Wu Song is from Qinghe County (in present-day Xingtai, Hebei). The novel describes him as a good-looking man with shining eyes, thick eyebrows, a muscular body and an impressive bearing. He grew up with his elder brother, Wu Dalang (武大郎; lit. “Eldest Brother Wu”), because their parents died early.

Wu Song once knocked a man unconscious in a drunken rage and mistakenly thought that he had killed that man. He goes on the run to avoid arrest and takes shelter in the residence of the nobleman Chai Jin. He meets Song Jiang there and becomes sworn brothers with him.
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He makes his journey home later after Song Jiang left.

Slaying the tiger

On his way home, Wu Song passes by a tavern near Jingyang Ridge, where a large sign reads “Three Bowls Do Not Cross Ridge” (三碗不過崗).

This arouses his interest and he stops there for a break. The waiter explains to Wu Song that the wine sold at the tavern is so strong that customers get drunk after having three bowls and are unable to cross the ridge ahead, hence the sign.

Wu Song is still sober after drinking three bowls and he demands that the waiter continue serving him wine.

By the end of his meal, Wu Song had consumed 18 bowls of wine in total and appears tipsy.

He is about to leave when the waiter stops him and warns him about a fierce man-eating tiger at Jingyang Ridge. Wu Song suspects that the waiter is lying to him because he wants him to spend the night there to earn extra money, so he ignores the waiter and continues on his journey.

While crossing Jingyang Ridge, Wu Song sees an official warning sign and is now convinced that there is really a tiger at the ridge. However, he refuses to turn back because he knows that the waiter will scorn him if he did.

He moves on and encounters a ferocious tiger while trying to take a nap to get over the effect of alcohol.

He accidentally breaks his staff while fending off the beast and has no weapon to defend himself.






Under the influence of alcohol, he ends up slaying the tiger by pinning it to the ground and bashing its head repeatedly with his bare fists.

He becomes famous for his heroic deed. The magistrate of Yanggu County (in present-day Liaocheng, Shandong) offers Wu Song the job of a chief constable in the county office as a reward for his achievement. Wu Song accepts and settles down in the county. In Yanggu County, he meets his elder brother, Wu Dalang, who has recently moved there.