Wu Song Kills a Tiger

A large man of around a single score of years travelled the perilous mountain ridge carrying a sturdy wooden staff and a bag filled with necessities for travel. He was strong and quick, having trained in the martial arts for most of his life. The hour was growing late and the sun had set when he came across a sign on the narrow ridge:

“Beware of Man-Eating Tiger”

This failed to concern Wu Song, there wasn’t much in this life or the next that he feared. For Wu Song was a heavenly constellation, brought to walk the earth and bring about righteousness by opposing corrupt government.

Shortly after encountering the sign, Wu Song came to an inn. The banners and flags outside the inn were inviting and welcoming. A large sign proclaimed:

“Welcome! Food and Drink

Have three bowls of our wine

And you won’t be able to cross the ridge!”

Hungry, and wanting little more than a drink, Wu Song decided to stop at the inn. He took a table and when the serving woman came over, he ordered meat and three bowls of wine. The woman came back with the meat, that Wu Song found acceptable, and the wine. He greedily drank the wine and wiped his lips. “This wine is terrific! Bring me three more bowls!” He exclaimed.

The serving girl was shocked that Wu Song was not in a drunken stupor, and indeed, he wanted even more wine! She reluctantly brought him out three more bowls of wine. Wu Song drank them down quickly, and pounded on his table. “Bring me more wine!” He demanded.

The serving girl tried to calm him down, “Master, you have already had six bowls of wine. No one has ever been able to drink more than three and been able to walk away. I can’t bring you more wine.”

“You won’t serve me? I have the money. Bring me more wine!” Wu Song demanded, getting to his feet and presenting an imposing figure. The serving girl retreated to the kitchen in fear.

The owner of the inn emerged moments later. “Master, if we give you more wine, we would be responsible if something happened to you. We can’t give you any more wine.”

Wu Song grabbed his wooden staff and pointed it at the owner, demanding more wine. Finally, the owner gave up and brought our three more bowls for Wu Song to enjoy. Wu Song greedily drank them quickly, took a few coins from his bag, and placed them on the table. He rose to leave the inn, and the owner rushed back to stop him.

“Master, you can’t leave the inn!”

Wu Song stopped to face him. “Do you know who I am? I am Wu Song, and I need to cross the ridge tonight!”

“But Master, there is a man-eating tiger on the ridge that has been eating travelers. I can’t let you leave here after having nine cups of our wine. If the tiger finds you, it will devour you.”

“I am Wu Song! I am not afraid of a man-eating tiger. If you dare think you can hold me here, try to stop me!” Wu Song again grabbed his staff, lifted his bag, and walked out of the inn.

In the dark, Wu Song travelled along the ridge in silence. In truth, the wine had been very strong, and Wu Song was very drunk. Additionally, it had grown late, and Wu Song had been travelling all day. He was reaching the point of exhaustion. If the innkeeper hadn’t been so rude and demanding, Wu Song might have considered actually spending the night.

Cursing, Wu Song trudged along the ridge. When, suddenly, a loud growl stopped him in his tracks. The man-eating tiger! Wu Song froze, in his steps and turned around quickly, before him was, indeed, a massive tiger.

The tiger eyed him hungrily, its sleek body crouching to the ground, as it prepared to pounce. Wu Song, very drunk, brought his sturdy wooden staff forward and rushed the tiger before it could strike.

Claws ripped through the air and the tiger’s mouth lunged to bite Wu Song with its powerful jaws. Adroitly, Wu Song dodged the tiger’s huge paws, bringing his staff to bear and defending himself with it. At the hint of an opening, Wu Song brought the staff down on the tiger’s head, delivering a skull-cracking blow. Still, the tiger came at him; the tiger’s claws biting into his leg.

Wu Song struggled to stay standing, blood flowing from the wound, his strength leaving him. Wu Song grabbed the tiger by the head with his free hand pressing it into the ground with all of his drunken strength. He swung the staff around and delivered another bone-shattering blow to the tiger. With a final roar, the tiger’s strength left it, and the beast could not lift its broken head from the ground.

Wu Song collapsed to his knees, his blood pounding, and his strength having fading. Panting, tired, and weak, Wu Song struggled to stay conscious. Suddenly, the bushes around him started to rustle, and six tigers appeared, surrounding Wu Song. Weak and exhausted from his fight with a single tiger, Wu Song knew this was the end.

Slowly, the tigers approached him, circling, looking at their dead matriarch that lay near Wu Song. One of the tigers approached him at a crouch, when only a few feet away, the tiger rose to its hind feet…

And removed its hood. It was a man in a tiger skin. In his exhaustion, Wu Song had failed to realize that it wasn’t really a tiger. The other tigers, too, removed their hoods to reveal that they were also men—the hunters that had been searching for the man-eating tiger on the ridge.

They were amazed and shocked to find that their prey was dead after killing so many people in the nearby village and travelers along the ridge, the man-eating tiger was finally killed. If that wasn’t enough, the tiger had been killed by a sole man with nothing more than a staff! The hunters themselves each carried clubs and knives, ready for a fight that they expected not to survive.

They rushed to Wu Song, working to bind his wound. Once they were satisfied that Wu Song would not bleed to death, they assembled a crude litter and placed him inside. They carried Wu Song down into the village, some of the hunters travelling ahead to inform the villagers of what had happened.

By the time Wu Song and those carrying him had arrived at the village, all of the villagers were assembled in the streets. They cheered and celebrated as Wu Song arrived, singing of his heroism and offering him food and drink. The villagers celebrated their savior for several days, as Wu Song remained in the village, healing from this encounter with the man-eating tiger.

When the day finally came for Wu Song to leave, the villagers mourned his departure. But they never forgot the heroic drunken master that saved their town from the man-eating beast that plagued them for so long.