Before he could refute, the man who called himself "Wu Song" swung his knife at him.
Wu Song's swordsmanship was fierce and powerful, truly intimidating. Even though Chai Jin had some martial arts skills, he was unable to defend himself at this moment.
After the sword was swung down, Chai Jin managed to dodge it at the last second by performing a lazy roll.
However, Wu Song did not continue to attack at this moment. Instead, he frowned and said, "No, according to what those servants said, the bandit who went on a killing spree at Master Chai's house was incredibly fierce, far beyond the reach of your mediocre skills. Tell me quickly, who are you? And where is that bandit?"
Chai Jin was already red with anger, and he roared like an owl, "You still ask me who I am?! I am the Chai Jin you speak of, Master Chai!!"
Thank goodness, Chai Jin didn't die at Wang Xuan's hands, but he was almost inexplicably hacked to death. What's worse, the person who killed him even claimed to be seeking justice for him!
"What?! You're Chai Jin, the esteemed official?!" Wu Song exclaimed in shock, his mouth agape. "Where is that bandit?" he asked in a daze.
"Are you talking about me?" Wang Xuan asked seriously, barely suppressing a laugh.
Wu Song looked at Wang Xuan, then at Chai Jin, and finally realized what a foolish thing he had just done. He was so embarrassed that he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself.
However, now is not the time to be embarrassed. With a formidable enemy at hand, let's deal with the enemy first, and then apologize to Master Chai!
With a resolute expression, Chai Jin stood protectively behind Wu Song and said, "So you're the bandit they're talking about? You look only seventeen or eighteen years old. I'd like to see just how skilled you are in martial arts!"
Chai Jin didn't know how skilled Wu Song was in martial arts, but he knew about Wang Xuan's methods, so he didn't dare to get involved with Wu Song. He reprimanded him, saying, "You're talking nonsense! There are no bandits here. That's my master! Don't you dare disrespect my master!"
Wu Song froze again. If Master Chai said there were no bandits, then what about the dozens of corpses on the ground?
It's obvious that Chai Jin is wary of something.
"Master Chai, you don't need to worry. I, Wu Song, am strong enough to capture a tiger. I will never let this man threaten your safety." Without saying any more nonsense, Wu Song slashed at Wang Xuan with his sword.
With a flick of his sleeve, Wang Xuan knocked the long knife out of Wu Song's hand, and Wu Song himself staggered back several steps.
"Wu Song, your strength is quite good, comparable to my eldest disciple Shi Jin." Wang Xuan said to Wu Song with a face full of admiration, "Why don't you become my disciple? I can teach you unparalleled martial arts and make you the top master in the martial arts world!"
Although Wu Song was surprised by Wang Xuan's strength, he still did not give up and pounced on Wang Xuan with his bare hands, just like Wu Song fighting a tiger.
This time, however, he was not facing a tiger, but a master at the eleventh level of the Acquired Realm, who would be virtually invincible in the Water Margin world!
Several sharp, resounding punches rang out, and Wu Song was unsurprisingly knocked to the ground. Even though he was a man of iron, he was now questioning his very existence.
Chapter Thirty-Four: Wu Song Fights the Tiger
With Wang Xuan's unparalleled martial arts skills, it would be no problem for him to convince Wu Song to submit willingly.
The heroes of the Water Margin world are known for their secret skills, rarely teaching them to others. Now that a peerless master like Wang Xuan is willing to take on a disciple, how could Wu Song possibly refuse?
As for Wang Xuan offending Master Chai, even Chai Jin himself didn't pursue the matter, so why should Wu Song worry about it for others?
For the next ten days or so, Wang Xuan stayed at Chai Jin's house and taught Chai Jin and Wu Song the "True Explanation of Ziyang".
The "True Explanation of Ziyang" is profound and extensive. Even though Wang Xuan only taught the first volume, it is still incomparable to the martial arts in the Water Margin world.
Wu Song was overjoyed to have acquired this skill and became completely absorbed in practicing it.
Even Chai Jin forgot the previous unpleasantness and regarded Wang Xuan as his true master.
This is one of the advantages of the ancient world; at least in terms of respecting teachers and valuing tradition, it was infinitely better than in modern society.
Chai Jin was wealthy and collected a large amount of medicinal herbs, which he used to make medicinal baths and medicinal meals for the two of them. Their martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds.
Half a month later, Wu Song broke through to the third level of the Acquired Realm, and his arms had the strength of 800 jin, which was comparable to Wang Jin, the chief instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards.
Chai Jin, on the other hand, was a bit weaker, having only reached the first level of the Acquired Realm and barely mastered the basics of the "Purple Yang True Explanation." Yet, even at the first level of the Acquired Realm, he could still take on a dozen or so ordinary burly men single-handedly, making him much stronger than Chai Jin before.
Wang Xuan stayed here for half a month, and no one dared to provoke him. As for Chai Jin, his family possessed an imperial edict, so even if someone died in his household, the government officials dared not come to cause him trouble.
Half a month later, Song Jiang's injuries had finally healed, and Wang Xuan was ready to set off again.
"Master, are you leaving already? What am I going to do?" Wu Song became anxious when he heard that Wang Xuan was leaving.
Wu Song had accidentally killed someone in his hometown and, not wanting to go to jail, had fled. He heard that Master Chai of Cangzhou was willing to take in down-on-his-luck heroes, so he made a special trip to seek refuge with him. Little did he expect that he would encounter the same incident as before as soon as he entered the gate.
Upon hearing Wu Song's words, Wang Xuan immediately laughed: "The person you killed back then didn't actually die; he was later revived."
Wu Song was overjoyed upon hearing this, as he didn't want to be a fugitive for the rest of his life. He also felt uneasy about abandoning his brother in their hometown of Qinghe County after the fight.
“Perfect timing. I’m on my way to Jizhou, and I’ll be passing through your hometown, Qinghe County. Would you like to travel with me?” This was Wang Xuan’s little scheme; he wanted to see a real-life version of Wu Song fighting the tiger.
“Since Master is passing through Qinghe County, I will naturally treat you well.” Wu Song agreed without hesitation.
Wang Xuan set off again with his two disciples, Song Jiang and Wu Song. This time, Wu Song was driving the carriage, and they traveled much faster than before.
They traveled for several days and arrived in Yanggu County.
It was midday, and the sun was blazing, making it unbearably hot. However, they were still some distance from Yanggu County, so Song Jiang and Wu Song had no choice but to endure it.
Wu Song suddenly smiled, because he saw an inn ahead with a large banner in front of it that read: "Three bowls and you can't cross the hill."
"Master, there's an inn ahead. Why don't we go in and rest for a while?" Wu Song said to Wang Xuan in a muffled voice.
Wang Xuan stuck his head out of the carriage and immediately burst out laughing. Wasn't this the tavern from the original story? Wang Xuan wanted to see which was stronger, the wine here or the high-proof liquor of later generations.
"Alright, let's go in and rest for a bit, and have a few drinks while we're at it."
Upon hearing Wang Xuan's agreement, Wu Song and Song Jiang both beamed with joy. After settling the carriage, they eagerly entered the hotel.
They found a table, sat down, and ordered some food and drinks from the restaurant.
Wu Song grabbed the wine jar, first pouring a large bowl of wine for Wang Xuan, and then pouring a bowl for Song Jiang. As for himself, he held onto the wine jar tightly and refused to let go.
Wang Xuan examined the wine in the bowl and found that although it was still slightly cloudy, it was quite similar to the baijiu of later generations.
After taking a small sip of the liquor, Wang Xuan became even more certain that it was definitely a high-concentration distilled spirit.
While Wang Xuan was drinking, Wu Song and Song Jiang had already started drinking heartily as well.
After Song Jiang downed the liquor in one gulp, his dark face turned bright red, and he nearly vomited. Even Wu Song, known for his high alcohol tolerance, couldn't help but exclaim, "What strong liquor!"
Although the liquor was strong, it was definitely good liquor. Wu Song's craving for alcohol kicked in, and he drank bowl after bowl, quickly finishing the entire jar of liquor.
Don't be fooled by the size of the wine jar; it can only hold six or seven bowls of baijiu. If the three of them divide it equally, each person can get two bowls.
After Wu Song finished the jar of wine, he wanted to buy some more, but the innkeeper refused to sell it to him.
But Wu Song's craving for alcohol kicked in, and he refused to agree. After being pestered by him, the innkeeper had no choice but to bring out two more jars of strong liquor.
Wang Xuan watched this scene with a smile, offering no words of intervention. In the original story, Wu Song, drunk and disorderly, defeated the tiger with a flurry of drunken punches. Since Wang Xuan wanted to see Wu Song fight the tiger, he naturally wanted to see the authentic version.
After a satisfying meal, they left the hotel and continued their journey. When they reached Jingyang Ridge, it was still early, and they had not seen any trace of the tiger.
Wang Xuan couldn't help but feel frustrated. Could it be that they had arrived almost a year early, and the tiger still hadn't settled down in Jingyanggang?
Just as Wang Xuan was feeling disappointed, a tiger's roar suddenly came from the woods by the roadside, and a huge tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead pounced out of the woods.
The two horses pulling Wang Xuan's carriage were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, and the carriage naturally came to a stop.
Wu Song, who was in charge of driving the carriage, was furious. Coupled with the effects of alcohol, he didn't care about anything else and rushed over to fight the tiger.
The battle wasn't as intense as Wang Xuan had imagined. After all, the original Wu Song was able to kill this tiger, let alone the Wu Song who had cultivated the "Purple Sun True Explanation" and whose strength had greatly increased.
The tiger had barely appeared when Wu Song beat it up with punches and kicks, leaving it lying motionless on the ground.
"Junior brother, you are truly skilled! Even with weapons, I couldn't defeat such a large tiger, yet you took it down with your bare hands!" Song Jiang, who was watching from the sidelines, was also speechless with astonishment.
Wang Xuan gave Song Jiang an annoyed look. This Song Jiang was used to being lazy and had never seriously practiced the "Ziyang True Explanation" even though Wang Xuan had taught him. He was simply a weakling.
Chapter Thirty-Five: Ximen Qing Must Die
After Wu Song killed the tiger, the effects of the alcohol gradually wore off. Looking at the huge tiger carcass, he said happily, "It would be such a waste to throw away this tiger carcass. Why don't we drag it back and make a robe from the tiger skin to present to you, Master?"
As he spoke, he began to move the tiger's carcass onto the carriage.
Wang Xuan was both annoyed and amused. Their carriage was not big to begin with, and after three people sat down, there was no extra space. How could they possibly fit such a huge tiger in it?
Besides, even though the tiger was dead, its aura hadn't dissipated, still frightening the horses pulling the cart so much that they collapsed to the ground.
However, Wu Song was right about one thing: tigers are indeed a treasure trove. Tiger skin, tiger bones, tiger blood, tiger penis—these are all valuable resources that shouldn't be wasted.
"Don't bother moving it, I'll handle it." Wang Xuan got off the carriage, walked directly to the tiger's carcass, and with a wave of his hand, the tiger disappeared.
Needless to say, Wang Xuan put it into his spatial ring.
Wu Song and Song Jiang had never seen anything like this before. The two-meter-long tiger carcass had simply vanished into thin air—could it be a ghost?
"Master, run! There's a ghost here!" Wu Song shouted, turning around to pull Wang Xuan away.
Wang Xuan looked helpless and had no choice but to release the tiger's corpse again, explaining to his two bumpkin disciples what "Sumeru contained in a mustard seed" and "a universe within a sleeve" meant.
When Wu Song and Song Jiang, those two bumpkins, heard that their master possessed such divine abilities, they were immediately astonished.
Wang Xuan put the tiger's carcass back into his spatial ring and continued on his way. If they delayed any longer, they probably wouldn't reach Yanggu County before nightfall and would have to spend the night in the wilderness.
They hurried along and finally entered Yanggu County before sunset. Song Jiang planned to find an inn to stay for the night and continue his journey the next day.
However, Wang Xuan stopped him and asked a random passerby, "Do you have anyone selling sesame cakes around here?"
In the original Water Margin novel, Wu Dalang did indeed sell pancakes in Yanggu County. However, Wang Xuan and his group arrived in Yanggu County more than half a year earlier than when Wu Song returned home in the original story, so Wu Dalang may not have moved to Yanggu County.
After some inquiries, it was discovered that there were indeed several families selling sesame cakes in Yanggu County, but none of them were Wu Dalang. Given Wu Dalang's nickname "Three-inch Dwarf of a Tree," if he were really selling sesame cakes in Yanggu County, no one would mistake him for someone else.
"It seems Wu Dalang hasn't moved to Yanggu County yet!" Wang Xuan wasn't disappointed. He was about to instruct Song Jiang to find an inn when he suddenly saw a pharmacy on the street ahead, selling fresh medicinal herbs.
"A pharmacy?" Wang Xuan grinned. Guyang County was just a small county town with a population of only a little over 10,000, so there wouldn't be many pharmacies, maybe five or six at most.
The famous Ximen Qing ran a pharmacy in Yanggu County. I wonder if this pharmacy was actually owned by Ximen Qing?
If Wang Xuan happens to run into Ximen Qing, he might have to rid the people of this scourge and get rid of this menace who seduces other men's wives.
Even if this pharmacy wasn't owned by Ximen Qing, it didn't matter. Wu Song and Song Jiang needed a lot of medicinal herbs for medicinal baths and meals to cultivate the "Ziyang True Explanation," so they could just buy some from that pharmacy.
Wang Xuan led his two apprentices into the pharmacy and asked directly, "Who owns this pharmacy? Do you have a full range of medicinal herbs?"
Seeing that Wang Xuan's attire and demeanor were exceptionally refined, the manager of the pharmacy dared not be negligent and quickly replied, "Sir, please rest assured, our pharmacy is owned by Master Ximen, and we have all kinds of medicinal herbs. If you don't believe me, you can go out and ask around; we are definitely the largest pharmacy in the entire Yanggu County!"
"This really is the pharmacy owned by Ximen Qing!" Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan immediately perked up and ordered the manager to fetch Ximen Qing.
Although Ximen Qing was the owner of the pharmacy, he didn't usually stay there.
The steward found a servant boy, gave him a few instructions, and told him to go and fetch Ximen Qing.
Not long after, Wang Xuan saw a man in his early twenties walk in. The man was handsome and carrying a fan; he was clearly a pretty boy.