Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

In order to seek Gongsun Sheng's help, Song Jiang traveled all the way to Erxian Mountain. Erxian Mountain was majestic and shrouded in clouds and mist, exuding a mysterious aura.

Song Jiang trudged along the winding mountain path, his clothes soaked with sweat. When he finally reached the foot of the mountain, he saw a cowherd riding an ox on a lush green meadow.

The shepherd boy looked to be only seven or eight years old. He wore a straw hat and coarse cloth clothes, and was barefoot. He rode freely and leisurely on the back of a yellow ox. The ox grazed leisurely, occasionally flicking its tail.

The shepherd boy hummed an unknown tune, holding a thin bamboo stick in his hand, occasionally gently patting the cow's back. His little face was rosy from the sun, and his eyes were clear and bright, radiating childlike innocence.

Seeing this scene, Song Jiang felt a little less tired. He stepped forward and politely asked, "Young man, do you know where Daoist Gongsun Sheng is?"

The shepherd boy looked up and sized Song Jiang up and down, then blinked and asked, "What do you want with Daoist Gongsun Sheng?"

Song Jiang quickly clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "I am Song Jiang. I have an important matter to ask of you, young man. Please tell me."

The shepherd boy tilted his head and thought for a moment, then pointed up the mountain with a bamboo stick: "Master Gongsun Sheng is in a Taoist temple on this mountain, but the mountain path is rugged and difficult to walk."

Song Jiang said gratefully, "Thank you for showing me the way, brother."

The shepherd boy chuckled and continued to ride the ox slowly. The ox, carrying the shepherd boy, slowly walked away into the distance, leaving behind a string of clear laughter echoing in the air.

Watching the shepherd boy's departing figure, Song Jiang took a deep breath, composed himself, and began to walk up the mountain. The mountain path was indeed steep and difficult to traverse, and Song Jiang was panting heavily, but thinking of the purpose of his journey, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Song Jiang finally saw a Taoist temple hidden in the mountains. Overjoyed, he quickened his pace and walked forward, hoping to meet Gongsun Sheng there and resolve the problem in his heart.

Song Jiang finally arrived at the Taoist temple, only to find the gate tightly shut. He stepped forward and gently knocked on the door knocker. After a short while, a young Taoist boy opened the door, looked Song Jiang up and down, and asked, "Esteemed benefactor, who are you looking for?"

Song Jiang quickly cupped his hands and said, "Young Taoist priest, my name is Song Jiang. I have come to pay my respects to Taoist priest Gongsun Sheng. Please inform him of my arrival."

The young Taoist shook his head and said to Song Jiang, "Master Gongsun is not in the temple. Please return, benefactor."

Song Jiang was taken aback and said anxiously, "A shepherd boy just told me that Master Gongsun is in the Taoist temple. How come he's not here?"

The young Taoist smiled slightly and said, "Are you perhaps Song Jiang, the Timely Rain?"

Song Jiang asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

The young Taoist said unhurriedly, "Master Gongsun already knows the purpose of your trip and asked me to tell you that there is a rogue in the city at the foot of this mountain named Niu Er. As long as Clerk Song can subdue him, he will help Clerk Song."

Song Jiang frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Who is this Niu Er? Why did you have to subdue Master Gongsun before you would see him?"

The young Taoist said, "This Niu Er is committing all sorts of evil deeds in the city, oppressing the people, and no one dares to do anything about it. Master Gongsun intends to test Clerk Song's chivalry and wisdom. If you can rid the people of this scourge, the Master will naturally meet with you."

After a moment of contemplation, Song Jiang said, "In that case, I, Song Jiang, will certainly live up to your expectations. Please tell me the specific whereabouts and habits of this Niu Er, young Taoist priest."

The young Taoist said, "This Niu Er appears in the city market every day at noon, forcing people to buy and sell. If anyone refuses, he will beat them up. Clerk Song should be careful."

Song Jiang thanked the young Taoist and turned to walk down the mountain. Along the way, he secretly plotted how to deal with Niu Er. Upon reaching the city, Song Jiang found a tea stall and sat down, inquiring about Niu Er from the owner.

When the innkeeper heard Song Jiang asking about Niu Er, he looked frightened and said in a low voice, "Sir, you must not provoke that Niu Er. He is a devil incarnate, and no one can control him."

Song Jiang said, "I have come here today to rid the people of this scourge."

The boss looked at Song Jiang with surprise, his eyes filled with both expectation and worry.

As noon approached, Song Jiang headed towards the market, preparing to face the upcoming challenge.

After arriving at the market, Song Jiang sat down to drink tea at a conspicuous teahouse. He deliberately chose a seat near the entrance, keeping a close eye on the passersby and wondering when that wretched Niu Er would appear.

Soon after, a commotion grew louder as it approached. Niu Er appeared, swaggering along with four thugs. Niu Er was bare-chested and burly, his head round like a giant radish. He bared his teeth, drool dripping from his mouth, spitting everywhere—a truly disgusting sight. The four men behind him, equally arrogant, frequently waving their fists to shoo passersby away, shouting, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Don't block Master Niu Er's path!"

Niu Er sauntered over to a pear stall, squinted at it, and asked, "Are these pears sweet?" The pear vendor, upon seeing Niu Er, turned pale with fright and stammered, "Master Niu... Master Niu Er, these pears are sweet, very sweet!"

Niu Er snorted, picked up a pear, took a bite, and then spat the pear pulp all over the pear stand, yelling, "This pear isn't sweet at all! It's sour and astringent!"

After saying that, he gave a wink, and his men immediately rushed forward and overturned the pear stall. The pear vendor was so anxious he was almost in tears, saying, "Master Niu, what are you doing? It's not easy for me to make a living like this!"

Niu Er glared and cursed, "Your pears aren't sweet at all. I'll overturn your pear stand so no one else can be fooled!"

At this moment, Song Jiang, who was sitting in the teahouse, could no longer stand it. He stood up angrily, strode up to Niu Er, and shouted, "Outrageous! How dare you bully people like this in broad daylight!"

Hearing the voice, Niu Er turned around and saw Song Jiang with a dark face. He looked Song Jiang up and down and said, "What kind of bird are you? Your face is all black. Are you a charcoal seller?"

Song Jiang glared at Niu Er and said, "I, Song Jiang, am upright and honest, and I cannot stand to see a scoundrel like you bullying the people!"

Upon hearing this, Niu Er burst into laughter: "Song Jiang? Never heard of him! Who do you think you are, daring to meddle in my business!"

Song Jiang said righteously, "You scoundrel, if you don't apologize to this pear seller today and restore his stall, I will definitely not let you off!"

Niu Er rolled up his sleeves, revealing his thick arms, and said, "Hey! You're getting cocky! Brothers, teach this arrogant fool a lesson!"

The four ruffians immediately surrounded him, baring their teeth and brandishing their claws. Song Jiang, however, was not afraid at all. He dodged to the side, avoiding one of the ruffians' punches, and then pushed him, sending the ruffian sprawling face-first into the dirt.

Seeing this, another ruffian threw a punch at Song Jiang. Song Jiang raised his hand to block it, and then kicked him in the buttocks, sending him flying far away.

Seeing his two men suffer a loss, Niu Er roared in anger and charged at Song Jiang himself. Song Jiang nimbly dodged, and Niu Er missed his target, falling flat on his face from the force of his lungs, his mouth covered in mud.

The surrounding people couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight. Enraged, Niu Er got up from the ground and charged at Song Jiang again.

Just then, Song Jiang shouted, "You scoundrel, if you don't repent, I'll hand you over to the authorities!"

Upon hearing that he was to be handed over to the authorities, Niu Er became somewhat frightened. He said in a fierce but weak voice, "You...you wait, I won't let you get away with this!" After saying that, he led the four ruffians and slunk away.

Watching them leave, Song Jiang said to the pear vendor, "Hurry up and pack up your stall. If this scoundrel dares to bully you again, just say my name!"

The pear vendor was moved to tears, repeatedly expressing his gratitude: "Thank you so much, Master Song! Thank you so much, Master Song!"

Song Jiang waved his hand, turned and left the market, preparing to return to report to Daoist Gongsun Sheng.

Song Jiang gave the pear seller some money and said to him earnestly, "You've lost a lot of money on these pears. I happen to have some silver here, so you can get some new stock. Remember to stay far away from Niu Er in the future." The pear seller thanked him profusely, his eyes filled with gratitude.

Pedestrians along the road praised Song Jiang, saying, "What a chivalrous hero!" Among the crowd, Yang Zhi, the Blue-Faced Beast, happened to witness this scene. He stared at Song Jiang, noticing the blue mole on his face, and confirmed in his heart that this man was indeed Song Jiang.

Yang Zhi remained calm and quietly followed Song Jiang after he left the city.

Having suffered a loss, Niu Er angrily said to his men, "Where did this bastard come from, ruining Master Niu's good time?" His men quickly replied, "This guy with the face like charcoal has some skill." Niu Er, clutching his face and wincing in pain, said, "Nonsense! If I didn't have the skill, would I dare to stand up for him?" His four men all said, "Master Niu, we can't let him off so easily." Niu Er farted, rubbed his stomach, and said, "Of course!" His men then said to Niu Er, "Let's find a sack, take some stones, follow him out, find a secluded place to deal with him. As the saying goes, it's easy to defend against a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark."

Niu Er nodded and said, "Let's do it this way!"

So Niu Er led his men out of the city first. They hid in the woods by the roadside, waiting for Song Jiang to pass by.

Song Jiang walked along unsuspectingly, his mind still preoccupied with the task Gongsun Sheng had given him. Suddenly, a ruffian threw a cloud of sand at Song Jiang. Caught off guard, Song Jiang was immediately blinded and unable to discern his direction. Seeing this, Niu Er laughed triumphantly and shouted, "Quick, put the sack over his head!"

The others rushed forward and shoved the prepared sacks over Song Jiang's head. Song Jiang's vision went black; he only saw chaotic figures and heard a cacophony of sounds all around him. Niu Er said viciously, "Serves you right for meddling! I'll teach you a lesson today!" He raised his fist to strike.