Carrying Five Hundred Jin and Walking Seven Hundred Li
Carrying five hundred jin and walking seven hundred li—Jia Xu's calculations were pretty much spot on. After all, I just happened to be relaxing at home at that exact moment!
"Who's here to see me?"
"That... a merchant calling himself Hu Che'er has come to the main gate, saying he wishes to demonstrate his skills to you, master..."
One of the slaves belonging to the Yuan family heard the commotion at the front gate, received an urgent report from the guard, and quickly came to find me. Upon hearing the report, I didn't show any displeasure. Instead, my eyes lit up with interest.
"He introduced himself as Hu Che'er?"
"Ah, yes. Do you know him, perhaps...?"
"Not exactly. The name's just unusual, that's all. So what kind of guy was he?"
"His speech was a bit clumsy... but his build was massive as a mountain and his voice boomed like thunder. He definitely looked incredibly strong. Of course, compared to you, master, or your close 'siblings' who transcend human limits, he's not even worth mentioning."
By the way, those so-called siblings were the three human weapons I treated like younger brothers. The servant managed to mix in plenty of flattery toward me and my closest associates while giving his report. Clearly a veteran with years of experience.
"Hmm..."
I stroked my chin as I listened, a spark of curiosity flashing in my eyes.
Interesting. Hu Che'er, huh? It's probably the one I know. After all, it's not like there would be two enormous men with that exact same name running around.
His voice really had been loud enough for even me to hear it from inside. And if this was the famous Hu Che'er from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there could only be one such person in the entire world.
The warrior who had served under Dong Zhuo before going independent, attempted to surrender to Cao Cao, then killed Cao Cao's son along with the legendary Dian Wei—Cao Cao's unrivaled champion—and even slew his relative Cao Anmin before eventually surrendering anyway. The greatest martial talent under the warlord Zhang Xiu. That was Hu Che'er.
No matter how many weird names existed in this era, how many people could possibly be called Hu Che'er? In a world full of names like Gao Gan, Xi Zhen, premature ejaculation jokes, and all the rest, Hu Che'er still stood out as particularly unique. Not that many records of him remained, of course.
But what could you do? In the end, only the victors who burned brightly through this turbulent age and survived got to have their stories written down. Still, leaving behind a name and a few lines in the history books counted as a moderately successful life. Not a complete success, but close enough.
What was that story again... Oh right. The guy famous for carrying five hundred jin and walking seven hundred li.
Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade was said to weigh eighty-two jin—roughly twenty kilograms. Carrying something far heavier than that for seven hundred li was no small feat. His strength and stamina had to be absolutely monstrous. Wasn't that exactly why Cao Cao had coveted his martial talent?
Though in the end, the only thing that introduction got him was the job of disguising himself to steal Dian Wei's twin iron halberds while the man was drunk. Come to think of it, managing to steal a warrior's beloved weapon from someone like Dian Wei through stealth and disguise showed he was far more versatile than people gave him credit for. Being regarded as the top general in Zhang Xiu's primarily cavalry-based force also suggested he was skilled at both horsemanship and commanding troops.
Now that I think about it, he might be more of an all-rounder than I expected...
Immense strength and stamina, talent for stealth and assassination, good with horses and leadership. Yeah, this guy was basically a Swiss Army knife in human form.
While I remained silent, pondering all this, the servant seemed to misinterpret my quiet as displeasure.
"Um... If he has offended you, shall I summon the others to discipline him harshly? Or simply send him away..."
"No need. His voice was loud enough that even I heard it. A guy like that deserves at least a look at his face. Besides, you don't need to go back out there."
"Pardon...? What do you mean by that...?"
"A hot-tempered fellow has already gone out to meet him! Hahaha! As expected, that one will never become a proper noble!"
The hot-tempered fellow in question was, of course, Xiang Yu. The moment she heard that booming voice, she had charged out like a cannonball.
Meanwhile the servant was still wondering what I meant by "noble" when I gave my next order.
"Clear the training ground! We'll have use for it soon!"
Unable to finish his thoughts, the servant hurried off to obey.
Still, I'm pretty lucky. I invited Ma Teng and got Pang De and Yan Xing as bonuses. Now Hu Che'er comes looking for me on his own!
In the future, Ma Chao and Ma Dai would grow up into fine talents as well. I chuckled to myself and began walking toward the gate where I could sense the commotion—right where Xiang Yu had rushed off to.
Sure enough, by the time I reached the entrance, things had already escalated.
"This bastard's softer than he looks for his size! I thought since he was causing a ruckus in front of my brother's house he must actually be strong!"
"...Kugh! Kuuuugh...!!"
And so began my first meeting with the somewhat famous Hu Che'er. Despite his grand entrance with that thunderous voice, the scene before me wasn't exactly impressive.
His build alone made him look nearly twice the size of an average adult male. Well, not literally twice, but he was massive enough that it felt that way at first glance. Those huge, rugged muscles covering his entire body proved his size wasn't just for show, creating an intimidating presence simply by standing there.
It was certainly an impressive physique, but...
That size meant nothing in front of a real monster. He was being held up in one hand by Xiang Yu—who was much smaller than him—unable to do anything but turn red in the face and groan helplessly.
Xiang Yu had a firm grip on his waist as she lifted him, laughing heartily while teasing the giant. Hu Che'er was desperately trying to pry her hand away with both of his, but it didn't seem to be working at all.
What... the hell... is this... strength...!!
Hu Che'er, who had never lost to anyone in pure physical power before, was inwardly shocked beyond words.
The same went for Jia Xu, the person who had sent him here. She had come personally to observe from a distance to confirm her suspicions, and even she couldn't hide her astonishment.
What...! She's toying with that Hu Che'er using only one hand?!
Hu Che'er was a mixed-blood strongman from Xiliang. His incredible strength had allowed him to make a living as a specialized hunter of wild beasts or as a mercenary guarding merchants. He had a decent reputation in the area. Jia Xu hadn't simply heard rumors—she had witnessed his power firsthand.
It had been by chance. A famous man-eating bear had once descended upon the village. Hu Che'er, who happened to be there selling pelts, charged straight at it. He wrestled the beast, slammed it to the ground, then lifted a nearby boulder and crushed the bear to death. After that he casually sold its gallbladder, pelt, and meat. Seeing this, Jia Xu had decided the man would succeed wherever he went. After building some familiarity, she had coaxed him with the promise of advancement when the opportunity arose.
Ah, the world is truly vast! No matter how wide the heavens, I thought there couldn't be many strongmen comparable to Hu Che'er...!
Yet here that same powerful man was, groaning helplessly in just one hand. Jia Xu once again realized how broad the world truly was.
Just as she wondered if the whole plan would fall apart...
"Hey, put him down already."
"Haha, Brother! You're a little late!"
Finally, the person Jia Xu had been waiting for appeared. I stepped forward and took control of the situation.
"Kugh!"
The woman who had been playing with Hu Che'er like a toy—Xiang Yu—brightened the moment she saw me and dropped him. The giant landed on the ground with a heavy thud.
"I'm Yuan Shu, Colonel of the Army. You wanted to show me some skills?"
"Y-yes... But. After ending up like this... it doesn't seem to mean much anymore..."
Hu Che'er's face was flushed red as he panted heavily.
"Hahaha! Don't be too heartbroken about losing to this monster! She's a rare powerhouse that even I acknowledge as strong. If it weren't for me and the other two, she would have made a name for herself as the greatest martial artist under heaven!"
"Hmph! If it weren't for Brother and those guys, what do you mean greatest under heaven? She would have been revered as the Martial God of all ages!"
"You and the title of Martial God? Hehehe... If it weren't for someone like me, who would put up with that temper of yours? It's a blessing if people don't call you a demon instead."
"Heng! Without me, Brother would still be a bloodthirsty rascal who can't control his impulses!"
"What's wrong with being a rascal? I like that about myself!"
After laughing and bantering with Xiang Yu for a moment, I helped Hu Che'er to his feet.
"Your size and physique are certainly impressive... Let's see what skills you've got! Show me if you're a talent worthy of my attention!"
"...Ahem. Very well! I! Hu! Che'er! Will now show you my true ability!"
Fired up, Hu Che'er followed me to the training ground.
Now all that's left is to hear the results.
Since she couldn't enter the building with us, Jia Xu withdrew. Meanwhile, Hu Che'er ended up arm-wrestling me so I could test the limits of his strength.
By the way, arm-wrestling existed in this era too.
With our hands planted on the small stone table the servant had dragged over while grunting with effort, we competed purely on raw power, and...
"Graaaagh...!"
Crash!
My overwhelming strength sent Hu Che'er flying despite his massive size. The stone table split clean in half from the force.
"Th-that's impossible...!"
"Still, you live up to your size! You pass, Hu Che'er!"
Even though the match had ended in an instant and Hu Che'er had been utterly crushed, I knew just how exceptional my own strength was. Having already recruited people like Ji Ling, I could immediately tell that Hu Che'er was no ordinary man.
And so, despite suffering a defeat that left his pride badly bruised, Hu Che'er succeeded in gaining employment under me. His self-respect had taken quite the hit, but he had grabbed onto a solid rope and could now aim for real success. All in all, it seemed like a fair exchange.