Chapter 6: This Life of Mine Belongs to My Brother!

They cut several long timbers, lashed the tiger to them in a haphazard fashion, and a dozen men hoisted the load on their shoulders.

Su Wu, having shed his armor, walked at the front, with the crowd bustling behind him. Everyone was beaming with joy.

One said, "With the Chief Constable carrying the great beast into the city, I fear the entire county will be emptied of people just to catch a glimpse..."

Another replied, "Need you ask? I ask you, in this world today, who else could hunt such a great beast alone in the middle of the night?"

"The Chief Constable is truly mighty!"

"Those so-called heroes of the pugilistic world—compared to our Chief, they don't even measure up!"

"That's the truth. I've seen plenty of those 'heroes,' hmph... nothing special. Compared to my brother, they are absolutely incomparable."

The speaker was Wu Song. Having spent the past year at Chai Jin’s manor among a crowd of those so-called heroes, he had been filled with resentment; they were truly a bunch of worthless scoundrels.

Su Wu smiled and waved his hand. "Alright, enough. We must press on. We need to reach the city by daybreak to report for duty."

"Understood!"

"As you command!"

"Whatever the Chief says goes. Put your backs into it, keep moving..."

The seventy or eighty men hurried along the road.

The sky was only just beginning to pale, and the gates of Yanggu County had not yet opened, but a multitude of laborers had already gathered outside. There were vegetable and grain sellers, charcoal peddlers, those selling mountain produce, fruits, or coarse cloth... even those transporting water into the city to sell. All were struggling to make a living.

Suddenly, they saw the massive tiger being carried toward them from afar. Everyone turned to look, and some even abandoned their chores to crowd around.

The hunters and bailiffs chattered away. Su Wu, calm and composed, approached the gate. "Open the gate. We’ll be late as it is; the sun is already rising."

A soldier on the gate tower peered out, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. He let out an exclamation: "Open the gates, quickly! Chief Constable Su has actually hunted the great beast from Jingyang Ridge!"

The soldier’s footsteps thundered as he ran, and the city gates creaked open. A squad of soldiers rushed out first, crowding around the tiger.

"Look at these claws, so huge..."

"Nine hundred catties, it must be nine hundred catties..."

The stories were becoming increasingly exaggerated; the tiger was large, but not that large. While everyone was fixated on the beast, Su Wu led Wu Song into the city first, knowing that in a moment, these people would turn their attention to him.

"Walk fast, walk fast!"

They hadn't gone far when someone shouted from behind, "Chief Constable, wait! Chief Constable, slow down..."

The story had spread. Clearly, the crowd had initially thought the tiger was a group effort by the hunters and bailiffs, but now they realized it was Su Wu who had hunted it alone in the night.

Su Wu did not slow down; rather, he quickened his pace. He knew he still had to parade through the streets. He needed to return to the yamen to finalize the paperwork and collect the generous reward.

Su Wu entered the county yamen, followed immediately by a surging tide of bailiffs, hunters, soldiers, and townspeople, creating quite a clamor.

The old magistrate, Meng Yi, though awake early, was still in bed with his concubine. Hearing the commotion, he hurriedly rose and headed from the rear office to the main courtyard. Just as he was about to ask what had happened, he looked into the yard.

"Good heavens!" Even Meng Yi was shocked by the sheer size of the tiger.

Su Wu and the others bowed. Before Su Wu could speak, the crowd was already chattering away, adding plenty of flourish to the tale.

As Meng Yi listened, his eyes grew wider and wider as he looked at Su Wu. A sense of admiration stirred within him, and he suddenly cupped his hands in a salute to Su Wu. "I never expected this... truly unexpected. Hearing this makes this official feel quite ashamed. My apologies."

Su Wu quickly returned the gesture. "I dare not accept such praise..."

"It was not easy! It was my superiors who forced your hand. Fortunately, you are unharmed—a blessing indeed. I shall keep your contribution in mind." Meng Yi sighed, then turned and shouted, "Someone, bring a thousand strings of cash! No, two thousand!"

Su Wu was stunned. Shouldn't it be one thousand? In the legends, the reward Wu Song received was one thousand. Why the price hike?

One should not underestimate two thousand strings of cash. A bailiff or soldier usually earned only about one and a half strings a month. Outside the city, an acre of good farmland cost about ten strings, a healthy ox was also about ten, and a two-story house with a small courtyard in the city was only around two hundred strings.

Two thousand strings was a massive fortune! As the saying went, those who possessed ten thousand strings were considered wealthy. It showed just how much trouble this tiger had caused by blocking the main trade route.

Just as Su Wu was about to say something humble, Meng Yi waved his hand. "No need for words. One thousand is the reward from the prefectural office, and the other thousand is from the county office. Whoever hunted the tiger deserves the reward; do not decline it."

Su Wu dropped the humility. "My thanks, Magistrate."

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, everyone beaming with pride, feeling as though they shared in the glory.

The magistrate then ordered, "Men, prepare the horses. Take Chief Constable Su to parade through the streets in celebration..."

"Understood!" Dong Jian was the first to rush off. There were horses at the yamen; he would fetch them, along with the red silk flowers. He also arranged for a band; his own Chief Constable deserved a grand display.

The crowd ushered Su Wu out of the yamen. They were waiting for the preparations when the reward money arrived first—two large chests carried to the entrance, which was already packed solid.

Looking at the chests, Su Wu looked around. "Er-lang, open them."

"Understood." Wu Song stepped forward and opened the chests. Inside, strings of gleaming copper coins were stacked neatly.

Su Wu said, "Lin Mao, you hunters put in a lot of effort, and eight of your men were lost. For those eight families, send fifty strings of cash each as compensation. Furthermore... for everyone who put in effort last night, whether bailiff or hunter, here is a reward of twenty strings per person."

Lin Mao was stunned. He looked back at his fellow hunters, then stepped forward and bowed. "We dare not accept the Chief's reward. This tiger was hunted by you alone, Chief Constable. How could we dare to claim the credit?"

"That’s right, Chief! We dare not... If it were two or three strings, we might accept, but twenty is far too much. We are ashamed to take it."

"We dare not, we dare not..."

They repeatedly refused, even the bailiffs bowing to decline.

Su Wu’s eyes flashed like a tiger’s, and he spoke with a stern tone: "I said it shall be so, and so it shall be! If you do not accept, you do not consider me, Su Wu, a brother. From this day forward, if we meet on the road, we shall be strangers!"

"Ah?" Lin Mao was taken aback. This was a heavy statement. He looked back at his brothers, seeking their opinion.

"Take it or leave it, that is up to you!" Su Wu turned his head, truly prepared to cut ties if they refused.

A young man stepped forward and knelt on the ground. "The Chief Constable treats us so well and has shown me such great kindness. This money, I will take! I am willing to acknowledge the Chief as my elder brother. From this day on, my life belongs to my brother!"

The young man was Li Cheng!

Su Wu immediately replied, "Very well! I do not want your life, but I accept you as my brother!"

Su Wu turned around. "Er-lang, count the money."

Wu Song was deeply moved. What is a hero? What is a true hero? At this moment, the scene before him made his blood boil with excitement.

He counted the money—fifty strings for the compensation, twenty for the reward, totaling seventy strings. There were various denominations, but it wasn't too heavy. After counting, he handed it all to Li Cheng.

Li Cheng clutched the money and knocked his head on the ground. "I will take this money home to settle my sister-in-law, nephew, and elderly mother, and then I will return to serve by your side!"

After kowtowing, Li Cheng rose and left with a look of firm resolve.

Su Wu asked the others, "And you?"

Lin Mao looked back, then stepped forward... he also knelt on both knees and kowtowed. "Chief, words cannot express my gratitude. I will take this money, and in the days to come, I will prove myself worthy of you!"

"Good, come and take it!" Su Wu nodded with satisfaction. It was done.

Wu Song continued counting and distributing the money.

The surrounding townspeople watched with envy. Twenty strings—how much was that? Even for those living in the city, relying on purchases for everything, that was enough for a family to live on for an entire year, provided they were a thrifty household.

"Chief Constable Su is truly righteous!"

"Indeed! If I had known he was such a man of honor, I would have sought his friendship long ago!"

"If I had known this would happen, I would have joined the hunt myself."

"You, join the hunt? You’d have wet your pants at the sight of that beast!"

"You're the one who would wet your pants! You!"

The crowd grew larger and larger, buzzing with discussion.

Dong Jian returned and saw everyone distributing the money. Hearing Lin Mao’s resigned words, he understood. He looked at his Chief’s resolute gaze and sighed. Just take it...

As the money was nearly distributed, Wu Song prepared to close the nearly empty chests. Su Wu stepped forward and saw there was still a hundred or two hundred strings left. He picked up several strings and shoved them toward Wu Song.

Wu Song waved his hands. "Brother, I don't need this..."

"You are new here, you need to get settled, and you have to take care of your brother. How can a man get by without money? Take it!" Su Wu’s tone allowed no room for refusal.

"Brother, I have..." Wu Song truly did have some; he had met Song Jiang in Yuncheng, who had given him some, and when he left Chai Jin’s, he had been given more.

"Take it! Do you intend to reject me as your brother too?" Su Wu would not let Wu Song pine for the small favors of Song Jiang.

"Brother, you won't have much left..." Wu Song added.

"As long as I have brothers, I have everything. Money comes and goes." Su Wu remained as calm as ever.

"Very well..." Wu Song nodded and took the money, thinking that his brother was truly a man of great integrity and generosity.

"Mount up! Parade through the streets!" Su Wu walked a few steps, Dong Jian came forward to drape him in red silk, and he mounted the horse.

The music began to play. Surrounded by the crowd, with the tiger carried in their midst, they paraded through the streets, letting the people of Yanggu County see for themselves whether the beast weighed five or six hundred catties, or eight or nine hundred...