Water Margin, Chapter 30 summary

What happens

1. Wu Song returns to Mengzhou, enters Zhang the Inspector’s residence, and kills servants before reaching the three men drinking upstairs.
2. He kills the three conspirators, writes his identity in blood, kills more household members, and escapes over the city wall.
3. Four men capture the exhausted Wu Song, but Zhang Qing and Sun Erniang recognize him and offer shelter.
4. The authorities investigate the killings, search homes, circulate his description, and offer a reward for his capture.
5. Wu Song accepts a refuge on Mount Erlong and adopts a dead monk’s clothes, weapons, and certificate to evade recognition.
6. On his journey, he kills a young Taoist and fights a priest; someone falls, but the text withholds the fighter’s identity.

In this chapter

What to notice

Wu Song uses the prospect of one death to justify further killing. The line marks his refusal to stop after destroying the conspirators.

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