The Optimistic Heroes - Chapter 1 Part 1

(1)

       Gregarious Guo was just like his name, friendly and exceedingly generous. His friends called him “Big G,” and he was certainly “G”enerous, a little careless, perhaps even confused at times, but he always kept his cool.

       Dash was just lazy.

(2)

       Generous people are usually poor. Big G was exceptionally poor; poor beyond reason.

       He should not of been this poor.

       It could even be said that he used to be wealthy. If someone with money suddenly becomes poor, there are only two possible explanations: one, because he is stupid; two, because he is lazy.

       Big G was certainly not stupid, he knew how do a lot more than most people, and he knew how to do it better. Like riding, he was capable of taming the fastest, wildest of horses.

       Swordsmanship: with one thrust, he could pierce through a general’s armor, or shave willows blowing through the spring air.

       If you were his friend, and you ran into him on a good day, he might even jump into the Yellow River and catch a couple of carp with his bare hands. Jumping out of the water, he would grab two wild geese, just to cook up a delicious serving of fresh steamed fish and wild game cooked on an open fire. Such an exquisite feast was sure to leave you satisfied.

       His cooking skills would certainly be on par with any famous chef from the capital.

       He could sing “The Mighty River Flows East” by Shi Su, in heroic fashion. He could play Yong Liu’s “Willow Bank: The Lingering Moon and Morning Breeze” on a three string instrument, having you believe that he sang for a living.

       People were inclined to think that other than having kids, there wasn’t anything he  didn’t know how to do.

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       He wasn’t lazy. Instead of being lazy, he was always looking for something to do. In fact, he was rather accomplished. So how could someone like him be so poor?

       His first job was as an armed escort.

       He was just getting started back then. His parents had recently passed away, he sold what had to be sold and gave away what he could give away. He went out into the world, looking to be his own man.

       He obviously wasn’t a shrewd businessman, and definitely was not interested in being one. His parent’s land was worth 320 silver taels per acre, but he sold it for only 170 silver taels per acre. After helping out his poor friends and relatives, he really didn’t have much left for himself.

       He did however have enough to buy himself a fine horse, forge himself an impressive sword, have a few outfits tailor made, stay in the best inns, and eat at the best restaurants.

       It was spring then, and a good year always starts in spring. Spring is a good time for many things, and is also when the armed escort business is booming.

       Good business for armed escorts, coincidently means good business for bandits as well.

       The head of the armed escorts for The Central Guards was a man name Mr. Luo. He wasn’t old, but the world of martial arts had a long history, and Mr. Luo understood this well. He was always extremely careful when he was on the road. Not to mention, this was spring, and the cargo was a sizable load.

      But in this line of business, merely being careful would never be enough. You needed to know kung fu and be lucky.

       Mr. Luo knew kung fu well, but this time he was out of luck. He just had to come across the Ou’Yang Brothers, a notorious river bandit.

       The Ou’Yang Brothers wasn’t two brothers. It also wasn’t a group of three or four brothers… …

       The Ou’Yang Brothers was one person.

       He was just called the Ou’Yang Brothers.

       Although he was just one person, it would have been harder to beat forty other people in a fight. He used a dagger in his left hand, and a long knife in his right hand, while simultaneously being able to launch seven or eight different kind of concealed throwing weapons. Most people couldn’t even tell from what hole his throwing weapons came from.

       Mr. Luo also had no idea. He just finished dodging three crossbow bolts, and a hidden sleeve arrow, when all of a sudden the Ou’Yang Brothers shot out a pair of frost needles with a turn of his knife.

       Deadly needles shot from a location that if your life depended on guessing where they were fired from, well, you would be dead.

       Mr. Luo took two needles in the left shoulder. It wasn’t a fatal wound, but all he could do was wait for the Ou’Yang Brothers to finish him off.

       Even if the Ou’Yang Brothers didn’t want to take his life, if he lost this cargo, his remaining options were: hanging himself, jumping into the river, or slitting his throat.

       At that very moment, a rider came galloping up. A fast horse, but the rider was even faster, dismounting mid stride. The Ou’Yang Brothers caught a glimpse of the rider mid air, but before he could react, the rider’s sword had found his arteries.

       This savior, falling from the sky, was of course Gregarious Guo.

       Mr. Luo was not only extremely grateful, he was impressed. And by impressed, he was really impressed. After safely delivering the cargo, he insisted that Big G go back with him.

       Big G obviously went, because he didn’t have anything to do anyway.

       Even if he did have something important to do, he would still go.

       This was his first fight, and all of a sudden he felt that his kung fu was pretty amazing, and that he was great at networking as well.

       Mr. Luo thought it was kind of strange, asking: “Bro, with your skills, why aren’t you in the armed escort business?”

       Big G didn’t even ask: “Why should people with good kung fu join the armed escort business?”

      All he knew was it seemed pretty interesting, pretty prestigious. On top of all that, Mr. Luo invited him to be the second in command of The Central Guards. Second in command for his first job, that was pretty impressive, pretty extraordinary.