The Past of Qinghe Drifts Away with the Wind; Tavern Turmoil Causes Resentment

At the entrance to Qinghe County, Bian Xiang sent four of his servants into the city first, followed by Gongsun Sheng! The main reason was that Gongsun Sheng's Taoist attire was too conspicuous, and with so many people entering the city together, it would attract too much attention and be seen by those with ulterior motives, putting them at a disadvantage!

After Gongsun Sheng had been inside the city for a while, Song Jiang led Zhu Tong, Bian Xiang and others into the city!

Song Jiang didn't plan to go to the county government office immediately. Instead, he intended to investigate secretly first. Firstly, he didn't trust the magistrate of Qinghe County, fearing he might be secretly colluding with the thieves. Secondly, he worried about alerting the thieves, which would make the matter public and allow them to escape, leaving him with nothing to show for his efforts!

It was still early, so Song Jiang led everyone to Hexinglou, the largest restaurant in Qinghe County!

It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was already packed. Only one table on the second-floor staircase remained unoccupied. People were coming and going on the stairs, and sitting there and being stared at would be beneath one's dignity.

Of course, Song Jiang didn't care about these things. The restaurant was the easiest place to gather information, and the staircase was convenient for him to control the overall situation, which was exactly what he wanted!

The table was a bit small, so the waiter called two more people to carry another table and put them together, so that the burly men could barely sit down!

"What would you gentlemen like to eat?" the waiter greeted them with a beaming smile. Although these men looked burly and rough, appearances can be deceiving! With his keen eye, he could tell that these men were not short of money for food!

"Bring out one of each of your restaurant's signature dishes, and whatever good wine you have, bring it all out. We'll settle the bill later!" After traveling for several days, we hadn't had a proper meal, so naturally, we had to treat our brothers to a good meal. As for how much it would cost? How much could we possibly spend!

Soon, the food and wine were served. The group was quite hungry after traveling for several days, having been eating and sleeping outdoors without a proper meal. With such delicious food and wine in front of them, they immediately began to eat heartily!

At this moment, the loud noise of the diners at a table a few tables away by the window caught Song Jiang's attention. The other three were nothing special, just ordinary passersby, but the one sitting on the far right made Song Jiang take a few more glances at him.

What did that man look like? A imposing figure, a dignified appearance. His imposing presence was unmatched; who could withstand him? His eyes shone like the bright moon, his eyebrows blazed like the scorching sun. His heart encompassed the four seas; his fists could strike mountains, his strength could lift a cauldron, and his feet could kick away injustice. He wielded twin swords wildly, slaying hordes of demons; who could stand against him amidst a vast army? His noble bearing displayed divine might; a true hero with soaring ambitions.

Song Jiang was attracted by the man's appearance. This man's demeanor must be that of a hero. Could it be Wu Song, the most popular character in Water Margin?

Just as Song Jiang was about to go up and say hello, the noise from the table by the window suddenly grew louder, attracting the attention of people around him. Song Jiang had no choice but to abandon his intention to go forward.

Suddenly, someone stood up and shouted, "Wu Er, stop being so insolent! Do you dare to hit someone?"

Wu Er stood up and roared, "Do you think I wouldn't dare?" He slammed his hand on the table. The table couldn't withstand such force and instantly shattered into pieces, falling to the ground. The bowls, chopsticks, plates, and jars on the table crashed to the ground with a bang.

Song Jiang clicked his tongue in amazement, while Bian Xiang said, "This man is incredibly strong, probably no less so than me."

Although the man was somewhat panicked, he still arrogantly said, "Try hitting me if you dare."

Enraged, Wu Er punched the man in the chest. The man screamed and flew backward, crashing to the ground unconscious.

The people nearby shouted in panic, "Murder! Murder! Wu Er has murdered someone! Wu Er has murdered someone!" They ran towards the stairs while shouting. The people who were watching the show were also thrown into chaos. They scattered like birds and beasts. In no time, everyone had run away. Of course, there were also some who took advantage of the situation and ran away without paying.

Wu Er stood there blankly for a while before he reacted and ran towards the stairs, seemingly trying to escape.

Song Jiang spoke up: "Stop him."

Hao Siwen, Jiao Ting, Mi Sheng, and Bian Xiang immediately stood up!

Jiao Ting, itching for a fight, charged at Wu Er and grabbed Wu Er's shoulder with one hand, causing Song Jiang to frown!

I only asked them to block Wu Er, not to capture him!

Seeing that Jiao Ting's hand was already at his shoulder, Wu Er sidestepped Jiao Ting's grab and pulled, and then threw a punch at Jiao Ting's face!

Jiao Ting was startled and quickly withdrew his hands, changing his claws into palms to block Wu Er's fist!

Wu Er threw two more punches, which Jiao Ting deflected one by one. But Wu Er had no intention of engaging in a stalemate with Jiao Ting. He forced Jiao Ting away and continued to flee!

Mi Sheng suddenly appeared at the stairwell, and Bian Xiang also reached out to block Wu Er!

Wu Er was somewhat annoyed. Why were there so many clueless people today? Without even looking at them, he kicked Bian Xiang's hand!

Bian Xiang grabbed Wu Er's foot, and Wu Er raised his other foot. Seeing that the foot was about to hit him, Bian Xiang had no choice but to let go. Wu Er immediately threw a punch at Bian Xiang. The punch was powerful and fierce. Bian Xiang did not underestimate it and clenched his fist to meet the punch!

With a thud, both men staggered back two steps! Wu Er felt the force of that punch was unlike anything he had ever encountered in his life, except for his master. He could barely lift his fist. Bian Xiang was also in pain, his arm feeling numb and sore. Using the force of the impact, Wu Er kicked at Mi Sheng. His left foot flew into the air, and Mi Sheng quickly raised his right hand to block. A tremendous force struck him, and he almost couldn't withstand it. But then Wu Er turned around and attacked with his right foot. If this kick landed, Mi Sheng would definitely be injured. Mi Sheng quickly dodged to the side, and with a bang, Wu Er's right foot struck the wall, instantly creating cracks.

Yang Zhi praised, "What excellent skill! The Mandarin Duck Linked Kicks are the signature move of the legendary hero Zhou, the Iron-Armed Man. I never imagined this man could use them. It seems he has a close relationship with the legendary hero Zhou!"

Seeing that Mi Sheng was still standing to the side, not having reacted yet, Wu Er prepared to go downstairs and leave.

Song Jiang spoke up: "This person should not be dead yet; he has temporarily stopped breathing."

Hearing Song Jiang's words, Wu Er was half-convinced and half-doubtful. After hesitating for a moment, he stopped and looked at Song Jiang, who was walking towards him. Song Jiang then said, "This man should only have fainted temporarily and is not seriously injured."

During the argument, Song Jiang had been watching the situation at that table. He clearly saw Wu Er strike the man's right chest. Song Jiang guessed that the man had only been knocked unconscious, unless his heart was on the right side. Under normal circumstances, unless a vital area is hit, it's rare for someone to kill a person with a single punch. Humans aren't ants; they don't die so easily. So, the most likely explanation was that the man had fainted. Of course, if the man's heart really was on the right side, with Wu Er's strength, he probably wouldn't have survived, and there would be nothing Song Jiang could do.

Song Jiang walked to the man's side and reached his hand to his nose. He felt a faint breath coming out and turned around to say, "He's not dead."

After saying that, he pressed both hands against the person's ribs and pushed down hard. Then he pressed one hand on the person's philtrum, and after a while, the person exhaled and slowly woke up.

Song Jiang stopped what he was doing and gestured for Wu Er to come over. The man stood up and saw Wu Er approaching. He was somewhat flustered and hurriedly said, "Wu Er, you, you..."

After a few times, I don't know what you said. I don't know if you were temporarily incapacitated by Wu Er's punch or if you were unconscious for too long and your brain was temporarily lacking oxygen.

Seeing Wu Er's somewhat ashamed expression, Song Jiang shook his head, took out ten taels of silver, and said, "My friend, my brother Wu Er accidentally injured you during a drunken argument. I apologize on his behalf. This ten taels of silver is a token of my apology. I hope you will forgive me."

The man was somewhat annoyed. He didn't take the money but instead said sarcastically, "I almost lost my life here. You think you can just let it go with an apology? There's no such easy way out."

Song Jiang smiled and said, "As the saying goes, it's better to resolve enmity than to create it, especially when you're friends drinking at the same table. Many things aren't complicated; it's just a matter of how you look at them and how you act on them." After saying that, he took out ten taels of silver.

Wu Er stepped forward and said, "Hou San, we've known each other for many years. You know I can be impulsive when I'm drunk, so I apologize to you." He then bowed.

Hou San looked at the twenty taels of silver in front of him, which was a huge sum of money for him. Wu Er was also a straightforward man. Although he had hit him, Hou San also felt that he had been wrong. He tried to provoke Wu Er with his words.

Most importantly, he subconsciously felt that the short, dark man in front of him was not simple at all. He did not want to offend this person, and besides, he was not the kind of person who would not appreciate a favor. In any case, although he had taken a punch, it was worth it to get twenty taels of silver.

Just as he was about to speak, a commotion broke out at the stairwell. The two men who had run away earlier came upstairs with about a dozen constables. The lead constable shouted as he went up the stairs, "Keep an eye on the door. Don't let the murderer escape."

"Hou San, weren't you dead?" one of them asked, looking at Hou San standing there perfectly fine.

"Nonsense, you're the one who's dead!" Hou San scolded. The head constable, growing impatient, demanded, "What exactly happened?"

The other member of the duo said, "Wu Er just killed Hou San."

Hou San sneered, "Am I standing right here? Did you see a ghost or something?"

The constable said, "Hou San, did Wu Er hit you? I can take him back to the yamen right now and give you justice."

Hou San shook his head and said, "Wu Er and I were just sparring. Everyone says Wu Er has superhuman strength, but I didn't believe it and decided to give it a try. I didn't expect it to be true. I am completely convinced by Wu Er."

The constable frowned and said, "Even if it's just a friendly spar, this is a hotel. If things are broken or guests are disturbed, who's responsible?"

Song Jiang smiled and stepped forward, saying, "Excuse me, sir."

The constable scoffed, "Who are you? You're not from Qinghe County, are you?"

Song Jiang smiled and handed the official document from Shi Wenbin of Yuncheng County to the official. The official opened it, glanced at it, closed it, and handed it back to Song Jiang, saying, "So it's the clerk and the head constable from Yuncheng County who are here on official business. In that case, I'd like to hear what they have to say." His tone and attitude had improved considerably.

Song Jiang took out ten taels of gold and placed it on the table, saying, "It's certainly wrong that Hou San and Wu Er's sparring caused trouble for others, but since it has already happened, we should try to make amends. Since the officials see that the two of them are not wealthy, I will compensate them on their behalf. The broken items and the unpaid bills of other guests will all be on my tab. The remaining amount will be used to treat the officials to drinks, to thank them for their leniency towards Hou San and Wu Er, and also to express my admiration for the officials' sense of responsibility."

Song Jiang's words were impeccable, and the officials nodded in agreement. The shopkeeper was also deeply grateful. He knew that because of Wu Er's punch, many customers had taken the opportunity to run away, and he almost wouldn't get his money back. As for asking Hou San for compensation? He was the victim. And Wu Er? Wu Er was penniless, relying on his brother's pancake business for a living. Besides, Wu Er, when angered, might actually destroy his shop. So, he didn't dare ask Wu Er to compensate for the others' losses. Now that someone had stepped forward to pay Wu Er, he was naturally overjoyed.

The shopkeeper really wanted the gold, but he also wanted to be polite, so he rubbed his hands together with a fawning smile. Song Jiang was secretly delighted, so he took the gold and stuffed it into the shopkeeper's hand, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Why don't you arrange a private room for us gentlemen? We'll treat you to good wine and meat."

The innkeeper tucked the gold into his pocket and chuckled, "Gentlemen, please come in." He gestured for them to enter and told the waiter to prepare plenty of wine and meat. The head constable had come after hearing news of the murder, only to find it was a farce. He had merely wanted to make things difficult for Wu Er, who was always getting into fights and causing trouble. He wanted to take this opportunity to curb Wu Er's bad habits. Unexpectedly, someone stood up for Wu Er, and his group could even get a good meal. Since it was free food, why not take advantage of it?

The commotion subsided quickly. Hou San, having received the silver, didn't linger and soon slipped away. The constables also went to the private room for a meal, and the onlookers dispersed. Among the crowd, a thin, small man glanced at Song Jiang and then quickly left. Song Jiang noticed that the man had looked at him, but he didn't pay any attention to it.

The restaurant incident passed just like that, everyone was satisfied, Hou San would not cause trouble again, the boss was compensated for the losses, and the constables did not come for nothing. Of course, the one who suffered the loss was Song Jiang, but for Wu Song's sake, what was a little money?

Song Jiang returned to his seat and invited Wu Er to sit down with him. He then ordered the waiter to bring in a large jar of wine, ten catties of mutton, two fish, and three chickens.

Wu Er bowed to Song Jiang and said, "I am Wu Song, and I would like to ask for your name, brother."

Song Jiang smiled and said, "My name is Song Jiang."

Wu Song was first surprised, then delighted and said, "Brother, you are Song Jiang? I have long wanted to seek refuge with you, but I am a rough man and I am too embarrassed to go, for fear of offending you."

What kind of person is Wu Song? Opinions may vary, but Wu Song is undoubtedly one of the most popular characters in Water Margin, without a doubt.

In Song Jiang's view, Wu Song's original background was quite poor, even one of the lowest social classes.

Wu Song lost both his parents at a young age and was raised by Wu Da begging from various families. Due to his congenital defects, it was difficult for Wu Da to find a decent job; in fact, it could be said that no one would hire him for manual labor.