The Tiger in the Mountains (2)

“Pah!”

“You motherfucking little bastard, you godforsaken filthy mongrel, you ass-selling catamite—you dare hit your grandfather?!”

Zhou Dalang spat out a mouthful of bloody water, raising a fist as if to strike while continuing to spew foul curses:

“Who in Dingyuan County doesn’t know your family raised an idiot girl who can’t even speak a word to anyone, yet you love parading her around the streets to buy sweets!

Pah! What’s wrong with me making a few jokes?! A lowly household like yours isn’t even worthy of carrying my shoes!

I not only dare say this to your face, but I’d say it again right in front of Zhang Long!”

Nan Yi’s deer-like eyes narrowed into a smile, yet his words gave not an inch:

“Your mouth is foul, and my hands happened to be itching. Isn’t it perfect that I scratched that itch for you, lest any more filth spews out of that hole?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

“Pull them apart, quick!”

“Stop arguing, stop arguing!”

The constables were already utterly exhausted, but seeing infighting break out among brothers, they forced themselves to muster their energy and pull the two apart.

Over on one side, they coaxed Nan Yi in gentle tones:

“Brother Yi, Zhou Dalang just has a foul mouth; don’t lower yourself to his level.”

“Zhou Dalang is a scoundrel. You’ve taught him a lesson today, and so be it, but his maternal uncle Wang Zifu has some face with the county magistrate. If you beat him too badly, you might bring trouble upon yourself.”

“Indeed, indeed! He’s just frustrated and wanted to vent on you. We’re all brothers who have to get along for a long time to come—let’s not damage our harmony.”

On the other side, they scolded Zhou Dalang with stern and harsh voices:

“You damned bastard, what kind of filth are you chewing on? Just because you picked up a few crooked phrases, you start spouting shit all over the place! Do you take everyone else for fools?”

“Shut your mouth already! A decent daughter from a good family turned into gossip material in your dirty mouth—no wonder Brother Yi got angry and beat you!”

“Exactly! Who among the folks in Lingbai Alley doesn’t know the Nan couple dotes on their two daughters like the apples of their eyes? Raised in comfort since childhood, how could they bear to marry them off as concubines?”

“Never mind Sister Ye—even Sister Zhi, who had been simple-minded for eighteen years, was never carelessly sent away in a small sedan chair. That alone shows how much they cherish their daughters.”

“We’re all brothers going through life and death together. Why act like this? Better to save some strength to find our way out of the mountain tomorrow.”

Nan Yi said not a word, returning to his corner to chew on his pancake, though his expression remained blank.

With the firelight reflecting off his face, a man who usually never wore a cold face or lost his temper suddenly turning violent was quite intimidating.

Having taken a beating and lost two front teeth, Zhou Dalang was unwilling to let matters rest.

He immediately yelled and cursed loudly:

“Do you know who my maternal uncle is?! He is none other than Master Wang, Wang Zifu of the Wang Family Distillery!

The Immortal Wine he brews makes even immortals nod in praise! Every year, this wine is selected as Shouzhou’s festival tribute to be offered up as imperial wine!

Never mind the county magistrate—even the Transport Commissioners of the Northwest Circuit and Huainan Circuit have heard of his esteemed name!

As for your family’s pork shop, I wouldn't even need to mention a word to my uncle before someone would smash your storefront to pieces to vent my anger!”

Zhou Dalang wiped the blood from his mouth with a sneer, his vicious expression resembling an evil ghost.

He had always looked down on Nan Yi.

Nan Yi was merely the son of a pig butcher, yet everyone seemed to treat him with special regard—surely because Nan Yi was skilled at flattery and fawning.

He simply couldn't stand Nan Yi’s lowly posture of smiling at everyone he met.

It was nothing more than currying favor and kissing ass.

And then there was that crude fellow Zhang Hu. Just because he caught Zhou Dalang drinking at a brothel while on duty, he had directly reported the matter to the Registrar.

Although Registrar Hu had only given him a token fine of two months’ stipend out of respect for the Wang family, it was still enough to vex Zhou Dalang to no end.

—He didn't lack money; he just couldn't stomach the loss of face.

“Nan Yi, you’d better think carefully,” Zhou Dalang mumbled around his missing front teeth, covering his mouth. “If you don’t kneel down today, kowtow, and honestly say ‘Grandfather, I, Nan Yi, was wrong’ three times, and then crawl between my legs, then tomorrow, the moment we leave Wenshan, I will bring men to smash your family’s pork shop to pieces and make you scurry back to wherever you came from!”

He hitched up the hem of his robe, sized Nan Yi up and down, and sneered lewdly once more:

“Of course, in this desolate wilderness, your grandfather has fire with nowhere to vent. Looking at your appearance, you’re even fairer than the brothel boys. If you’re willing to be sworn brothers with me, I guarantee I’ll treat you real well in the future!”

With things said to this extent, no one nearby dared to persuade them further.

After all, no one wanted to offend the Wang family.

“Heh.”

Nan Yi slowly swallowed the bite of pancake, straightened the clothes over his chest, and said with a smile:

“Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; good and bad luck are difficult to foresee. Brother Zhou, chaotic hairs grow wild between your brows, and an ominous air hangs over your features—the very countenance of a wicked and sinister villain. In all likelihood, you frequently plot venomous deeds and commit filthy, depraved acts in secret. Even if I do not deal with you, the heavens surely will. Rather than worrying about what will happen to me tomorrow, Brother Zhou, you had better worry about whether you can even survive tonight.”

“You!”

Flustered and exasperated, Zhou Dalang shoved a palm toward Nan Yi’s chest, yet it felt as though he had struck a slab of stone—unyielding, hard, and icy cold.

Without Nan Yi even appearing to move, Zhou Dalang fell flat on his backside, sitting on the ground and wailing in pain.

The other yamen runners exchanged subtle glances, pretending not to have seen a thing as they bowed their heads to chew their pancakes.

Though Zhou Dalang had a tall and sturdy build, frequenting the brothels for so long had drained his body dry; how could he possibly best Nan Yi in a fight?

Yet no one spoke up—partly to save Zhou Dalang some face, and partly out of fear of drawing his grudge.

“Fine! Fine! Just you wait! You just wait! We’ll settle this tomorrow!”

Having lost both face and dignity, Zhou Dalang felt as though his pride had been thoroughly trampled into the dirt.

“Your grandfather won’t stoop to bickering with you now, but once we leave the mountain tomorrow, I’ll play you to death!

Get out of the way! Are you blind?! Your grandfather’s going to take a leak—good dogs don’t block the way! What are you looking at? Look again and I’ll deal with you too!”

Zhou Dalang barged past the yamen runners blocking his path and strode cursing into the woods, finally bringing the farce to an end.

Someone patted Nan Yi on the shoulder to comfort him.

Nan Yi said nothing in return, simply shaking his head with a smile.

Staring toward the direction where Zhou Dalang had disappeared, he thoughtfully raised an eyebrow.

...

Nan Zhi was still on her way, riding the donkey cart.

...

“A bunch of worthless wretches destined to die poor! Uncle was right after all—these poor bastards only know how to stuff themselves and sleep all day, their eyes fixed on petty gains. Aren’t they just fawning over Nan Yi because they see the Nan family is about to receive a reward from the Demon Suppression Division? Pah, what is there to be smug about?”

Having clashed with Nan Yi and seeing that no one took his side, the fury in Zhou Dalang’s heart refused to subside.

Cursing the whole way, he found a secluded thicket to take a leak:

“And that brute Zhang Hu—Uncle tried to win him over for so long, yet he never relented, proving he’s just an ungrateful fool. Registrar Hu is no better. After accepting so many gifts, he still made me come along on this tiger hunt! The fool—if anything happens to me, the Wang family will be the first to hold him accountable. Once I leave the mountain tomorrow, I must complain thoroughly to my aunt and make these bastards suffer!”

Without his noticing, mist gradually rose within the mountain, obscuring the path he had come by.

The sound of trickling water gradually ceased. Having relieved himself, Zhou Dalang hitched up his trousers and muttered under his breath as he stepped out of the thicket.

Yet the moonlight was cold and desolate, scattering fragments of light through tree branches onto the ground to cast patchy shadows. In the hazy mist, he could not distinguish his original path for a moment.

“Ma Liulang!”

“Old Qin!”

Zhou Dalang called out tentatively a few times, but no one responded.

He couldn't help muttering inwardly.

He had heard people say that old forests were exceedingly eerie, often plagued by ghost walls and fox glamour. Could he really be so unlucky as to run into one?

From the bushes behind him came the sound of a beast darting past. Zhou Dalang placed a hand on the long saber at his waist, shouting warily:

“Who is it?!”

“Who’s there?!”

Suddenly, a faint, fragile sobbing sound echoed through the woods.

“Sob, sob... sob, sob...”

It sounded like weeping and complaining, delicate and lingering.