Chapter 144: The One-Armed Hero

The Wei family's young master's full-month celebration wasn't a martial arts contest to find a spouse. Besides offering gifts, congratulations, and sharing meals, there were no other planned activities. Given the freezing weather, an infant couldn't be brought out, so most guests departed after the midday and evening banquets.

Of course, for anyone wishing to enjoy themselves in Desheng Prefecture, the Wei family would cover all expenses, whether at taverns, teahouses, or brothels. In fact, a significant portion of the city's finest establishments, excluding gambling dens and brothels, were owned by the Wei family.

Du Heng and his two cousins emerged from the Wei family's arranged inn early the next morning. As they headed to the stables to retrieve their horses, they were surprised to find a stable hand already waiting for them.

Upon seeing Du Heng, with his missing arm, leading his companions out from the inn's back entrance, the thin, small stable hand, bundled in a thick cotton coat, instantly brightened and darted out from the stables.

“Are you Hero Du?”

Du Heng was slightly surprised. Usually, one would simply provide a token at the inn to have the stable hand retrieve their horses. He wondered why this person would recognize him.

The stable hand rubbed his hands together, exhaled a puff of warm air, and quickly gestured towards the stables on the right.

“It must be you, sir. Our master instructed me earlier, explaining that the horses you arrived on were mistakenly taken by someone else. He arranged for several new horses as compensation, and there's also a carriage available. If you plan to visit any towns or counties within Desheng Prefecture, I can drive you. It's much more comfortable in a carriage on such a cold day!”

In the stables to the right stood three magnificent reddish-brown horses. Their unblemished, gleaming coats, lively eyes, well-proportioned muscles, and imposing physiques clearly marked them as superior animals—certainly much better than the three horses the Du family had arrived on.

“Heh heh, Young Hero Du, these three ‘Rouge Horses’ are the master's compensation to you. They have excellent stamina and quick acceleration. While they are gentle with their owners, they can deliver a kick strong enough to kill a wolf when facing wild beasts—though they do eat a lot.”

The stable hand rubbed his hands again and gestured towards the carriage nearby.

“The interior of this carriage is lined with fur and includes a warming stove, making it both comfortable and warm. You can travel two or three hundred *li* without feeling tired. Heh heh, Young Hero Du, would you like me to drive for you?”

Du Heng frowned as he observed the shrewd stable hand. He suddenly noticed that despite the man's short stature and frostbitten red fingers, his knuckles were thick and his hands were shaped like claws, clearly indicating he was a skilled martial artist.

“Does Master Wei know where I’m headed?”

“Heh heh, what are you saying? How could Master Wei possibly know that? He simply thought you might find it useful!”

Behind Du Heng, his two cousins were already gazing at the ‘Rouge Horses,’ their eyes gleaming with admiration.

Just as men in Ji Yuan's previous life cherished their cars, men in this world, especially those in the martial arts community, naturally adored fine horses, particularly magnificent ones like the ‘Rouge Horse.’

“Thank you for Master Wei’s kind offer, but we’ll ride the horses. We won’t need the carriage.”

Du Heng was genuinely uncomfortable with having an outsider drive them. Observing his two cousins behind him, he surmised they were eager to ride the horses themselves.

“Alright, alright, I’ll prepare the saddles for you…”

Once everything was ready, the three ‘Rouge Horses’ were led out of the stables. As Du Heng and his companions prepared to mount and depart, the stable hand again rubbed his hands and spoke with a grin, his demeanor strikingly similar to his master, Wei Wuwei.

“Uh, heh heh, Young Hero Du, the master also briefly mentioned that if you’re heading to Ning’an County…”

Du Heng’s gaze sharpened; this man clearly knew their destination.

As if oblivious to Du Heng’s keen stare, the stable hand continued speaking.

“Well, the master said that the jujube tree in Mr. Ji’s courtyard bore some red fruit this year that hasn’t fallen off yet. The young man tending the garden isn’t picking or selling them… As Young Hero Du is an old acquaintance of Mr. Ji, surely that young man will offer you a few. Heh heh… The master said the Wei family is willing to pay a hefty sum to buy some from you.”

Buy dates?

Du Heng was even more bewildered. Given the Wei family’s wealth, it seemed impossible for them not to acquire dates if they wished. Was there something unique about the jujube tree in Mr. Ji’s courtyard?

“I’ll discuss this matter upon my return. For now, farewell, and please extend my thanks to Master Wei!”

Du Heng cupped his hands in farewell, and the stable hand promptly returned the gesture.

Then, the three Du family youths spurred their horses and galloped out of the inn's rear grounds.

The ‘Rouge Horses’ truly were exceptional—fast and obedient. The sensation of galloping brought immense joy to the three Du family youths, especially once they were outside the city and no longer needed to worry about pedestrians. They felt as if they were flying with the wind.

However, this exhilaration quickly waned after about half an hour, carried away by the biting cold wind.

The faster the horses galloped, the quicker their bodies lost heat. Even with their martial arts training, the three men were severely chilled, particularly as the temperature in Jizhou had dropped even further over the past two days.

While Desheng Prefecture's capital city was approximately 150 *li* in a straight line from Ning'an County, the winding roads extended their journey to nearly 300 *li*. They either lodged with locals or stayed at inns along the way, finally arriving in Ning'an County on the third day.

“Ugh… if only… we had taken that carriage…”

One of the Du family members sat astride his horse, gripping the reins and rubbing his hands together. The white vapor exhaled from the nostrils of the sturdy horse beneath him stretched over a foot long.

“Alright, stop complaining. When we get back, I’ll shamelessly ask Master Wei to lend us a copper pot so we can have that hot pot again.”

“Heh heh, you promised, Brother Heng!”

“That’s right, no backing out!”

The three men led their tall, magnificent horses into Ning'an County, drawing curious stares from some of the locals. Few outsiders visited Ning'an County at this time of year.

After a few inquiries, they learned the location of Mr. Ji’s residence. After all, only Lu Chengfeng had visited the small pavilion previously; others only knew its name and general vicinity.

The local was helpful, guiding them without accepting payment from Du Heng. Upon reaching a spot about a hundred paces from the small pavilion deep within Tianniu Ward, the man, also a resident of Tianniu Ward and wearing a padded coat, pointed towards the area where the branches and leaves were still verdant, dotted with specks of deep crimson.

“That’s Ju’an Pavilion. Mr. Ji used to live there. You can go the rest of the way yourselves.”

After thanking him, Du Heng and his companions led their horses towards the small courtyard.

They had heard the man mention the peculiar jujube tree on their way here. Now, in the freezing season, the entire tree remained emerald green, with scattered red dots between its leaf veins, as vibrant and beautiful as crimson flowers. It was hard to imagine this scene in the depths of winter.

The main gate to the courtyard was open, as was the back gate. Through the back gate, they could see a young boy in the empty space behind the courtyard, setting up a rack to dry quilts. Among them were some left by Mr. Ji and others belonging to the Yin family. The boy was Yin Qing.

Hearing the sound of hooves and footsteps, Yin Qing turned his head towards the front gate of the courtyard. He spotted three strangers, and Du Heng’s empty sleeve, where his arm should have been, made him pause. Noticing their sabers, he surmised they were martial artists.

“Who are you? What brings you here?”

Du Heng quickly replied.

“I am Du Heng, an old acquaintance of Mr. Ji. I was passing through Ning’an County and came specifically to pay my respects.”

“Du Heng?”

Yin Qing looked him over, and connecting the name with the missing arm, suddenly remembered something.

“Ah! I remember now! You’re the tiger-fighting hero! Mr. Ji mentioned you! Come in, come in quickly!”

Du Heng’s missing arm was highly distinctive. Yin Qing immediately put down his work, darted from the neglected backyard into the small front courtyard, welcomed the three men inside, and showed great curiosity about the three ‘Rouge Horses.’

He nimbly retrieved a few more cups from the small pavilion’s kitchen, then poured water from the kettle that was already on the stone table.

“Have some water; it’s still warm. We’re out of tea, unfortunately. You’ve arrived at an inopportune time; Mr. Ji hasn’t returned since he left on his travels. When he’s away, my family looks after his courtyard. Now my father has gone to take the imperial exams, so it’s just me tending to things. If you had come a few months earlier, there would have been many more dates in the courtyard; now there are fewer…”

Yin Qing, brimming with excitement, chattered on to Du Heng, then eagerly asked how the nine of them had fought the tiger.

In truth, the ‘tiger-fighting’ was actually a brutal, one-sided assault by the tiger demon. Du Heng could barely elaborate, only managing to describe their preparations and a brief skirmish before vaguely mentioning a group assault. Yet, Yin Qing listened with rapt attention.

Once Du Heng finished his account, he took the opportunity to inquire about Mr. Ji. The villager who had guided them earlier had mentioned that Mr. Ji was an extraordinary person, but Du Heng felt it more appropriate to ask the Yin family for the true details.

Aside from matters of ghosts and gods, and the incident where Wei Wuwei sought Mr. Ji to inspect jade—which he had been told not to disclose—Yin Qing spoke with great enthusiasm about everything else. He recounted stories from rescuing and releasing foxes to witnessing Mr. Ji's sword dance, where flower petals fluttered like dragons. He even described the miraculous night when the jujube tree bore and ripened fruit to bid Mr. Ji farewell on his distant journey.

Even Du Heng listened with astonishment, but his two cousins, hearing the later parts of the stories, grew somewhat skeptical, feeling it was simply a child's boastful tale.

However, Yin Qing didn't notice the two cousins' skepticism; instead, he grew even more excited as he continued speaking.

“Oh, that reminds me! Wait here, I’m going home for a moment. I have something to show you!”

As he spoke, Yin Qing swiftly dashed out of the courtyard and headed home, leaving the three men to exchange perplexed glances.

“These dates are as red as fire. I wonder how they taste, Brother Heng? Should we pick a couple and try them?”

“Don’t touch them!”

Du Heng shot his cousin a stern look.

A short while later, Yin Qing excitedly rushed back with a book.

“I’m back!”

Entering the courtyard slightly breathless, Yin Qing placed the book on the stone table. His hands were dry, making it difficult to turn the pages, so he moistened his finger with a little saliva and flipped to the middle section.

“Heh heh, I wrote this myself. Sometimes I write down interesting things Mr. Ji has told me, just in case I forget them.”

Yin Qing turned to a page that contained Du Heng’s name and a brief description, alongside other unfamiliar names and events. Despite his young age, his handwriting was neat and orderly.

“Heh heh, look, Mr. Ji has only ever told me about two one-armed heroes: one is you, and the other is this person called Yang Guo!”

“Yang Guo? Who is that?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t know him. Well, he’s not from our Great Zhen, or rather, not from this era. He’s likely an ancient figure. Don’t worry about who he is for now; just know he’s incredibly powerful—the kind Mr. Ji himself calls formidable!”

Yin Qing continued to flip through the book, showing Du Heng some of the incomplete narratives he had recorded.

He read about Yang Guo’s early life: living under others’ roofs, being bullied, scorned, having his arm severed by his uncle’s child, escaping alone, and suffering humiliation after being afflicted by a strange poison…

The descriptions in the middle of the story made Du Heng and his two cousins' scalps tingle. How could someone endure such suffering and not only survive but also find the will to fight back?

Later in the story, Yang Guo befriended an eagle and trained diligently for decades. What was even more remarkable was that he consistently upheld righteousness, becoming a martial arts master who never lost his chivalrous spirit, earning him the title ‘Divine Eagle Hero Yang Guo.’

Because Yin Qing was young at the time, Mr. Ji had omitted some of the adult romance when telling this story, thereby emphasizing Yang Guo’s journey in martial arts, his mental fortitude, and his devotion to the greater good.

“Did someone like that truly exist? Mr. Ji didn’t just make it up, did he?”

Yin Qing immediately looked displeased upon hearing the cousin’s remark.

“Made up? Do you think Mr. Ji is a mere storyteller? Do his stories need to be invented? If you knew about the cities he even…”

At this point, Yin Qing quickly clapped a hand over his mouth, nearly letting something slip.

“Anyway, it’s definitely true, believe it or not!”

With that, Yin Qing excitedly turned to Du Heng again.

“Hero Du, Mr. Ji has only ever told me about two one-armed heroes. The first one was incredibly formidable, and you are the second!”

The phrase “you are the second” left Du Heng momentarily stunned, then brought a mix of speechless amusement and wry resignation.

“Oh, by the way, since it’s Hero Du here, I’ll pick a few of these ‘fire dates’ for you. The big jujube tree will definitely agree, and I can have a fresh taste too, ha ha ha ha!”

Yin Qing’s excitement surged again, and he eagerly dashed towards the jujube tree.

The big jujube tree will agree?

This was another remark that puzzled Du Heng and his companions, yet neither Du Heng nor his two cousins pondered it deeply. Instead, they simply watched as Yin Qing nimbly climbed the tree in just a few agile movements.