Chapter 3: 3 The Great Hero of Heiyang

3 The Great Hero of Heiyang

"The Imperial Court has been conferring the title of Great Hero for over ten years now; basically, every county has one. Yuxia Jun alone has seven Great Heroes, and Xue Daxia has the best reputation among them all. Everyone says he is generous and hospitable, with a sense of justice that reaches the heavens. Not only does he not make things difficult for us righteous warriors, he even takes the initiative to help and provide guidance. He is truly a Great Hero in name and in deed."

The cart wheels rolled over fallen leaves, rustling softly. In the woods, Yang Dong's voice was exceptionally resonant.

The youth sitting on the donkey cart had been listening intently, but suddenly said, "Wait, do other Great Heroes make things difficult for righteous warriors?"

Yang Dong said, "This... is hard to say. After all, we righteous warriors have requests of the Great Heroes. Once you ascend the Nine Provinces Loyalty Ranking and earn merit, you must exchange it for cultivation techniques, pills, and weapons at the Great Hero's office in each county. Since we are at the mercy of others, it is inevitable that there are grievances."

Tang Zhao frowned and said, "Isn't the exchange ranking list governed by Imperial Court regulations? How can one be subjected to private harassment?"

Yang Dong sneered, "Listen to yourself. The Dajin Law is also set by the Imperial Court, yet is there any shortage of corrupt officials in the world who break the law? Although righteous warriors are somewhat better off than commoners—they say we are treated like scholars—we only have a mouthful of imperial grain to eat. A Great Hero, however, is truly treated like a county magistrate; he has both the name and the reality. As the saying goes, a county magistrate is no match for the official currently in charge. To us, a Great Hero is both the magistrate and the one in charge. Think about it, is that not terrifying? Take Great Hero Sun in our Baihe County, for example; that reputation... who doesn't get put through the ringer a few times when trying to exchange their ranking?"

"But it is said—it is said that Xue Daxia would not be like that. No matter who it is, whether an acquaintance or a stranger, a local or a traveler, poor or rich, he treats them all the same. Not only is there absolutely no bias in exchanging merit, but he also takes the initiative to guide the younger generation. If a righteous warrior comes to his door with difficulties, he is sure to help generously."

The youth's spirit was lifted, and he said, "That is what I heard too! Everyone who has met Xue Daxia says with one voice that he is good."

After saying this, he became somewhat anxious and added, "But what if... his reputation is greater than his reality?"

Yang Dong pressed his hand on his broadsword and said, "Then one can only consider oneself unlucky, what else? If even the Great Hero with the best reputation is like this, what difference is there among the others?"

Tang Zhao crossed his hands, appearing as if he were daydreaming, or perhaps praying.

Without realizing it, the woods gradually thinned. Through the gaps in the branches, a white-plastered wall of Hupishan stone was revealed.

Immediately after, a magnificent manor came into view.

The manor was built against the mountain. Beneath the gray tiles and flying eaves, high white-plastered walls stretched far into the distance, firmly enclosing the vast buildings and halls like a fortress, looking from afar as if they covered the sky and pressed down upon the earth.

It was already near dusk, and the Sunlight slanted onto the door lintel, where the large characters "Heyang Daxia Mansion" shone brilliantly.

Below the door plaque, the vermilion-lacquered gates were tightly shut, with two stone lions on the left and right, looking like two door gods.

The group stopped in their tracks, gazing at the high gates and ornate windows, feeling the imposing pressure, and a sense of timidity arose in all of them.

Yang Dong rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll go."

"Bang! Bang! Bang—"

The door knocker struck, the sound carrying far away.

There was Silence inside the gate for a long time, then with a creak, a crack in the door slowly opened.

A fit of coughing drifted out.

A head poked out from the crack; before the face could be seen, a head of white hair was visible.

An old man squinted his eyes as he came out and said, "Who is disturbing an old man's sleep?"

Although Yang Dong saw that he was as decrepit as rotten wood, this was an old gatekeeper of the Heyang Daxia Mansion, and he could not afford to offend him. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "I am Yang Dong, a righteous warrior from Yuxia Jun. I have come to pay my respects to the Great Hero of Heiyang regarding the Nine Provinces Loyalty Ranking."

The old gatekeeper's expression was dull, and he let out an "Ah?"

Yang Dong's heart skipped a beat, thinking: Could he be a senile old fool?

He took a silver-glittering document from his bosom and said, "This is my righteous warrior's scroll; please announce me."

The righteous warrior's scroll was a credential issued by the Imperial Court, recording a warrior's name, place of origin, background, and so on, as well as all their merit. To exchange for treasures on the ranking list, the righteous warrior's scroll was essential. Yang Dong often wiped this scroll, and its surface was bright and spotless.

A hand covered in orange-peel-like wrinkles stretched out from the door crack, grabbed the scroll, and tremblingly pulled it back.

Seeing his most precious scroll trembling in that hand, nearly falling, Yang Dong was very anxious and said, "Old steward, please hold on tight."

The old gatekeeper said, "Eh, why is this scroll so light..."

Yang Dong forced a smile and said, "It's silver-plated, so it's not very heavy."

The old gatekeeper sighed incessantly, "Too light, too light, I can't get a grip on it."

Yang Dong was anxious there, and behind him, Tang Zhao whispered, "Feng Ge, does that old man mean..."

Sui Feng nodded, his fingers gently rubbing together.

Everyone knew this gesture, and Tang Zhao could not help but show a look of disappointment.

The bystanders knew, but Yang Dong, being the one involved, was confused and did not react.

Finally, when that hand reached the door again, the old gatekeeper said, "I say, young man, besides the scroll, did you not bring anything else?"

Yang Dong let out an "Ah?"

The old gatekeeper's tone was clearly impatient, saying, "Is there nothing of real value?"

Yang Dong was stunned for a moment, suddenly feeling very dejected. The spirit he had been forcing himself to maintain throughout the journey was hard to sustain, leaving only despair. He said, "If I didn't bring any, does all the merit I previously earned count for nothing?"

Before the words were finished, the old gatekeeper's hand shook, and the silver scroll fell.

It landed face down in the dust.

"Oh my, I'm old, my hands shake, I can't hold it. I'm going to go lie down."

With that, the gate closed inward again.

With Yang Dong's agile skills, he could have caught it before it hit the ground, but his mind went blank, and he could not react. He watched helplessly as his name landed face-down on the ground.

The sound of the door closing, "Squeak—", reached his ears.

It was as if there was a "snap," and a string that had been taut for a long time suddenly broke.

He used both hands, one propping up the door leaf and the other reaching inside to grab the little old man by the neck and haul him out, shouting, "You old wretch! How dare you insult me!"

The little old man was lifted off his feet, yet he did not seem panicked, pointing at him and saying, "Grandson, let go at once!"

Veins bulged on Yang Dong's forehead, and he roared, "Go—go call that man surnamed Xue out! Let me see him, let me see if he is in on this with you lot! If he is also black-hearted, you won't need to drive me away; I will leave myself and never step foot in Heiyang County again. Hurry and call him out, let me give up this hope!"

The little old man glared at him and said, "Are you going to let go?"

Yang Dong said, "You old dog—"

Just then, a few "Woof, woof, woof" barks were heard, the gate suddenly swung wide open, and a pack of vicious dogs rushed out.

The dogs were black and yellow, all strong and fierce, coming like a tide, slamming into Yang Dong, knocking him over, and immediately surrounding him to bite.

Yang Dong let out a loud cry, rolling on the ground while covering his head, rolling to the side, barely managing to stand up, drawing one hand to strike with his knife, blasting the dogs away. He wanted to counterattack, but was nearly flanked by a dog behind him. Unable to take it anymore, he turned and ran. The pack of vicious dogs chased and bit him, surrounding him from front and back, chasing him so he couldn't even lift his head.

He ran and shouted all the way: "You surnamed Xue, consider me blind! You hypocrite are not even as good as a frank and open villain! Ah... I f***... I f*** your grandfather... I f*** your grandmother!"

The sound of barking and human shouting faded into the distance, only hearing Yang Dong's final cry: "I f*** your eight generations of ancestors!" until it was gradually no longer audible.

The old man patted the dust off his body, climbed up shakily, and said, "Little thief, I've seen plenty like you. Can't I deal with you?"

Only then did he see a donkey cart nearby, and someone was sitting on the donkey cart—a thin, frail youth; calling him a youth was a stretch, judging by his stature, he was practically a child.

Perhaps because he had never seen such a small child in front of his door, he looked the youth up and down with dim, blurry eyes.

Tang Zhao was also looking at the old man, and he discovered that this old man was truly aged. Aged to the point of being listless and at the end of his rope, aged to the point of making one forget his previous actions and feel compassion, aged to the point where his features were blurred.

He heard the old man say in a slurred voice, "Who are you? What is the meaning of this sniveling and crying here?"

Tang Zhao was stunned; he reached out and wiped his eyes. It turned out it wasn't an illusion; it was truly blurry. His own vision had blurred.

In the instant the vicious dog lunged, a feeling of extreme disappointment and extreme sadness had risen in his heart, and before he knew it, his eyes had grown sore.

But he absolutely had not been crying!

And what was this about sniveling and crying?!

He tilted his head back, a battle between heaven and man raging in his heart.

In the end, he took a letter and a palm-sized box from his bosom and said, "Student Tang Zhao, acting on the final orders of my late teacher, has come to visit Xue Daxia. I have a letter and a token from an old friend of the Great Hero; please pass them on to your superior."

He reached his hand toward his neck; since he had decided to put the final orders first, if the old man insisted on demanding a bribe, he would have no choice but to offer up the collar on his neck.

The old man took them, held the letter up to the sun to look at it, and then looked Tang Zhao up and down from head to toe. Surprisingly, he didn't say anything, only saying, "Wait." He shuffled back to the main gate step by step and closed the door behind him.