While one tale unfolded on one side, another played out on the other.
Over there, Nan Zhi was riding the donkey cart on her way to Wenshan.
Over here, Constable Zhang had been leading a group of yamen runners in circles around the mountain for nearly two shichen.
By now, night had completely fallen over the land. Deep in the dense forest, weary birds had returned to their nests. Amidst the dim shadows, nothing could be seen except the swaying shapes of trees in the wind.
“Phew...”
Nan Yi blew on the fire striker in his hand. A bean-sized spark flared to life, dispersing a small patch of darkness.
He stared for a moment at a marked tree before speaking in a low voice:
“Constable, we passed this tree half a shichen ago. I’m afraid we can’t keep going like this. Besides, the brothers’ injuries can't be delayed any longer. It would be better to set up camp right here and make plans after daybreak.”
Under the firelight, beads of sweat covered Nan Yi’s handsome face. His lips were pale, parched with a layer of dry skin as if he hadn't had a chance to drink any water.
“Pah! That beast acts like it’s turned into a demon!”
Constable Zhang spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and kicked the tree before him:
“Motherfucker, even with his left leg wounded by my arrow, he can still run this fast and keep us running in circles through these woods! Never in all my born days have I taken such a humiliation—not only letting that beast escape, but having him devour the guide hunter right under my nose! Truly infuriating! If I catch that tiger, I’ll skin him, pull out his sinews, and steep his bones in wine—only then will my anger be appeased!”
Constable Zhang still wore his yamen runner uniform, carrying a large bow on his back alongside a quiver of iron arrows.
Looking at the other constables, each carried a bundle of thumb-thick rope on their back and a saber at their waist, clearly having come fully prepared.
Beside them, a yamen runner groaned, leaning against a tree and crying out in misery:
“I can’t go on, I really can’t, Constable! Let's take a rest! If we keep walking, my feet are going to be ruined!”
“Aye! This spot looks flat—a fine place to rest and recuperate. Why not sleep soundly here for the night and find our way out of the woods first thing tomorrow!”
“It’s just a pity about that hunter, left without even a corpse to bury.”
“Don’t lose heart. Once we catch the tiger and slit its belly open, maybe we can still collect our hunter brother’s remains for burial.”
“Go if you want, but I’m not going anymore! That tiger was this big—looked just like an awakened demon! How are we supposed to fight it?”
“Exactly! Several of our brothers are injured; how can we fight such a ferocious beast? If you ask me, the folks in Wen County were plainly terrified of the tiger, so they tricked us into coming up here to die!”
“Right! If they’d told us from the start it was such a massive tiger, even if you gave me ten times the guts, I never would’ve set foot in this mountain!”
“What are you bickering for?! No matter how big a tiger is, isn’t it still just a beast? We have blades in our hands—can’t we handle a single wounded beast?! What’s more, that hunter died leading the way for us. If we don’t recover his corpse to bury him, can you live with your own consciences?”
Constable Zhang glared with tiger-like eyes, and before anyone could stop him, he slung his large bow and strode into the forest:
“I think this spot is fine. Build a fire and cook food here. I’ll search around the woods to see if I can hunt some game.”
Though thoroughly exhausted, the group forced themselves to pull their spirits together. Some built the fire, some gathered firewood, and some roasted their dry rations.
Working together, in less than half an incense stick’s time, they cleared a large flat stone to serve as their lodging for the night.
“Brother Yi, have some water. Look at your mouth—it’s so dry it’s peeling.”
“Thank you.”
When someone called out to Nan Yi, he didn’t act aloof.
Taking the leather waterskin, he took a few hearty gulps with a glug-glug, and only then did a bit of color return to his face.
However, his expression remained rather grim.
Three days ago, news arrived from Wen County about a tiger blocking the roads and mauling people.
This was originally a disaster within Wen County’s jurisdiction, but unexpectedly, when Registrar Hu of the Dingyuan County Yamen heard of it, he took the task upon himself and ordered Constable Zhang to lead men into the mountain early yesterday morning to hunt the tiger.
Constable Zhang was half a man of the jianghu, endowed with a righteous and chivalrous heart. Upon hearing that a tiger was devouring people, he immediately assembled his men and headed into the mountain.
Though Nan Yi felt something was amiss, rank crushed subordinates; as a mere commoner with no rank, he could only obey.
Before entering the mountain, Constable Zhang had specifically sought out a young hunter named Chunsheng to guide them in tracking the maneater.
Chunsheng’s family had lived on Wenshan for generations, leaving only him and his elderly father. Hearing of the matter, he was equally filled with righteous indignation and immediately accepted the guiding task.
Yet who could have foreseen that after entering the mountain early this morning and searching all day under Chunsheng’s guidance, they would only find the tiger's tracks beside a mountain stream?
The mountain stream was crystal clear. Overcome with thirst, everyone stopped to take a few mouthfuls of water.
But right at that moment, a massive striped tiger suddenly burst from the thicket, its footsteps completely silent. With a single bite, it seized the hunter Chunsheng and bolted away.
That ferocious tiger measured over a zhang long, its limbs sturdy and powerful. A distinct “King” mark sat between its brows, its dark stripes vivid, its fur stiff as needles, each standing out distinctly, and its thick tail like an iron rod.
Anyone who saw it would have to exclaim what a spirited and imposing beast it was.
Stunned by the giant tiger’s sheer size, everyone stood rooted in place, their legs trembling and their minds blank.
Anxious for Chunsheng’s safety, Constable Zhang loosed an arrow from afar, wounding the tiger.
Agonized by the pain, the beast bared its fangs and roared, yet refused to drop the prey in its jaws.
Dragging its injured leg, it plunged into the forest and used the mountain foliage to conceal its tracks.
With the first drumroll courage is aroused, at the second it falters, and at the third it is exhausted.
Having already marched in the mountain all day, witnessing a man being carried off by a tiger extinguished most of their desire to hunt the beast in an instant.
By now, even if that ferocious tiger stood right before them, probably no one would dare charge forward.
Seeing Constable Zhang taking so long to return, a yamen runner named Zhou Dalang began cursing loudly:
“It’s all the constable’s fault, only caring about claiming merit without giving a damn whether we brothers live or die! A fierce tiger like that could probably only be subdued if someone from the Demon Suppression Division came. Forcing us to hunt it—isn't that just sending us to our deaths?”
Someone urged him to calm down, saying Constable Zhang was merely following orders.
Nan Yi stepped forward and tried to persuade him in a gentle voice, but Zhou Dalang grew all the more relentless, turning his spearhead directly at him:
“Bullshit! Who in the yamen doesn't know you and Constable Zhang are as thick as thieves—so close you might as well share a pair of trousers! People have long whispered that you two are sworn brothers! What? Is flattering him on ordinary days not enough that you still fawn over him behind his back, or is it...”
Zhou Dalang gave a sleazy smirk, his eyes lingering unpleasantly on Nan Yi’s face.
Nearby runners immediately scolded him, telling him he’d lost his mind.
Though the phrasing sounded somewhat refined, in truth, it was the crudest of insults.
Idle bachelors who couldn't afford a wife often consoled one another to relieve their boredom, referring to each other as “sworn brothers.”
Saying this was practically pointing at Nan Yi’s nose and calling him a backside-selling whore.
“If you have the backbone, say those words again once the constable returns.”
Nan Yi unhurriedly took a bite of his dry pancake, a mild smile remaining on his face:
“It seems you know full well that if you said this in front of Constable Zhang, you’d be beaten until you didn’t have a single tooth left. Only daring to gossip behind someone’s back doesn't make you a hero—at best, you’re just a coward.”
Others tried to mediate, but Zhou Dalang had bottled up his fury all day; how could he listen to reason?
He had always looked down on the Nan family’s lowly work of pig slaughtering, feeling that Zhang Long favored Nan Yi and saved every good thing for him.
The case of Master Wang’s concubine had already been closed by the Demon Suppression Division, and word in the county yamen was that the superiors intended to bestow a reward upon the Nan family.
This had left Zhou Dalang feeling increasingly resentful.
Today, after facing a life-or-death crisis and seeing the tiger devour a man, fright gave way to an explosion of his long-suppressed anger:
“Why are you all holding me back? Am I wrong?! He’s just a butcher’s son—Nan Yi ought to stay in his place and slaughter pigs with his father! Why come steal our brothers’ rice bowls? Clinging to Constable Zhang all day long, who knows what dirty schemes his family is cooking up! Maybe they’re scheming to send that idiot sister of his to Zhang Long’s household as a concubine—”
Thud!
Before Zhou Dalang could finish his sentence, a sharp pain struck his cheek.
Lowering his head, he spat out a mouthful of blood, within which two broken teeth were mingled.
“What I said earlier was that Constable Zhang would definitely beat you.”
Nan Yi’s smile remained gentle, but beneath his eyes lay an unyielding layer of icy coldness:
“I never said that I wouldn't.”
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