Du Heng frowned and looked around. This corridor was some distance away from the banquet venue and there was a garden next to it. Lu Chengfeng was able to find this place because he asked the two members of the Du family who came with him.
The head of the Wei family was a very busy man today, so he wouldn't have to wait so long even if he was just passing by. Du Heng remembered that after Lu Chengfeng mentioned Mr. Ji, they talked for a long time before leaving.
However, when Du Heng heard Wei Wuwei say that he knew Mr. Ji, he was slightly surprised.
In fact, when they just left Ning'an County, the nine of them were still in close contact. Of course, they all knew where Ji Yuan lived in Ning'an County and the jujube tree in the yard. Wei Wuwei's words should be true.
"Master Wei, when did you first meet Mr. Ji? After he left, Lu Chengfeng went back to look for him at the end of the year, but he said that the house was already empty by then."
"Hehe, this Lu Chengfeng is a good person. He found the problem himself before telling you!"
Wei Wuwei chuckled, looked in the direction of the corridor, and then sat down next to Du Heng.
"I, Wei Wuwei, naturally met you in Ning'an County. I went there to buy tiger skins, but later I caught some bandits and stayed in the county for a while. That's when I got to know you and received a lot of instruction from you!"
Du Heng was not from Desheng Prefecture, otherwise he would have thought of the sensational incident of the Thirteen Thieves of Yan and the execution of the mastermind behind it. That incident made Wei Wuwei famous and made people realize that the new head of the Wei family had been pretending not to know martial arts. Not only did he know martial arts, but he also had superb martial arts skills.
After that, Wei Wuwei's nickname "Smiling Tiger" spread among the martial arts world.
Wei Wuwei sat down next to Du Heng with a smile and looked him up and down.
"Did Mr. Ji really tell you that if you survive this disaster, your future will be limitless?"
"Well... when we were resting halfway down the mountain, the gentleman said this, but it was just to comfort me. Now Mr. Du is considered half a useless person..."
"Has Mr. Ji ever said this to other people, such as the unrivaled Lu Chengfeng?"
Wei Wuwei asked again, and Du Heng thought for a moment and said hesitantly:
"Maybe not."
“Tsk tsk tsk tsk…”
Wei Wuwei was smiling all the time, even though he didn't know how the Ninth Young Hero met Mr. Ji, whether it was after killing the tiger or before, and how he sent Mr. Ji to Ning'an County.
But from just a few words, Wei Wuwei could be sure that although the Ninth Young Hero had known Mr. Ji for a long time, he had no idea what kind of person Mr. Ji was.
The scene of the old turtle groaning on the bank of Chunmu River outside Chunhui Mansion was something Wei Wuwei would never forget.
"I don't think Lu Chengfeng is that great. On the contrary, it's you, Young Master Du, hehehe... since Mr. Lian has left such a message for you, don't underestimate yourself!"
Du Heng smiled helplessly.
"Thank you for your consolation, 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 people in my clan no longer have hope in me..."
"You've let it go? Hehe, I don't think so!"
Wei Wuwei was very aware of Du Heng's unwillingness just now. He hid aside and eavesdropped for quite some time.
"Moreover, do you think you have survived the 'calamity' that Mr. Ji mentioned?"
Du Heng's heart was slightly shaken. He looked at Wei Wuwei's face which always had a smile on it, and subconsciously reached out to touch the empty sleeve of his right arm.
Wei Wuwei quietly leaned close to Du Heng's ear and whispered:
"I have studied some ancient books on immortals. For a god like Mr. Ji, the so-called calamity is not just physical pain. Do you really think that you can get through it once the broken arm is healed? Hey, calamity, calamity, isn't it more like it now?"
When Du Heng faced the mysterious Wei Wuwei, he actually felt goosebumps for a moment.
Seeing this haggard-looking young man in a daze, Wei Wuwei did not disturb him for the time being. He waited until he showed some realization before continuing to speak.
"Okay, now you can tell me how you met Mr. Ji. Mr. Ji has been very kind to me, and I also want to know more about him."
Wei Wuwei put his hands in his sleeves, and with his chubby and smiling face, he didn't look like a gangster at all, but more like a country squire. However, this scene reminded Du Heng of the gangster's seldom-mentioned nickname, "Smiling Tiger".
"In fact, we are unworthy of the title of Ning'an County's so-called tiger-fighting heroes... If it weren't for Mr. Ji that time..."
Du Heng did not hesitate any longer and slowly told the story.
The young and energetic Jiu Shaoxia went to the mountain to kill a tiger. He met a strange man who warned him but he didn't take it seriously. As a result, he met a tiger monster and almost died...
The story was more complicated than Wei Wuwei had imagined. He had not expected that the white tiger skin was just something the tiger demon spit out and gave to the Ninth Young Hero. He also had not expected that the gentle and refined Mr. Ji would be sloppy sometimes. However, on second thought, it would not be surprising for a master to show up in any way.
Not to mention getting rid of the man-eating tiger, it was a great fortune for these nine people to be able to keep their lives.
After listening to the whole story until the nine young heroes left Ning'an County, Wei Wuwei was finally certain that these nine people did not know much about Ji Yuan, or to be more precise, they knew too little, much less than he, Wei, knew.
Even when Du Heng mentioned the agreement with the tiger demon, his emotions did not fluctuate much and his tone was calm. Based on Wei Wuwei's experience in dealing with people, these people might have thought that Mr. Ji had deliberately made up an excuse to deceive the tiger demon in order to save their lives.
"Since Lu Chengfeng has been to Ning'an County before the New Year, did he tell you the story of the jujube tree bearing fruit as a gift to the gentleman?"
Hearing Wei Wuwei ask this again, Du Heng frowned.
"What anecdote? I've never heard of it."
"Oh ha... maybe Young Master Lu didn't have the chance to hear it, so he didn't tell you hahaha..."
Wei Wuwei smiled and explained.
The noise outside was getting louder, I guess the banquet was about to start.
"Let's go, Young Master Du. My son's full moon banquet is about to begin. As a father, I cannot be absent. You can't be absent either. Don't get drunk here alone!"
Wei Wuwei patted his butt, stood up and walked ahead. His big belly seemed to be twisting as he walked. After just a few steps, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Du Heng who had just stood up.
"Young Master Du, I have to remind you of something. The agreement with the tiger monster is most likely to be fatal. You have forgotten about it in three years, but what about thirty years? You and I feel like we are old friends from the moment we met. Don't take it lightly because I just said something extra. Hehehe..."
After saying this, Wei Wuwei strode away. Except for the garden and the banquet hall, the whole garden was filled with voices of "congratulations", and he politely returned the greetings to everyone.
. . .
When Du Heng returned to the two members of the same clan, the banquet had already begun. The servants of the Wei family took turns serving the dishes. There were even three copper hot pots heated by charcoal fire prepared on each table to add some warmth to the banquet.
For Jizhou, this way of eating is very new. All the guests praised the hotpot. Du Heng even changed his previous decadence and didn't drink much wine. He just kept eating the meat with chopsticks in his left hand.
"What happened to Brother Heng today?"
"I don't know, but it's been a long time since I've seen Brother Heng have such a good appetite!"
"We should eat too, otherwise Brother Heng will eat it all!"
"Yes, yes, yes. We'll be delayed for so long on the way back that we won't be able to celebrate the New Year. We have to eat here!"
The two of them were considered to be close cousins of Du Heng, and after exchanging a few words, they quickly started eating.
After all, Du Heng was once a talented person that the Du family had high hopes for. Even though his wings were broken now, there were still some elders in the family who cared about him and had thought about letting him give up martial arts and take charge of some other family businesses. It was just that he was unwilling and a little decadent, which led to his being treated as an exception and unwelcome today.
But Wei Wuwei's words today could not be said to have inspired Du Heng, but they made him not want to be depressed anymore. Since he came to Desheng Mansion again and could not make it back home for the New Year, after eating this full moon banquet, he might as well go to Ning'an County again!