and Taoist ritual was being performed in Zheng Tu's mind, with chimes, cymbals, and gongs ringing out all at once.
Zheng Tu lay stiffly on the ground, only exhaling and no longer inhaling, unable to move.
……
[Zheng Tu, died]
Survival days: 0 days
When Zheng Tu opened his eyes again, he gritted his teeth.
"That damned Lu, how can he be so persistent!" he thought, his anger rising. "I just killed someone, and he's already blocking the doorway. Does he really have eyes and ears that can see and hear a thousand miles?"
He certainly didn't believe such nonsense; the news must have leaked somewhere.
Zheng Tu suppressed his anger, narrowed his eyes, and scanned the butcher shop.
The apprentices on the left are mostly newcomers who don't even know which way the landlord's house faces, let alone that they have no grudges against him, so he probably won't cause any trouble.
The old knife-wielders on the right all had families to support and relied on this shop for their livelihood. Even though they had a grudge against the original owner of this body in the past, they wouldn't dare to say a word even if they had ten times the courage.
That question...
His gaze was fixed on the person in the very center.
Great!
This guy has thick eyebrows and big eyes, could he have betrayed us too?
He saw Niu Da turn around and stare blankly at him.
Well then, he can still clearly distinguish between loyalty and treachery!
Zheng Tu slowly rose, but his face remained calm: "Niu Da, take good care of the shop. I'm going home for a visit. If anyone comes looking for me today, just say I'm not here."
Without waiting for Niu Da's reaction, he turned and walked out.
Zheng Tu went out the door but didn't go straight. Instead, he went west and circled around half a street before hiding behind an old locust tree.
Through the gaps in the branches and leaves, one can just catch a glimpse of the scene in front of the butcher shop.
Sure enough! In less than half an incense stick's time, the bear-like giant swaggered to the front of the shop.
Lu Zhishen stood in front of the butcher shop and shouted in a booming voice, "Zheng the Butcher! Come out and see me!"
Niu Da hurriedly came out to greet him, brought a long bench for Lu Zhishen to sit on, and then bowed and smiled obsequiously, his lips moving as he said something.
After hearing a few words, Lu Da's face suddenly turned dark, and he lifted Niu Da high up as if he were a chick.
Niu Da kicked wildly with his feet dangling in the air, his face drained of color, and he shook his head repeatedly.
Lu Da spat and threw him to the ground. Without saying another word, he turned and strode away.
Zheng Tu, who had a clear view from behind the tree, was surprised: "Strange! This Niu Da didn't reveal my whereabouts? Did I misunderstand him?"
If it wasn't an inside informant, then how was Lu Da able to accurately block the door the previous time?
The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. He felt surrounded by a cloud of doubt and slowly walked out from behind the tree.
Just as he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard someone call out beside him, "Master Zheng!"