The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 417 Guo Jing vs. Yang Kang

Guo Jing's appearance was just so-so; he was by no means handsome. He had a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a simple and honest temperament, and his skin was tanned dark red. Especially at his age, his face still had a childish look, and at first glance, he looked like an innocent and clear-headed Mongolian boy.

But this kid just rode his horse down the mountain and charged into the army with lightning speed. He dodged and weaved, quickly captured Du Shi, and left without lingering. This series of actions was really cool.

His horsemanship was particularly impressive. He rode his little red horse through the ranks of soldiers with ease, like a fish playing with a lotus leaf, without any hindrance and without a single leaf sticking to him.

So many cavalrymen wielding weapons dared not be careless in the face of Guo Jing's charge, but before they could even strike, Guo Jing and his horse had already passed by. Such horsemanship was among the best even in Mongolia.

Seeing this, Wu Chengyu couldn't help but admire Guo Jing. With his lightness skill, he could also do this, and even faster and more smoothly. But if Wu Chengyu were to charge on horseback, he could at most ensure that he wouldn't fall off his horse, but he definitely couldn't do it with such ease.

Seeing this, Yang Kang, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but praise Guo Jing, even though he couldn't see Guo Jing's face clearly: "What excellent horsemanship and courage!"

Wu Chengyu glanced at Yang Kang. This kid had matured a lot. He would naturally admire Guo Jing's horsemanship, but Yang Kang clearly valued more Guo Jing's courage in charging into the midst of a large army, capturing the enemy alive, and riding away triumphantly.

Anyone can learn to ride, but courage cannot be trained. Some people, even with thousands of troops, are nothing but cowards. Guo Jing's actions just now truly exemplify the spirit of "Though there be thousands, I will go." How magnificent!

Wu Chengyu did not praise Guo Jing's courage because he already knew it was Guo Jing. This kind of thing was nothing to Guo Jing and did not deserve special praise. However, Yang Kang obviously recognized the most essential quality in Guo Jing at the first moment and appreciated each other.

The first meeting between these two young men was completely different from that in the original novel. The current Yang Kang was no longer the spoiled young prince who flirted with Mu Nianci on stage during the martial arts contest to choose a husband. He saw Guo Jing at his most heroic.

In the blink of an eye, Guo Jing, riding his little red horse and carrying Du Shi, galloped up the earthen hill. The officers behind him shouted to fire arrows, but Guo Jing lifted Du Shi up and held him behind him. Fearing to harm their young master, the soldiers dared not draw their bowstrings.

In the blink of an eye, Guo Jing rushed up the mountain and threw the magistrate in front of Temujin. Temujin was overjoyed, pointed his iron spear at the magistrate's chest, and shouted to Sangkun below the mountain: "Tell your men to retreat a hundred feet."

Sang Kun was a dissolute man. He had many children, but only one legitimate son, Du Shi. He only recognized this one son and always felt that he resembled his father. He usually doted on him. At this moment, he was both anxious and angry.

Left with no other choice, Sangkun had to follow orders and withdraw his troops. He then commanded his men to form a circle around the earthen mound with large carts, creating seven or eight layers of enclosures. This way, no matter how fast Temujin's steed was, it would be impossible for him to break through.

Sangkun sent three envoys up the mountain in succession to negotiate, ordering Temujin to release Dushi and then surrender in exchange for his life. Each time, Temujin cut off the ears of the envoys and sent them down the mountain.

After a long stalemate, the sun disappeared below the horizon of the grassland. Temujin, fearing that Sangkun would launch a surprise attack under cover of darkness, ordered everyone to be extremely vigilant.

Then came the scene where Jamukha, dressed in white, went up the mountain at night to persuade Temujin to surrender. After they poured out their hearts to each other, they refused to yield due to differences in their ideals, and finally severed their ties.

As Jamukha descended the mountain, dawn broke. Horns blared in Sangkun and Jamukha's ranks, followed by the clanging of weapons and the neighing of horses from the chariots, signaling the imminent launch of a dawn attack.

At this moment, a yellow flag emerged from Sangkun's ranks, carrying three men who rode together to the mountainside: Sangkun on the left, Jamukha on the right, and in the middle, none other than the sixth prince of the Jin Dynasty, Prince Zhao, Wanyan Honglie.

Regardless of what Wanyan Honglie said, Wu Chengyu, who was watching the battle from the side, suddenly had an idea and turned to say, "Wait a minute, your father and the others are launching a general offensive. He doesn't have any decent generals under his command, so his momentum is weakened for no reason. Go find your father and fight for him."

The Yang Family Spear technique you've mastered is perfectly suited for the battlefield, which is also the place where martial arts skills and mental fortitude are most honed. Treat this as your first battle in life.

However, if you encounter the young man who rode down the mountain to capture the enemy earlier, you may spar with him first, but do not harm him. This boy is destined to be with me.

Yang Kang's eyes flickered, he clasped his hands in obedience, and rode his horse toward Wanyan Honglie.

Wu Chengyu's actions were also a reminder of the original novel. It was during this attack that Wanyan Honglie brought the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River to storm the mountain. Their martial arts skills were so formidable that no one could stop them for a time. It was Guo Jing who stepped forward and desperately held them off.

This was also Guo Jing's first time fighting against a martial arts figure. After this battle, he not only gained experience and confidence, but also earned Temujin's appreciation.

However, this time, because Wu Chengyu was with them, the Four Devils of the Yellow River did not come to Mongolia at all. Wanyan Honglie really couldn't find anyone to lead the troops to charge into battle for a while, so he sent Yang Kang to fight. To be honest, it was the first time Guo Jing and Yang Kang had faced each other. If they didn't fight, Wu Chengyu would feel that something was missing.

However, when Yang Kang arrived at Wanyan Honglie's side, Wu Chengyu suddenly remembered the look in Yang Kang's eyes earlier, and thought that this kid probably wouldn't be so obedient.

Yang Kang wanted to charge into battle, but Wanyan Honglie was reluctant to let him go. However, he turned and pointed to Wu Chengyu on another hilltop, clearly indicating that it was his master's permission. Wanyan Honglie hesitated for a moment and finally agreed.

He ordered his men to find him a set of exquisite armor and a bright silver spear. He also summoned more than a dozen of his personal guards. Once Yang Kang was ready, he grabbed the silver spear and led his guards up the mountain. Arrows immediately rained down from the mountain, and the guards raised their soft shields to desperately block them for Yang Kang.

In just a few dozen breaths, Yang Kang and his men had reached the mountainside, almost within arm's reach of Temujin and his men. At this point, firing arrows was no longer effective, and Temujin's generals had no choice but to draw their swords and meet them head-on.

Yang Kang's martial arts skills were already extraordinary. His Quanzhen internal energy, which he had cultivated for many years, had been transformed into the Xiantian Gong. Every move he made was quite powerful. The Yang family spear was indeed suitable for battle. He thrust out several spears in succession, killing several people. No one could stop him.

In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of Ögedei. Ögedei raised his scimitar and slashed desperately, but Yang Kang used a move called "Dragon Turns Phoenix" to deflect the scimitar away. His next move was "Poison Dragon Emerges from Cave," aimed directly at Ögedei's throat.

Just as the future second Khan of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty was about to be killed by Yang Kang's spear, Yang Kang suddenly noticed a flash of white light in his peripheral vision on his right. A sword thrust from the side, aiming straight for Yang Kang's wrist—a move both ruthless and precise, clearly a martial arts technique. Yang Kang managed to dodge the attack by withdrawing his spear in time, taking three steps back. There, he saw a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes standing before him, sword in hand. Judging from his attire, this was the same Mongol youth who had just ridden down the mountain to capture the governor, earning Yang Kang's admiration.

For some reason, Yang Kang suddenly spoke in Chinese: "You are the man who came down the mountain to capture the governor just now. Your horsemanship is good and you are brave. I, the young prince, admire you very much. What is your name? Why don't you surrender to me and become my follower? It would be better than dying here with Temujin."

"My name is Guo Jing, and I will not surrender." Guo Jing's words were simple and sounded genuinely honest.

At this moment, although Yang Kang's personal guards were protected by soft shields, they had suffered heavy casualties under the sharp shooting of Jebe, Bo'erchu and others, while many of Sangkun's men took the opportunity to rush up.

Mu Huali held the knife to Du Shi's neck and shouted, "Anyone who dares to come up here will be stabbed!" This frightened the people, who stopped in their tracks.

Sangkun was very anxious and said to Wanyan Honglie, "Sixth Prince, call them down. Let's think of another way! Don't hurt my child."

Wanyan Honglie smiled and said, "Don't worry, it won't hurt you." He intended to have Temujin kill Dushi, so that the two Mongol tribes would become mortal enemies.

Thus, the scene unexpectedly turned into a duel between Guo Jing and Yang Kang, and no one else could intervene for the time being.

Guo Jing unleashed the "Yue Maiden Sword Technique" taught by Han Xiaoying, his swordplay light and agile, engaging Yang Kang's Yang Family Spear Technique. The Yang Family Spear Technique was a battlefield martial art, far less swift than the Yue Maiden Sword Technique, putting Guo Jing at a real disadvantage in a one-on-one duel.

However, Yang Kang practiced Wang Chongyang's version of the Innate Skill. After entering the basics, he had a foundation built up over many years with the Quanzhen Principles, which meant that his strength, speed, and reaction were all extraordinary.

Using the advantage of his spear, Yang Kang distanced himself from Guo Jing, then used the strength and power of his spear technique to overwhelm him with force. Every move he made concealed internal energy, which caused Guo Jing to encounter danger one after another.

Fortunately, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan possessed diverse martial arts skills and extensive knowledge. They had already analyzed the main techniques of various martial arts schools with Guo Jing and imparted their own experience to him. All they lacked was practical application.

Guo Jing was forced to retreat under Yang Kang's attacks. After parrying several more moves, a thought suddenly occurred to him: "My master often says that in combat, one should control the opponent rather than be controlled by them. Now, I am doing my best to defend myself. Am I not being controlled by the opponent?"

Seeing Yang Kang thrust his spear at him, he did not dodge. He bent his right foot into a forward bow, made a sword gesture with his left hand, and pushed his right arm and elbow horizontally towards the enemy. This was the "Ten Thousand Horizontal Grinding" move. This move was an offensive but defensive tactic that would result in mutual destruction.

Yang Kang could tell that Guo Jing was desperate and fighting for his life, and he didn't want to die with Guo Jing, so he quickly retreated.

Guo Jing seized the initiative and, having gained the upper hand, was unwilling to let go. His longsword swayed, flashing with a blue light, and the tip of the sword darted and slashed around his enemies, each move aimed at a vital point.

After being attacked in one round, Yang Kang became overwhelmed. He was still a boy and had no intention of fighting to the death, so he ended up in a mess.

But Yang Kang was no longer the same Yang Kang. He took several steps back, then suddenly held the gun in his left hand and swung his right hand sharply. A cold glint flew out from his sleeve and pointed straight at Guo Jing's throat.

After becoming Wu Chengyu's disciple, this guy didn't actually receive any real instruction. Apart from Wang Chongyang's version of the Innate Skill, which is so powerful that losing one's virginity would break one's skill, he only had the Yang Family Spear Technique, which he was supposed to know. In the original story, it wouldn't be long before Qiu Chuji remembered this disciple and taught him the skills.

But this guy wasn't satisfied with that. Seeing that Wu Chengyu was only talking about building a foundation and wouldn't teach him much martial arts, he actually pestered Peng Lianhu and learned a hidden arrow technique.

This arrow contained his innate internal energy. Guo Jing was caught off guard and only had time to block it with his longsword. With a clang, Guo Jing's hand holding the sword immediately went numb and the sword was knocked away.

Having cultivated the Innate Skill, Yang Kang's martial arts were far superior to Guo Jing's at this moment. Seeing Guo Jing's sword fall from his hand, how could he waste such a great opportunity? He rushed towards Guo Jing, brandishing his spear and launching a full-force attack.

He had originally intended to recruit Guo Jing, but since he couldn't, he remembered his master's words about being destined to be with Guo Jing. The last time Wu Chengyu said this, he took Yang Kang as his disciple. Given Yang Kang's character, how could he possibly let a second person become Wu Chengyu's disciple?

At this moment, Guo Jing was in imminent danger. He was unarmed and his martial arts were suppressed. He had no chance to fight back and was about to be killed by Yang Kang's spear.

At this moment, Wu Chengyu had also infiltrated the vicinity of the battlefield. He cursed inwardly, thinking that Yang Kang's eyes were indeed right. His words had backfired, and Yang Kang was actually going to kill Guo Jing.

Wu Chengyu was about to use the Canhe Finger to save Guo Jing, but suddenly stopped because he saw several old acquaintances.

Yang Kang's spearhead was only a foot away from Guo Jing when he heard several sounds of air being cut. He knew he was in trouble and quickly withdrew his spear, dodging and twirling it as he managed to deflect three hidden weapons aimed at him.

Once he stood still, he realized that there were seven figures behind Guo Jing. The three iron spikes that had been shot at him were actually poisoned. Yang Kang was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

The seven people opposite them were dressed like江湖人士 (jianghu figures), and each of them looked menacing and were no ordinary people.

Guo Jing was overjoyed to see the newcomer: "Master, Second Master... Seventh Master," he called out seven times in one breath, not minding the trouble.

(End of this chapter)