Chapter 145: Mysterious Child

Yin Qing naturally didn't care what the three Du family disciples at the stone table were thinking; this was, after all, an excellent opportunity to pick fire dates.

The date tree's branches and leaves were lush, with crimson dates hidden among the emerald green foliage, mostly growing high up. These dates were larger than ordinary ones, in fact, about three times the size of a normal green date, though there was nothing to compare them to at the moment.

In a few swift movements, Yin Qing climbed higher, excitedly reaching for the nearest date. He found it satisfying to hold the large fruit in one hand. It was then that the three Du family members noticed the boy's movements suddenly becoming gentle. They then heard the boy begin to speak, though they weren't sure if he was talking to himself or, more absurdly, addressing the date tree.

"Big date tree," he said, "that Hero Du down there is an old acquaintance of Mr. Ji's; they've known each other for a long time. He only comes once every three years, so it's not too much to ask for a date, right?"

Yin Qing glanced at the three curious Du family members below, then carefully pulled at the date. With a "pop," the large crimson date came off.

"Hahahahaha... This is great! It let me pick it, it really did!"

If he hadn't been up in the tree, Yin Qing would have been dancing with joy. As it was, he could only clap his hands and wriggle a bit to express his excitement. The sight startled Du Heng. What if the boy fell and got hurt?

"Let's go stand under the tree and watch. If he falls, catch him!"

"Understood." "Alright!"

At Du Heng's instruction, the three no longer sat at the stone table. They quickly stood up and moved closer, fearing Yin Qing might make too many movements in the date tree and fall.

Yin Qing paid no mind. He sniffed the date's fragrance, swallowed, and then tossed it to Du Heng. "Hero Du, catch it! Don't let it fall on the ground!"

Du Heng saw a flash of crimson thrown his way. He gently caught it with his left hand and instinctively examined the date. It was round, plump, and vibrantly red, immediately looking very appetizing.

After picking one, Yin Qing grew bolder and reached for another. "Surely, it wouldn't just give Hero Du one date, right?"

As he spoke, he tugged again, and with another "pop," the date came off.

"Hehe! If you eat just one, you won't even taste it properly. There are three of them here, and picking dates is really hard work for me..."

Yin Qing chattered on, continuously reaching for the crimson dates. One, two, three, four... he pulled down a total of seven. Just as he grabbed the eighth, he felt the branch gently twist.

Oh no, the big date tree wouldn't allow it anymore!

"Just one more, please, just one!" Yin Qing kept pleading, pulling hard with unwavering strength.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle... rustle, rustle..."

As if a gentle breeze were blowing, the date branch twisted, and no matter how hard Yin Qing pulled, the crimson date wouldn't come off. Then, a branch swept across Yin Qing's neck.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...!"

Yin Qing's neck tickled, and he suddenly lost his balance, falling from the tree. One of the Du family disciples below quickly reached out to catch him, pulling the boy into his arms. However, Yin Qing wasn't annoyed at all when he fell. He just looked at the date still on the tree that he couldn't pick, sighing and mumbling incessantly.

"Ugh, it only gave me seven. So stingy, so stingy!"

Du Heng and the others exchanged glances. This boy was too reckless climbing trees to pick fruit; he mumbled to himself and didn't hold on tight. If they hadn't been there, he surely would have injured himself.

"Little Brother Yin, climbing trees like that is very unstable. We were here today, but next time, don't be so reckless!" One of the Du family disciples offered a word of caution, but Yin Qing clearly didn't care at all.

"It's fine, I only fall when you guys are around. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't fall."

This made the Du family members feel strange. Was it somehow their fault then?

"Alright, alright, enough talk," Yin Qing chuckled. "Look at these fire dates! In the past, you wouldn't even have seen them, let alone eaten them!"

Yin Qing pulled open his pocket, revealing six large dates inside. Including the one in Du Heng's hand, there were seven fiery red dates in total, each as big as a child's fist.

The group sat back down at the stone table, and the seven dates were arranged in a row. Yin Qing immediately grabbed one. "This one is my reward!"

After explaining, he looked at the other two Du family disciples, then addressed Du Heng. "Of the remaining six, you take four. As for these two, they're lucky to get one each!"

As Yin Qing spoke, he had the air of a little adult.

"Why do we only get one?" one of the Du family disciples argued blankly.

"You're already lucky to have one! Didn't you see I only got one too? If you hadn't come with Hero Du, you wouldn't have gotten any!" Yin Qing retorted in two sentences.

"You only got one? You can pick as many as you want if you want to eat them!" The Du family disciple was only three or four years older than Yin Qing. Though he knew arguing with the boy was pointless, he still couldn't resist speaking up.

Yin Qing puffed out his cheeks and glared at the date tree. "Go on, you try picking one for yourself! If you can pick it, I'll be impressed!"

"I'll pick one then!"

The two were still bickering, which Du Heng couldn't tolerate any longer. "Ahem, Du Yue," he interjected, "this is someone else's place. Why are you talking so much?"

After admonishing him, Du Heng also thanked Yin Qing. These dates clearly weren't ordinary, and offering them as hospitality was very kind.

"Heh, Hero Du is still the most reasonable," Yin Qing joked. "Don't just stand there, eat! Even the emperor would crave these dates!"

Yin Qing made a joke and then quickly began to munch on his own date. Its crisp crunch filled the air with a fragrant aroma, making the three Du family members who smelled it eager to eat. Without further hesitation, they all picked up their dates and began to eat.

With a "crunch," they bit into the dates, and the three Du family members' eyes widened. A burst of fresh flavor exploded on their tongues, making them chew and devour incessantly. As the date juice and pulp went down, it felt as if they had drunk strong liquor, their stomachs warming pleasantly. A warm current even seemed to course through their bodies.

'These dates... could they be some kind of rare heavenly treasure?!'

Du Heng was startled. By the time he realized what was happening, he had already finished the date in his hand. The other two Du family members swallowed, gazing at the three remaining dates on the table. Even though Du Heng was extremely reluctant, he pushed two dates towards his clansmen. Before he could speak, Yin Qing reached out and pulled those two dates back.

"No, these dates are only for you! If Hero Yang Guo has his wondrous snake gall, then Hero Du has fire dates. They can't touch them again!"

Another Du family disciple started to speak, but Yin Qing seemed to read his mind and pointed at the date tree branches overhead. "Want to eat? Go pick it yourself, I agree to let you pick it, go on!"

"I'll pick it then!"

After tasting the date, how could he possibly restrain himself? The Du family disciple leaped onto the date tree in one bound and immediately grabbed the nearest large crimson date. He tugged gently, but the date seemed to be stuck to the branch and wouldn't come off. He pulled harder, bending the entire date branch, yet the fruit remained completely still.

"Come off! Haaah..."

The Du family disciple exerted his inner strength and qi, but the date branch only bent further, and the rebound force grew stronger. Then, suddenly, the pulling force in his hand dramatically increased, and he was launched into the air as if by a slingshot.

"Ah!"

The Du family disciple was actually flung into the air by a date branch. With no leverage, he flailed wildly in mid-air before falling due to gravity. Fortunately, he was a martial artist. As he fell, he grabbed another branch to break his fall, but the branch was as slippery as an eel. It briefly slowed him down before slipping from his grasp... Then, with a "thud," the Du family disciple landed on the ground.

"Ow... hiss... I clearly slowed my fall... but that branch threw my balance off again..."

The Du family disciple grimaced as he stood up. He should have been able to land upright after grabbing the branch when he fell.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle... rustle, rustle, rustle..."

The branches and leaves of the entire large date tree moved on their own without any wind, rustling as they swayed from side to side, causing the three Du family disciples to instinctively look up. The trembling of the branches grew increasingly violent, even creating an impression of shadows merging to block out the sunlight, which appeared very eerie. It sent shivers down the spines of the three, as if the date tree was mocking them. This scene lasted for several breaths, yet there was clearly no wind around.

"Heh heh, well? Did you manage to pick it?"

Yin Qing grunted, breaking the subtle sense of fear in the three men's hearts. Looking at the tree again, it was gradually still, but no one believed what had just happened was an illusion. Du Heng suddenly recalled the fierce tiger spirit from Niukui Mountain. The word 'demon' flashed in his mind, but then he reconsidered, feeling it wasn't quite right. Looking at the dates on the table, a feeling of encountering celestial fruit arose within him.

The New Year was approaching, and the festive atmosphere was already building in Ning'an County. Yin Qing not only had to help his family with the traditional "dusting" but also manage the Juyan Pavilion. After the three Du family members helped Yin Qing briefly tidy up the pavilion, they bid farewell and departed. They didn't want to trouble Yin Qing's mother to cook for them, nor did they intend to stay long in Ning'an County.

After all, Yin Qing was still young. Ji Yuan's original description wasn't complete; the story of Hero Condor that Yin Qing remembered contained few words, at most an overview. The beginning and middle were only briefly mentioned, with only the outcome highlighted in detail. Without Yin Qing's own imaginative embellishments, the Du family members were merely astonished that such a person could endure so many hardships and still achieve such feats, yet they didn't feel much connection to the story.

However, after the incident with the date tree, Du Heng, at least, had much less doubt about the historical existence of Hero Condor himself. Compared to his two clansmen, he had a stronger sense of identification, especially with the pain of a severed arm. For more than half a year after returning home, when his arm eventually necrotized and had to be amputated, the despair and sorrow had woken Du Heng countless nights. But the conversation with Wei Wuwei at the Wei family's full moon banquet, combined with what he witnessed at Juyan Pavilion, subtly ignited a flame in Du Heng's desolate heart.

The three rode their horses, cloaked in heavy wraps. Despite the biting wind, they felt warm due to the fire dates. Du Heng, who had directly eaten three, felt an even stronger rush of heat coursing through his entire body, as if he possessed inexhaustible strength. With each breath, the internal energy circulated to all his major acupuncture points.

'The first one was incredibly powerful, and you'll be the second!'

Yin Qing's clear voice still echoed in Du Heng's mind. Coupled with the power of the fire dates, it ignited a fervent resolve in his heart. In that brief, completed story, Yang Guo had no one to help him at first, but Du Heng, at least, still had the Du family!

"So what if I don't have a left-hand saber technique? My Du family's Mad Saber right-hand technique didn't just fall from the sky either!" Du Heng suddenly uttered this in a low voice, a feeling of pent-up emotion brewing in his chest. The next moment, he slapped the horse's back, drew his saber from behind his left side, leaped into the air, spun, and then violently swung his arm forward, brandishing the saber. The saber edge sliced through the cold wind, creating a crescent arc around Du Heng. Then Du Heng landed, pushed off the horse's back again, sprang into the air, and brought his saber down from another direction. His body moved in continuous undulations as he executed the Twelve Forms of the Mad Saber, which he had practiced countless times, with his left hand. Each strike was more powerful than the last, each movement fiercer, and with every exertion of strength, a warm current surged, filling his meridians.

As he unleashed the final form, "Overturning Clouds and Treading Waves," Du Heng roared wildly. "From this moment, this tribulation is broken!" The sharp edge of the saber swept forward, tearing through the northern wind and creating a brief calm ahead. He inhaled lightly in mid-air and floated down, sheathing his saber and settling heavily back onto the horse. Du Heng, breathing slightly heavily, was filled with turbulent emotions. This was the first time in over three years that he had fully executed all twelve forms, and it was far smoother than when his right arm was intact, and even performed from horseback. This display of martial arts brought Du Heng immense confidence and encouragement. Even his internal energy cultivation, which had previously declined, surged like a roaring fire.

"Hiss... exhale... hiss... exhale..."

As the cold wind entered his lungs with deep breaths, it transformed into a warm current within his belly. In his imagination, Du Heng had just shattered his former despondent self with each saber stroke. His two clansmen behind him had their mouths slightly agape, their emotions indescribable. From the initial hesitation in his saber strikes to the unrestrained fury when he finally sheathed it, their kinsman seemed to have become a different person.

"Stop dawdling! Let's hurry back to Desheng Prefecture. We'll give the remaining date to Patriarch Wei, and then we'll go home. Even if we miss New Year's Eve, we still have to celebrate the New Year at home!"

With this change in his state of mind, Du Heng's tone of voice also shifted, becoming more concise and sharper.

In a certain chess parlor in Jingji Prefecture, Ji Yuan, who had been watching two old men play chess, suddenly froze. He looked down at the faintly appearing chess piece in his hand, vaguely seeing Du Heng, with his single arm, wielding his saber to cut through the wind and snow. Only... this chess piece had appeared somewhat inexplicably.