The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 105 Bravely Venture into the Valley of Heartbreak

Zhou Yan watched Gongsun Zhi and his group retreat into the night, his face thoughtful.

When they first met the Valley Master of Heartbreak Valley, he was holding a long sword. Now, he holds a thick-backed, wide-bladed serrated knife in his left hand and a thin, long black sword in his right.

It seems that the opponent has at least mastered the "Yin-Yang Reversal Blade Technique," and is now quite different from before. It's just unknown whether he has mastered the "Acupoint Closure Technique."

With a soft cry, the eagle snapped Zhou Yan back to reality and said, "A friend of mine was injured, so I came here specifically to get snake gall for treatment. I was thinking of visiting Brother Eagle when I had some free time, but I never expected to encounter this situation. Is this Brother Eagle's first time fighting with these people?"

The sculpted head is slightly pointed.

Zhou Yan pondered that if he left, Gongsun Zhi, whose cultivation had improved, would most likely cause trouble for the Divine Eagle again. The eagle was incredibly powerful, but it was difficult to guard against a petty person, especially with the fishing net formation, which was practically its nemesis; once entangled, it was hard to escape. The Divine Eagle had only appeared because it had helped him repel the enemy, which was why Gongsun Zhi had seen it. This matter had started because of him, and he should handle it properly.

"Brother Eagle, I'm busy right now, but I'll come to visit you again when I have time."

The "screech" of the eagle can be considered a response.

He bowed and took his leave, then stretched out and headed straight for the woods where Huang Rong and the others were camping.

As night fell, Zhou Yan appeared at the campsite.

Huang Rong asked, "What's going on?"

"On a journey to Jingzhou before the New Year, I encountered a strange eagle that was quite intelligent and helped me repel an enemy. However, the eagle had encountered an enemy, but the enemy had already retreated."

"There is such a mighty eagle." Huang Rong was surprised. She was about to ask why the divine eagle was nowhere to be seen, but then she thought that since Zhou Yan said it was spiritual and the divine eagle was nowhere to be seen, it probably was not a living person.

"But what if we leave, and they then go after the Divine Eagle?"

"I will handle this."

"If you join forces with her, can you eliminate future troubles?"

"There is no guarantee of victory."

"Then I'll invite a master next time." Huang Rong thought to herself that she should tell her father about this when she saw him, so that he could help her and repay the favor.

Zhou Yan didn't linger with Huang Rong and Mei Chaofeng. He had them take snake gall to help them heal their injuries, and then he returned to the Tangzishou.

"Xiao Wu hasn't come back?"

The porter set up the firewood and waited for Liang Xiaowu to return with water to make snake soup.

"not yet."

Zhou Yan's heart skipped a beat. If it were still early, it might be possible to find some wild vegetables and mushrooms on the way to fetch water, which would take up time. But now that dusk was falling, Liang Xiaowu, with his meticulousness, would definitely not do that.

Zhou Yan was a little uneasy, wondering if he would encounter Gongsun Zhi and his group.

With that thought in mind, he instructed his men not to start a fire in a hurry, and took his iron spear straight to the stream where Liang Xiaowu usually fetched water.

……

The stream murmurs, and the rocks are jagged and scattered.

Zhou Yan appeared at the edge of the valley. He walked along the stream and searched repeatedly, but could not find Xiao Wu or the medicine boy.

Something has happened.

Zhou Yan didn't entertain the idea that he and Liang Xiaowu might have taken the wrong path at night, nor did he consider the possibility of them being attacked by wild animals. Liang Xiaowu's cultivation was considerable, and he also possessed a communication flame. Even if they encountered tigers, leopards, wolves, or jackals, at least a fierce fight would buy the medicine boy time to send out a smoke signal.

There is only one possibility: they happened to run into Gongsun Zhi and his group who were retreating from the valley.

Zhou Yan knew the approximate location of the Valley of Heartbreak. He used the stars to determine the location and expanded his search area northward.

……

The dew is like pearls and the moon is like a bow. The temperature drops at night, and crystal dewdrops hang on the tips of the grass. Some water droplets roll down and land on the lime on the ground, where they condense into white, hard objects the size of fingernails.

With a "whoosh," the black figure leaped past the bright moonlight. Suddenly, Zhou Yan's figure solidified. He turned around and walked back, crouching on the ground. The moon, with a missing piece, hung in the azure sky, offering excellent visibility. What entered Zhou Yan's eyes was a small clump of lime powder, some of which had solidified after being covered by dew, and could not be blown away by the wind.

"call!"

After his escort flag was stolen in Xiangyang and he received a detailed warning from Liang Xiaowu, he never let lime leave his side.

The bad thing is that Xiao Wu and the medicine boy were indeed captured by Gongsun Zhi and his gang.

Fortunately, the clever scouts left clues on the ground with lime.

Zhou Yan turned around, his figure creating a rapid whooshing sound as he rushed towards the camp.

……

"Swinging vines"

Zhou Yan

"The head镖师 (镖师 is a kind of bodyguard/escort) is back." After Zhou Yan left, the three镖师 (镖师 are a kind of bodyguard/escort) became alert, each holding iron caltrops and bone-piercing nails, and they lay in ambush in the shadows. Zhou Yan came through the forest, and after exchanging coded messages, the镖师 emerged from behind the trees and surrounded him.

"Shuaiman" means asking for a name. When the caravan camps at night, the guards on night watch will call out to ask if they notice any movement. If the person is unclear, they will use hidden weapons or fire to send a message.

The porters saw Zhou Yan return alone, their expressions grave, but none of them asked any questions.

"Get ready, lead the horses and hurry on our way to rescue Xiao Wu."

When Zhou Yan arrived at Mei Chaofeng and Huang Rong's side, he said, "Xiao Wu and the medicine boy have been kidnapped. The other party is the same group I fought against before. Xiao Wu left a clue with lime."

Huang Rong had already overheard Zhou Yan's conversation with the porter.

“I can ride a horse.”

"No, you take the car."

"Thank you."

Mei Chaofeng had no objection. Huang Rong was gradually recovering and she owed her a huge favor. She had helped her when she was in Xinye, so why not now?

Without wasting any time, Tangzi got a carriage, and the group left the forest and headed north.

……

Zhongdu, Fu'an Escort Agency.

The sound of hooves thundered, and in the blink of an eye, the man and his three horses closed the distance and arrived at the gate of the Fu'an Escort Agency.

The guards noticed that the other party was dressed in escort uniforms, and was traveling alone on three horses. This was a messenger on a mission that was extremely urgent and required a daily journey of eight hundred miles.

The man landed unsteadily and staggered a step. The porter quickly steadied him and said, "I am a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) from Zhenwei镖局 (escort agency) in Kaifeng Prefecture. I am here to deliver a message for镖师 Zhou Yan."

The two escorts felt a sudden jolt of fear, wondering if something had happened to Chief Escort Zhou while he was carrying his personal convoy.

"Please have a seat in the guest room, Master. I will report to my chief镖头 (chief镖师, a high-ranking镖师 in charge of security escorts) immediately."
"Thank you!"

One of the escorts led the Zhenwei Escort Agency's bodyguards to the guest room, while another rushed towards the council hall.

Upon arriving at the guest room, the bodyguard drank a cup of tea to quench his thirst, and Zhang Wangyue's tall figure swayed from under the eaves and entered the room.

The porter hurriedly said, "This is my Chief Escort Zhang."

The bodyguard stood up, bowed respectfully, and took out a letter dart coated with sealing wax from his robes.

"Please take a look, Chief Escort Zhang."

"Thank you."

Zhang Wangyue opened the letter, took out the bamboo paper, and learned from the words that Zhou Yan had traveled to Kaifeng, Xinye, and Nanyang because the Yellow River in Jinan Prefecture was blocked and there was war and chaos. He also learned that Zhou Yan had encountered the Zhenwei Escort Agency being ambushed by the remnants of the Great Qi in Xinye. Zhou Yan also mentioned the bandits in Jiangxi.

Zhang Wangyue let out a slight sigh.

Hu Yanlei, Wang Kui, Yang Tiexin, Mu Nianci and others were escorting goods through Jingzhou. Based on their pace, they should be on the Handan line, so they could be caught up.

He was a discerning man who could tell that the remnants of the Great Qi dynasty active in the Jingxiang and Xinye areas, as well as the bandits in Jiangxi, were after mules and horses. If the escort team was even slightly careless, trouble was bound to break out.

Zhang Wangyue instructed the porters to make sure the Zhenwei Escort Agency guards rested properly, and also asked them to invite the owner to the agency, while he himself would handle the mail shipments.

……

A stream flows like a ribbon, a peak rises halfway into the clouds. Ancient walls are painted in vermilion, new flowers display embroidered patterns.

Following the few traces of lime left by Liang Xiaowu, Zhou Yan searched for two days until he came into view a secluded valley and high cliffs.

The carriages and horses had already been left in the woods when they entered the valley.

Mei Chaofeng carried Huang Rong on her back, and Huang Rong pointed the way; the two worked together seamlessly.

There was a river in the valley, and Zhou Yan once again found a small amount of limestone by the river.

He gazed at the secluded valley, thinking that this must be the passage through which the Golden Wheel Monk, Nemo Xing, Yin Kexi, and others from the world of Condor Heroes entered the valley. Thinking this, he couldn't help but think of Yin Kexi, the Hu man currently working at the Changfeng Escort Agency branch in Zhongdu.

It's really unpredictable.

Mei Chaofeng arrived at the stream at this moment, and Huang Rong said, "The stream is winding. If you go forward from here, there must be another cave."

“That’s right. Xiao Wu also left lime marks by the stream, so the other party must have taken a boat into the depths of the valley. You all rest for now, and I will look around to see if there are any boats.”

"Alright!" Mei Chaofeng rested by a large rock by the stream, and Huang Rong took a snake gall and swallowed it.

Zhou Yan then searched for a boat along the stream.

(End of this chapter)