Chapter 17

「Yawn!」

The next day, Zhang Jie woke up on time and washed his face, then let out a huge yawn.

With dark circles under his eyes, he listlessly brushed his teeth, halfhearted and sluggish.

Speaking of which, though our Great Song is an ancient world, toothbrushes and toothpaste have already appeared.

Toothbrushes are usually made of boar bristles; toothpaste is a mixture of fine salt, pearl powder, and bamboo charcoal powder.

Of course, only wealthy households can afford such toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Ordinary commoners typically make do with willow twigs or mulberry branches.

At most, they add a bit of coarse salt.

「Pfft!」

Seeing Zhang Jie’s listless state, Pan Jinlian couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

Zhang Jie glanced at Pan Jinlian, whose charm had grown even more pronounced than yesterday,

silently sighing in his heart that indeed, only oxen die from overwork, never land worn out, and continued brushing.

What had he gone through last night?

First, he had fought a full-scale World War I,

then raced dozens of miles to wipe out the entire Wild Boar Village,

and finally returned to fight a full-scale World War II.

Even an iron man couldn’t withstand such abuse!

Zhang Jie now somewhat understood why some animals finish in just ten, twenty seconds—or even a few seconds.

Aside from the danger of being exposed in the wild and the risk of attracting predators, it simply drained too much energy.

Zhang Jie, whose time was measured in shi, felt this was truly unsustainable!

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Zhang Jie picked up a mirror to comb his hair and stared at his haggard reflection,

instantly feeling as if he had been possessed by Chu Yunfei, commander of the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Sui Army—no,

by the traitorous Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian himself—he glared fiercely and declared:

「I have been weakened by wine and lust, grown so pale! From today on, I quit alcohol!」

Beside him, Pan Jinlian blinked her beautiful big eyes, as if saying:

Master, you’ve never even drunk alcohol before!

But being sharp-witted, she chose not to respond.

After all, men’s stubbornness and pride on certain matters were harder than the corner of a city wall.

Even the old steward, who came daily to report household affairs, subtly warned Zhang Jie:

「Young Master, male-female affection is human nature;

a little indulgence is only natural, but moderation is still essential!」

「I know, I know.」

Zhang Jie waved his hand dismissively, uninterested.

The old steward was a trusted retainer left to him by his father, Master Zhang.

For these past three years, thanks to his management, Zhang Jie had been able to shut out all worldly distractions

and devoted himself entirely to studying the sages, preparing for the imperial examinations.

The old steward’s grandfather had been the Zhang family steward; he was now the third generation.

He was utterly loyal to the Zhang family and deeply cared for Zhang Jie, so Zhang Jie always treated him as an elder.

The only pity was that the old steward had only one daughter, already married, with no son.

The Zhang family’s fourth-generation steward had yet to be named.

Otherwise, his son would surely have been Zhang Jie’s personal attendant, training to become the fourth-generation steward.

Zhang Jie, having Pan Jinlian to serve him and having heard what other scholars did with their attendants,

had never hired another attendant.

Otherwise, the position of only son’s attendant in Yanggu County would have sparked a fierce rivalry.

Otherwise, wouldn't everyone in Yanggu County be fighting over the position of Zhang the Merchant's only son's page?

Tonight, I’ll go to the shared space and pressure Zhang Jie from Yitian to train harder!」

Having lost face before Pan Jinlian and the old steward, Zhang Jie decided

to go to the shared space tonight and urge Yitian Zhang Jie to train properly.

If he hadn’t slacked off during his usual training, how could Zhang Jie have ended up in this predicament?

Water Margin Zhang Jie: Abandon personal dignity, embrace a wicked life,

Reject mental exhaustion, act out when problems arise,

Better to make others suffer than to suffer yourself.

Hmm, this shared space was a brand-new version—they could enter whenever they wished.

But since no new Zhang Jie had arrived, Yitian Zhang Jie had little to talk about,

and having grown addicted, he’d spent the past two nights launching world wars,

so he hadn’t met Yitian Zhang Jie in two nights.

So he hasn't met Yi Tian Zhang Jie for two nights now.

At noon, as Zhang Jie slept in to recuperate, preparing to avenge himself tonight,

the entire Yanggu County erupted in commotion.

「Dong! Dong! Dong!」

Gongs and drums thundered, firecrackers exploded—sound reverberating across half the county.

「The Tiger-Slaying Hero has arrived!」

「The Tiger-Slaying Hero has arrived!」

A crowd of commoners escorted a towering, immensely muscular man—tall at least nine chi—slowly entering through the city gate.

A crowd of townspeople slowly escorted a towering man, at least nine feet tall, into the city gate.

A confused bystander grabbed a passerby and asked.

The man he grabbed didn’t get angry; instead, he beamed with excitement:

「The Tiger-Slaying Hero has come to our Yanggu County!」

「Tiger-slaying?」

「Is killing just one big tiger worth such a spectacle?」

The confused bystander still didn’t get it.

In Yanggu and Qinghe counties, big tigers weren’t rare at all.

In the nearby deep forests, there were probably over a hundred tigers of all sizes.

Every renowned hunter in the region hadn’t killed at least one tiger with his bow?

In other words, if you hadn’t killed a tiger, how could you call yourself a famous hunter?

The most famed and skilled hunter nearby was said to be able to shoot arrows

straight through a tiger’s eye without damaging its pelt, just like hunting geese!

「No, it’s different.」

The informed bystander shook his head.

「How is it different?」

The uninformed bystander pressed.

「Two differences.」

The informed bystander held up two fingers.

「Please elaborate.」

The uninformed bystander leaned forward, ears open.

Other nearby villagers, hearing there was gossip, quickly gathered around.

The Chinese love of gossip hadn’t changed much even in this ancient Great Song world.

Surrounded by so many, the informed bystander’s desire to show off surged—he began:

「The first difference is the tiger itself.」

「Tell us, tell us!」

Several in the crowd urged eagerly.

「Do you all know the tiger on Jingyang Ridge?」

The informed bystander didn’t answer directly but asked in return.

「How could we not know?」

「A few months ago, a white-browed, golden-eyed tiger suddenly appeared on Jingyang Ridge.」

「This tiger was several times larger than others and unusually cunning.」

「It had repeatedly attacked people on Jingyang Ridge, claiming many lives,」

「forcing the authorities to post notices warning travelers.」

「Not only common folk and passing merchants suffered,」

Not only ordinary civilians and passing merchants suffered greatly from it,

Even experienced hunters had been attacked by it multiple times,

and seven or eight hunters had already lost their lives.

A merchant who regularly traded between Yanggu and Qinghe counties,

and had to pass through Jingyang Ridge, said with a grim expression.

Yet, being a merchant in this world, he was no fool—he exclaimed happily:

“Could it be that this tiger is the very one on Jingyang Ridge?”

“Precisely.”

The informed villagers nodded in confirmation.

“Excellent! Wonderful!”

Nearby villagers, upon hearing the news, clapped and cheered.

Although most of them had never been to Jingyang Ridge, nor had any relatives or friends killed by the tiger,

they shared kinship with the victims as fellow humans; moved by empathy, they cheered at the news that the man-eating tiger had been slain.

“What else?”

Someone realized he had only mentioned one point!

Sensing more gossip to come, the villagers turned their gaze once again to the informed villager.

“The second point is this: the tiger-slayer is no ordinary man.”

The informed villager continued, swaying his head.

“What’s so special about that?

Hunting a tiger is just a matter of bows, traps, or overwhelming numbers.”

A man with some knowledge of hunting scoffed.

“These people speak of ‘the’ Tiger-Slaying Hero—not ‘the’ Tiger-Slaying Heroes.

Could it be that a single hunter slew this rampant tiger alone?”

A middle-aged scholar, dressed in a blue robe, analyzed.

This scholar, surnamed Li, though past forty and still unpassed the imperial exams, had opened a private school in Yanggu County,

and regardless of how much tuition the children paid, he treated them all equally—earning him great respect in Yanggu County.

“Mr. Li speaks truly.”

“Exactly!”

The other villagers nodded in agreement, deeply convinced.

Though slaying one tiger was no great feat, slaying one that had killed dozens—alone—truly deserved the title of Tiger-Slaying Hero.

Although slaying a large tiger isn't much, slaying one this wounded and—

At this moment, the informed villager, as if possessed by Bao Budong of the Murong clan from the Eightfold Dragon Sect, shook his head vigorously again.

“Kind sir, please enlighten us.”

Mr. Li, living up to his reputation, conducted himself with proper decorum,

even showing courtesy to this common villager with no official standing.

“Mr. Li, you are too formal.”

The informed villager, his vanity greatly satisfied, hurriedly helped Mr. Li to his feet.

“Friends, this tiger was not killed by bows or traps,

but beaten to death with a single staff and a pair of iron fists!”

The informed villager revealed all he knew.

“What? Is this true?”

“Such a mighty man exists?”

“Could this be a lie?”

The moment the villager finished speaking, the crowd erupted in uproar.

People murmured among themselves, most refusing to believe it.

It was not that they were foolish, but the idea of killing a tiger barehanded

was simply too incredible, too implausible.

Even those who had never read or seen a tiger had heard through word of mouth

that tigers possessed bones and sinews far stronger than humans, and claws and fangs far sharper.

One who subdued a tiger with bare flesh was no longer human—he was a god, a Buddha.

The Buddhist temples enshrined a Buddha known as the Tiger-Taming Arhat, standing beside the Dragon-Taming Arhat.

Taming dragons and taming tigers—both were feats of divine power, worshipped by all!

“Friends, instead of arguing here, why not go and see for yourselves?

After all, hearsay is unreliable; only seeing with your own eyes is truth.”

Seeing this, Mr. Li proposed.

“Mr. Li is right.”

“Let’s do it.”

Those whose curiosity had been fully aroused immediately agreed.

Even if the informed villager exaggerated, since he had drawn such attention,

the Tiger-Slaying Hero must surely possess some real ability, right?

People debated: who could kill a tiger with bare fists? Did he have three heads and six arms?

Or was he a giant, eight feet tall with a waist of equal girth?

Under Mr. Li’s lead, the crowd headed toward the growing throng gathered around the Tiger-Slaying Hero.

People were discussing and wondering who could kill a fierce tiger with bare fists—could he have three heads and six arms?

Or was he a giant, eight feet tall and eight feet around the waist?

Under Li the Scholar’s guidance, the crowd headed toward the growing ranks of the tiger-slaying hero.