A Happy Hero
aka: Huan Le Ying Xiong [欢乐英雄], Fun Lok Ying Hung [歡樂英雄], Pendekar Riang.
This novel was written in 1971.
Guo DaLu's character matched his name, he truly was a very DaLu person. "DaLu" meant "very straightforward, carefree, even a little dense". No matter what the situation, he would not put it to heart.
And yet Wang Dong never moved. [*Dong means motion.]
* * *
Straightforward people were usually poor. Guo DaLu was especially poor, ridiculously poor.
He actually shouldn't have been so poor.
Initially, it could have been said that he was a man with a lot of money. When a wealthy person suddenly becomes poor, there could only be two reasons: One, he was stupid. Or two, he was lazy.
Guo DaLu was not stupid. He could do a lot more than most people, and do better as well. For example, when it came to riding horses, he could ride the fastest and the wildest horse.
When it came to swords, he could pierce through armour as easily as a willow catkin floating with the spring breeze.
If you were his friend, and met him when his mood was especially good, he might jump into the river and catch some carps with his bare hands. He might also catch some wild geese. Then, he might make a dish of steamed fish or roasted fowl for you to munch on. His cooking guaranteed your satisfaction, for his skills were not below that of any of the famous chefs from the capital.
He played the pipa so well that one would think that he had been performing since birth.
Some people believe that other than giving birth, he could do anything.
He was also not lazy. He was even constantly searching for something to do. And the things he had done were not few. So how could a person like him become poor?
The first thing he tried his hand at was escorting goods.
When he made his debut, his parents had just died, and he had either sold or given away the family's dwelling and property. He wanted to rely on his own talent, and enter the martial arts world.
Of course, he wasn't a very good businessman, nor was he ever interested in being a good businessman, so he made only 170 liang from selling land that should have been worth 300 liang. And after adding up all the things that he had given away to poor relatives and friends, he wasn't left with much.
But there was still enough for him to purchase a good horse, forge a fast sword, rest at the best inns, and eat at the best restaurants.
Back then, it was Spring. Spring was a season when business for escort agencies were at its best.
When business peaked for the escort agencies, it was also the time when business peaked for the robbers.
ZhongYuan Escort Agency's boss was Luo ZhenYi. Although he wasn't old, his worldly experience was. He understood how things worked, of course, so he was especially careful on the road. It was Spring and the goods he was protecting were not unimportant.
However, being careful as an escort was not enough. The escort had to be strong in martial arts as well, and his luck had to be good.
Luo ZhenYi's martial arts skills were not weak, but this time his luck was not good. He had an unexpected encounter with the most troublesome criminal in the Two Rivers, the OuYang Brothers.
The OuYang Brothers were not two people, nor were they three, or four ... OuYang Brothers was just one man.