[T/n: note on chapter title]
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Du Heng frowned and looked left and right. This corridor was some some distance away from the banquet venue, and it was located right next to a garden. Lu Chengfeng was only able to find this place because he had asked the two members of the Du family who had come with him.
The head of the Wei family was a very busy man, especially today, so he wouldnât have waited around for so long even if he was passing by. Then Du Heng remembered that he and Lu Chengfeng had spoken for a long time after mentioning Mr. Ji and before the latter left.
But Du Heng was a little surprised when he heard Wei Wuwei say he knew Mr. Ji.
In truth, when the nine warriors had left Ningâan County, all nine of them were still in close contact. Of course, they all knew where Ji Yuan lived in Ningâan County, and all about the jujube tree in his yard. Wei Wuweiâs was speaking the truth.
âPatriarch Wei, when did you first meet Mr. Ji? After he left, Lu Chengfeng went back to look for Mr. Ji at the end of the year, but he said that the house was already empty by then.â
âHehe, Lu Chengfeng is skilled in how to handle thingsâhe went to look himself and only informed you afterward!â
Wei Wuwei chuckled, looking down the corridor back towards the hall, and sat down beside Du Heng.
âI, Wei Wuwei, naturally met Mr. Ji in Ningâan County. I had gone there to buy a tiger skin, but was later waylaid by some bandits, so I stayed in the county for a while. Thatâs how I got to know Mr. Ji, and I received a lot of valuable instruction from him!â
Du Heng was not from Desheng Prefecture, otherwise he would definitely have heard of the sensational incident of the Thirteen Thieves of Yan and the execution of the mastermind behind the scenes. That was the incident that made Wei Wuwei famous, and made exposed the fact that the head of the Wei family had been pretending not to know martial arts; not only did he practice martial arts, he was also quite skilled in it.
After that, Wei Wuweiâs nickname, âSmiling Tiger,â spread in the martial arts world.
Wei Wuwei sat down beside Du Heng with a smile and looked him up and down.
âDid Mr. Ji truly tell you that if you survived this disaster, your future would be limitless?â
âWell⊠He did say something to that effect when we were taking a rest halfway down the mountain, but it was just words of comfort. Now, I can only be considered half uselessâŠâ
âHas Mr. Ji ever said those words other people, such as the unrivaled Lu Chengfeng?â
Wei Wuwei asked again. Du Heng thought for a moment, and said hesitantly.
âIt seems⊠he hasnât.â
âTsk tsk tsk tskâŠâ
Wei Wuwei was still constantly smiling, although he didnât know how the nine young warriors had met Mr. Ji, whether it was before or after killing the tiger, or even how they had brought Mr. Ji to Ningâan County.
But just from a few words, Wei Wuwei confirmed that, even though the nine young warriors had known Mr. Ji for a long time, they still had no idea what kind of person the man was.
The scene of the Old Turtle lamenting on the banks of the Chunmu River outside of Chunhui Prefectureâs capital was a sight Wei Wuwei would never forget.
âI donât think Lu Chengfeng is all that exceptional. On the contrary, you, young master DuâŠ. hahaha⊠Since Mr. Ji has left such a message for you, donât belittle yourself!â
Du Heng smiled helplessly.
âThank you for your kind words, Patriarch Wei. I have become more open-minded over the past few years. When I first overcame the pain of losing my arm, I had great ambitions, but now⊠even the people in my family no longer have hope for meâŠâ
âYou say youâve come to terms with it? Heh, I donât think so!â
Wei Wuwei was very aware of Du Hengâs current reluctance. He had hidden to the side and eavesdropped on them for quite some time.
âMoreover, do you think you have yet survived the âcalamityâ that Mr. Ji spoke of?â
Du Hengâs heart trembled slightly. He looked at Wei Wuweiâs constantly smiling face, and subconsciously reached out to touch the empty sleeve of his right arm.
Wei Wuwei quietly leaned close to Du Heng and whispered in his ear:
âIâve also studied some ancient books on gods and immortals. For one such as Mr. Ji, the so-called calamity is not just physical pain. Do you really think that you cannot endure the pain of a broken or missing arm? A calamity, a calamity, hey⊠isnât that more like what is happening now?â
Facing Wei Wuwei, Du Heng briefly felt goosebumps run down his spine.
Seeing this haggard young man in a daze, Wei Wuwei chose not to disturb him further for the time being. He waited until his expression cleared before continuing to speak.
âOkay, now you can tell me how you met Mr. Ji. Mr. Ji is my benefactor, and I also want to know more about him.â
Wei Wuwei tucked his hands in his sleeves. With his chubby, smiling appearance, he didnât look like a dangerous man at all, but more like an old countryside gentleman. However, the sight made Du Heng recall the other partyâs rarely mentioned martial arts nickname, the âSmiling Tiger.â
âActually, the so-called tiger-fighting heroes in Ningâan County are unworthy of the title⊠If it werenât for Mr. JiâŠâ
Du Heng didnât hesitate any longer, and slowly shared the tale of what happened back then.
Nine young and excitable warriors had gone to the mountain to hunt a tiger. They met a strange man who warned them, but they didnât take it seriously. As a result, they encountered a tiger spirit and almost diedâŠ
The story was more tortuous than Wei Wuwei imagined. He had not expected that the white tiger skin was something that the tiger monster had just spat out and given to the nine young warriors. He also didnât expect that the gentle and elegant Mr. Ji could be so sloppy at times. However, on second thought, it shouldnât be so surprising for a master to choose to present themselves in a variety of ways.
It was already a great fortune for the nine individuals to keep their lives, let alone their attempt to get rid of the man-eating tiger.
After listening to the whole story, from the beginning up until the nine young warriors had left Ningâan County, Wei Wuwei was finally certain that these nine individuals did not know much about Ji Yuan, even less than he himself knew.
Even when Du Heng mentioned their agreement with the tiger monster, his emotions didnât fluctuate and his tone was steady. Based on Wei Wuweiâs experience in dealing with people, this group most likely thought that Mr. Ji had deliberately made up an excuse to deceive the tiger demon in order to save their lives.
âSince Lu Chengfeng went back to Ningâan County before this New Year, did he tell you about the story of the jujube tree that bore fruit as a gift to the gentleman?â
Hearing Wei Wuwei ask this again, Du Heng frowned.
âWhat story? I never heard about it.â
âOh ha⊠Maybe Young Master Lu didnât have the chance to hear it, so he didnât tell you, hahahaâŠâ
Wei Wuwei smiled and explained.
The noise in the hall was getting more lively. Presumably, ,the banquet was about to start.
âLetâs go, Young Master Du. Sonâs full-month banquet is about to begin. As the father, I cannot be absent. You canât miss it, either. Donât get drunk here all alone!â
Wei Wuwei dusted himself off, stood up, and walked on ahead. His large belly seemed to bounce as he walked. After just a few steps, he suddenly turned his head to look back at Du Heng, who had just stood up.
âYoung Master Du, I must remind you that this agreement with the tiger monster will most likely be fatal. You may have brushed it off after three years, but what about in thirty years? I felt an instant connection with you, so I couldnât help but warn you. Please donât take this lightly. HahahaâŠâ
After speaking, Wei Wuwei strode away. The instant he left the garden and arrived back at the yard in whcih the banquet was taking place, he was immediately surrounded by voices exclaiming their congratulations. He politely returned everyoneâs greetings.
. . .
When Du Heng returned to his two family members, the banquet had already begun. The servants of the Wei family took turns serving the dishes. There were even three charcoal-heated copper hot pots were prepared for each table to add some warmth to the banquet.
For Ji Province, this style of food was very novel. All the guests praised the hotpot. Even Du Heng had changed from his previous decadence and didnât drink much wine; instead, he just kept eating the meat with his chopsticks in his left hand.
âWhat happened to Brother Heng today?â
âI donât know, but itâs been a long time since Iâve seen Brother Heng have an appetite!â
âWe should eat too, or itâll all be eaten by Brother Heng!â
âYes, yes, yes! Weâll be delayed for so long on the journey back that we wonât be able to celebrate the New Year with a banquet. We have to eat here!â
The two were close cousins ââof Du Hengâs, so after exchanging a few words, they hurriedly started eating.
After all, Du Heng was once a genius that the Du family had high hopes for. Even though his spirit was broken
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now, there were still some elders in the family who cared about him, and had thought about letting him abandon his martial arts to take charge of some other family businesses. However, he was always unwilling and somewhat lost in worldly vices, which led to his current situation, unpopular both within and outside of the family.
Although Wei Wuweiâs words today didnât exactly inspire Du Heng, however, they made him want to change his current habits of decadence. Since he had come to Desheng Prefecture once more, and wouldnât make it back home for the New Year, he might as well go back to Ningâan County again!
çŹéąè (xiĂ omiĂ nhÇ): man with a big smile and evil intentions. Could also be translated as âsmiling tigerâ
Lit: âlost his wings,â as in freedom, aspirations, strength to âflyâ