Ugly Hero - Chapter 2

After Xia Qinyi and her party left, several jianghu wanderers sitting in the corner also rose at the same time as if by tacit agreement. When they reached the entrance, they ran into one another.

The few of them exchanged glances and immediately understood that the others had the same goal as themselves.

The Phoenix Blood Saber!

In their eyes, Xia Qinyi was still young. Although she was the next manor master of Huaxia Manor, she did not have any famous reputation in the jianghu. Even if she had the Phoenix Blood Saber in hand, she was not worth fearing.

As for those two rows of household servants, they could tell at a glance that although they looked strong and capable, they only had a bit of superficial martial skill.

As for that black-clothed man…

Now that the Phoenix Blood Saber had appeared in the world, there was no reason not to take the risk.

The few of them quickly reached a tacit agreement and left Pear Blossom Autumn Water Tower together.

Huaxia Manor was not far from Pear Blossom Autumn Water Tower. After leaving Fanli City, one only needed to walk a few li along the mountain road to reach it. This stretch of road was precisely their opportunity.

Usually, whenever Xia Qinyi came out to play, she would always stroll through the small shops in the city, buy some little trinkets, and then return.

But this time, Xia Qinyi walked at the very front in a huff. Soon, she had already left the city gate, and the group arrived at a mountain road with few pedestrians.

After walking about fifty steps, the black-clothed man holding the Phoenix Blood Saber paused. He gestured for the household servants behind him to keep up, while he turned around and separated from the group.

He glanced toward the hiding place of those jianghu wanderers, then came before an ancient tree with lush branches and leaves. With one hand, he secured the Phoenix Blood Saber in his arms. With the other, he lightly struck the tree trunk with his palm. Then he quickly left the spot, caught up with the group, and continued closely following behind Xia Qinyi.

Out of curiosity, the jianghu wanderers revealed themselves and came before the ancient tree. Just as they were about to mock the people of Huaxia Manor for putting on a false show of strength, the ancient tree suddenly gave a crisp “crack.” In the place where the black-clothed man had just struck it, a palm print had suddenly split open.

Everyone’s expressions changed drastically. Looking at that man, he was still young, yet he possessed such deep inner strength. No wonder Huaxia Manor only sent him alone to protect the saber!

In the brief moment those jianghu wanderers were held back by fear of the black-clothed man’s profound skill, Xia Qinyi and her party had already gone far. This road led straight to Huaxia Manor, and the farther they went, the greater the danger. With that short delay, they had already lost their chance to seize the Phoenix Blood Saber.

…

For a thousand li, ice sealed the land. For ten thousand li, snow drifted through the air. This place seemed like the end of heaven and earth. A mountain range called Tianshan, covered in snow and ice all year round, stood guard here. The Tianshan Mountains stretched endlessly, like a boundless wall of heaven lying across the very edge of the world. No one knew what lay behind the mountains.

Legend had it that a hundred years ago, the Eccentric Hero Jun Moxiao appeared out of nowhere. He swept through the jianghu unhindered and rarely met an opponent. In the end, it was at the summit of Tianshan that he challenged the renowned elders of every sect in the jianghu, defeated all the heroes, and became a legend.

Afterward, Jun Moxiao lived in seclusion on Tianshan. Beneath the mountain, he set up a huge stone as a monument. With the strength of his fingers, he carved three fen deep into the stone and wrote: Tianshan Forbidden Land. Jun Moxiao lives in seclusion here.

According to legend, after Jun Moxiao defeated those renowned martial arts elders, he did not take their lives. Instead, he forced them to write blood oaths for all eternity, vowing that generation after generation, they would never step even half a pace into Tianshan, and that upon seeing Jun Moxiao, they would retreat and keep their distance.

Now, a hundred years had passed. The foot of Tianshan had become a pure land. The disturbances and clamor of the martial world had never reached this place.

Coarse hemp clothes, straw shoes, a wooden mask, a bulging bundle slung diagonally across the back, and in hand, a sword whose blade and hilt were covered in patches of rust.

This was none other than the Ugly Hero, whose fame had recently risen swiftly in the jianghu!

The Ugly Hero patted the enormous stone monument, which was several people tall, then walked lightly into the Tianshan Forbidden Land.

As the Ugly Hero moved forward, the path actually turned into a wondrous place. At the foot of Tianshan, which was frozen in ice all year round, there was unexpectedly an oasis!

Walking closer, the oasis turned out to contain a village. On the plaque at the village entrance were written three large characters: “Shiyin Village.” The plaque seemed to have been there for some years, and from the brushstrokes, the writing on it looked quite similar to the words on the stone monument.

The Ugly Hero stopped at the village entrance, gathered breath, leaped ten feet high, and landed on the thick branch of a large tree at the head of the village!

Only the sound of fabric fluttering in the wind could be heard. This Ugly Hero did not take the village road at all. Using only tree branches and roof tiles as footholds, the Ugly Hero lightly tapped each step. Not only were the roof tiles left perfectly intact, they only gave off the faintest of sounds. If one did not listen carefully, it would be very difficult to notice.

What excellent qinggong!

With a soft “tap,” the Ugly Hero gracefully landed on the ground, breath long, steady, and even.

This was a farmhouse courtyard. There were three tiled rooms, and above the main room in the middle hung a plaque that read “Medical Hut.”

The Ugly Hero walked familiarly into the eastern tiled room. A moment later, a young girl in the prime of youth came out from inside!

Although the girl wore an unremarkable coarse cloth ruqun, it could not conceal the grace of her entire bearing. Looking closely, she was truly:

Skin like fine mutton-fat jade, pearly teeth like polished white jade;
A lovely face with charm hidden in its smile, more delicate than flowers;
Brows like distant mountains brushed in dark ink,
Eyes bright and shining with every glance;
Tall and slender, graceful in form—
What heavenly maiden has descended to the mortal realm?

In the girl’s hand was a bulging bundle, precisely the pack the Ugly Hero had been carrying when entering the village!

Who would have thought that this Ugly Hero, who had roamed all the great wealthy families of the jianghu “robbing the rich to help the poor,” and whom everyone in both the martial world and among the common folk knew of, was actually a graceful and slender young girl!

Carrying the bundle, the Ugly Hero went into the main room, the Medical Hut. Before long, she came out with a wooden medicine chest on her back and the bundle in hand, then left the courtyard directly and headed west.

The Ugly Hero arrived before a courtyard enclosed by a sparse fence. “Grandma Sun, I’m back!”

As soon as her voice fell, a little girl of six or seven was the first to rush out of the house. When she saw the Ugly Hero, an excited look appeared on her face, and her steps became even quicker as she shouted, “Sister Lu, you’re back!”

The Ugly Hero revealed a gentle smile, pushed open the fence gate, and walked into the courtyard. “Little Bean Sprout, run more slowly,” she reminded her. At the same time, she had already crouched down and opened her arms in a welcoming gesture.

“Sister Lu!” The little girl plunged headfirst into the Ugly Hero’s embrace. The Ugly Hero also tightened her arms, straightened up, and held the little girl in her arms.

After that, an old woman leaning on a cane walked out of the house. Seeing the Ugly Hero, she revealed a kind smile. “Is Nanzhu back?”

“Grandma Sun, I’m back. This time, I found the medicinal ingredient that can restore Little Huzi’s sight!”

After Grandma Sun heard this, an excited look appeared on her face. “Little Huzi is inside. You were gone for so long this time. Little Huzi talked about you every day.”

Lu Nanzhu laughed. She was already extremely beautiful, and with this smile, she became even more soul-stirring.

Holding Little Bean Sprout, Lu Nanzhu followed Grandma Sun into the house. As she walked, she turned her head and asked the little girl, “Has Little Bean Sprout been good lately?”

Little Bean Sprout wrapped her arms around Lu Nanzhu’s neck and obediently said, “Very good.”

“Mm, good girl. Sister brought you a gift.”

The three of them entered the house, and the small room immediately seemed crowded. Sitting upright on the heated brick bed was a boy of eleven or twelve. The boy was very thin. His somewhat worn cotton jacket hung loosely on his body, looking a little ill-fitting.

His hair was tied into a topknot, and around his forehead was a circle of small braids made from his baby hair, wrapped all the way around.

A layer of bandages was wrapped over the boy’s eyes, and he could not see. But from the way his body leaned forward, one could tell his joy and anticipation.

“Little Huzi, Sister Lu is back!” Lu Nanzhu placed Little Bean Sprout on the bed. Little Bean Sprout immediately went to her brother’s side and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Brother, Sister Lu said she found the medicine to treat your eyes.”

After Little Huzi heard this, the corner of his mouth trembled. He hugged his younger sister tightly, and with his other hand, he reached out toward the empty space. “Sister Lu!”

Seeing Little Huzi like this, Lu Nanzhu felt uncomfortable in her heart. She put down the medicine chest and bundle, sat on the heated bed, and grasped Little Huzi’s helpless hand.

“Little Huzi, don’t be anxious. Sister will go prepare the medicine for you now.”

Grandma Sun watched the scene before her and raised a hand to wipe away the crystal tears seeping from her cloudy eyes.

“Hurry and thank your Sister Lu.”

Little Huzi smiled, revealing a small canine tooth. “Thank you, Sister Lu.”

Lu Nanzhu let go of Little Huzi’s hand. “Grandma Sun, I need to prepare medicine for Little Huzi. I’ll have to trouble you and Little Bean Sprout to wait in the side room for a while.”

“Yes, yes. Little Bean Sprout, come quickly.”

The grandmother and granddaughter walked out hand in hand. Sitting on the heated bed, Little Huzi, whose eyes were wrapped in bandages, also quieted down. He sat cross-legged, both hands gripping his knees. It was not hard to see how excited he was.

Lu Nanzhu withdrew her smile, opened the medicine chest, took out a medicine jar and pestle, and placed them on the table. Then she casually shook open the bundle. A gentle white light immediately spread throughout the room.

Unfortunately, Little Huzi could not see it. Otherwise, he would definitely have been so shocked that his mouth would not close!

An East Sea night pearl the size of a bowl. It was precisely because of this object that the Ugly Hero Lu Nanzhu had formed such a “deep” grudge with Xia Qinyi, the Young Miss of Huaxia Manor.

Lu Nanzhu tossed the night pearl into the medicine jar, raised the pestle, and smashed it down. The East Sea night pearl, as hard as stone, was crushed into small pieces in just a few blows under Lu Nanzhu’s hand, and was finally ground into powder.

Lu Nanzhu looked at the night pearl powder in the medicine jar, then took several medicinal herbs from the medicine chest and placed them inside, grinding them together.

After doing all this, she carefully spread the medicinal paste onto two pieces of white cloth. She untied the bandages over Little Huzi’s eyes, placed the cloth with the medicine pasted on it over his eyes, and then carefully wrapped the bandages back around Little Huzi.

Then she took silver needles from the medicine chest and, with practiced movements, inserted them into sixteen acupoints on Little Huzi’s head.

After fifteen minutes, Lu Nanzhu removed the silver needles and invited Grandma Sun and Little Bean Sprout back in. “Grandma Sun, remove the bandages over Little Huzi’s eyes after seven days, and his sight will be restored.”

After saying that, Lu Nanzhu pointed to the bundle. “Grandma Sun, inside are several sets of clothes prepared for Little Bean Sprout and Little Huzi. The weather will turn cold in a few days, so have the children change into them. There are also some rare snacks inside that I brought back from outside. Please try them. The salt and other things are also all inside.”

Lu Nanzhu thanked Grandma Sun for warmly urging her to stay, then carried the medicine chest on her back and returned alone to her own small courtyard. This time, she did not use qinggong again, but properly walked along the village road.