The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 11 The Ginseng Guest from Liaodong, the Red-bellied Treasure Serpent

The sun sets, and night falls.

Scattered lights extended out from the white walls and gray tiles. Dim lamplight flickered in the courtyard, where Zhou Yan sat on a stone bench, opening a thread-bound book in his hands.

He moved the lamp on the stone table closer to himself, his gaze falling on the characters that were drawn like a cone in sand.

After the dramatic scene at the security escort agency that afternoon, Zhang Wangyue handed over the book "Taizu Changquan" to Zhou Yan.

He was proficient in this set of boxing techniques and guessed that the techniques he had learned had been abridged. The boxing manual given by the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) just confirmed his deduction.

Beside the stone bench stood a lush, ancient tree. A gentle night breeze caressed the tree, causing it to sway softly as Zhou Yan read the text word by word.

"The fist strikes with the force of a reclining ox, advancing and retreating, extending and bending, combining floating and sinking, described as: 'Floating like clouds emerging from an axle, sinking like stones thrown into a river.' Offense primarily utilizes 'Clouds parting, mist lingering, and throwing,' 'Five Peaks,' and 'Six Elbows.' Defense excels in 'Swallowing the Post,' 'Circular Severing,' and 'Flicking Strike.' It employs both high-level blocking and low-level defense, seizing the center line and attacking from both sides. Every move is either offense or defense; every action is either a capture or a grappling move."

"All boxing techniques are ineffective without footwork. As the saying goes, 'Punching is easy, but footwork is difficult,' and 'Unsteady footwork leads to chaotic punches, and slow footwork leads to slow punches.' The foot should be planted firmly in the center, while maintaining balance to both sides. The footwork should primarily follow the willow-leaf stance. The rear foot should be tight, the front foot loose, and the stance should be neither too wide nor too narrow—this is the true essence, allowing for rapid advances and a stable stance."

"When the Qi is full, the strength is abundant. Use the mind to guide the Qi, use the Qi to command the form, and use the Qi to generate power. The movements should combine inhalation and exhalation. When inhaling, store the Qi in the Dantian (lower abdomen), making sure the Qi is full and ready to be released. When exhaling, make a sound..."

"If you only pursue physical strength and neglect internal conditioning, you will be putting the cart before the horse and achieving less with more effort. Only by working from the inside out can you have sufficient internal energy, a strong physique, agile movements, and solid power, thereby achieving unity of the inside and outside, where the mind moves the body and the energy flows continuously even when the form is broken."

"The method of circulating and replenishing Qi involves storing excess Qi in the eight extraordinary meridians when the twelve meridians are deficient. When the Qi and blood in the twelve meridians are insufficient, they are replenished by overflowing from the extraordinary meridians. As Qi accumulates, strength naturally accumulates; when Qi is abundant, strength naturally flows..."

"Wonderful!"

Zhou Yan was overjoyed and exclaimed that the Qi cultivation methods that had been omitted from the original owner's practice of "Taizu Changquan" had been completely restored.

The boxing manual given by Zhang Wangyue not only contained the way of internal energy cultivation, the method of guiding qi with intention, and stance training, but also diagrams of the human body's meridians and acupoints. This not only enabled Zhou Yan to elevate the "Taizu Changquan" to the level of combining hardness and softness as described by Hong Qigong in a very short period of time, but also assisted him in cultivating "Xiaoyao Quan" and "Yanqing Quan".

After the initial surprise, Zhou Yan became confused. According to popular belief, this set of boxing techniques first circulated in military camps and later spread to the common people. Could it be that Zhang Wangyue gave him the original military version of "Taizu Changquan"? But he was just a head镖师 (bodyguard) from Longmen镖局 (escort agency), so how could he have this set of boxing techniques?

Could he be from a military background, or perhaps a son of a military family who lives a life of seclusion in the city?

Suddenly, Zhou Yan had a flash of inspiration. Zhang Wangyue, Wangyue, Lin'an, Yue Family Army, could it be that Zhang Wangyue is a member of Yue Family Army?

As he thought about it, he became increasingly convinced that it was possible.

Yue Fei was wrongly accused, and the Yue Family Army disbanded. Many of its members were descendants of Yue Family Army soldiers who ended up in civilian life. If Zhang Wangyue were a descendant of Yue Family Army soldiers, it would make sense.

He let out a soft breath, recalling what Hu Yanlei had said about Zhang Biaotou once delivering a personal smuggling shipment.

“If Zhang Wangyue is a descendant of the Yue Family Army, then the swaddled baby girl who was sent to an unknown place must be of noble or wealthy origin,” Zhou Yan asserted, though all of this had nothing to do with him.

Once his mind returned to normal, he began to immerse himself in the new world of "Taizu Changquan" like a madman.

……

The night is cool as water, winding around the balustrade.

The sound of the clapper at midnight echoed through the long street, and a faint mist floated in the air.

Zhou Yan got up and went into the courtyard. He stretched out his body and practiced "Taizu Changquan" again. When he punched, his footwork coordinated with his body shape, breathing and exertion. The grandeur, strength and softness and the continuity of the fist technique were about to be revealed.

Suddenly, his fist stance sank and then rose again like a soaring dragon. As he threw the punch, he guided his energy with his mind, and his power reached its peak. With a whoosh, he threw out a punch, a move called "Charging into the Enemy's Formation and Slaying the General," which was both elegant and powerful. The force was both hard and soft, and soft yet hard. He had begun to understand the true meaning of this set of boxing techniques.

……

The tower leans against the frosty trees, the sky as clear as a mirror. The Southern Mountain and the autumn colors, their grandeur is equally majestic.

As dawn broke, the sound of hooves shattered the distant mountains and fields of Daxing Prefecture, and the falling morning light outlined Zhou Yan's robust figure and the vigorous posture of the green horse beneath him.

He practiced his boxing all night, and thanks to the Jade Guanyin's effect of relieving fatigue and relaxing his muscles, he was full of energy.

Having mastered archery, he had no need to buy poultry at the market to nourish his blood and qi. He got up early, went to the escort agency to fetch his green horse, and rode to this hunting ground in the Yanshan Mountains.

As the sun rose, it was the time when wild animals were most active. Letting his horse graze freely, Zhou Yan tucked a dagger into his leggings, took his bow, and entered the forest.

With a swift and decisive bowstring twang, he had captured four pheasants and two rabbits in less than half an hour.

Having finally completed a hunting trip, Zhou Yan was unwilling to return after a mere skirmish, so he continued his search.

As the beast emerged, the forest stirred. As Zhou Yan moved forward, he saw the leaves ahead swaying, and he was secretly delighted, thinking, "Could it be a wild boar scratching itself?"

He approached silently, like a raccoon walking through the forest.

Dozens of meters later, in the dense forest, a wild boar that could be described as enormous suddenly appeared in sight.

"Goodness, that's enough for all the bodyguards I know at the escort agency to have a good meal."

The wild boar in front of Zhou Yan weighed at least 300 jin (150 catties).

The wild boar and the man spotted each other at the same time. The wild boar, its bristles bristling like steel needles, let out a howl, turned its head, and disappeared into the bushes. Zhou Yan moved swiftly among the trees, nocked an arrow, and drew his bow. The iron bow was as bright as a full moon, and in the dim light, a wild aura emanated from it.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

Like shooting stars, two long arrows, one after the other, pushed through the air and whistled as they pierced the wild boar's legs and neck.

Amidst the mournful howls of the wild boar, it charged wildly and fled in a panic.

Zhou Yan followed the trail of blood calmly and patiently.

……

The Yanshan Mountains extend east to Shanhaiguan and north to the Bashang Plateau.

Dozens of people meandered along the mountain path extending from the direction of Shanhaiguan.

The group consisted of many people, young and old, most of whom carried huge bamboo baskets on their backs and had weathered faces, resembling medicine merchants and ginseng traders.

The wind rustled through the forest, and voices rose.

"Senior Brother, what kind of treatment do you think Master will receive if he applies for a job at the Prince Zhao's residence?"

"With Master's supernatural powers, he is naturally a superior person."

"I wonder what the Prince's mansion looks like?"

The eldest brother said, "The hall is made of white jade and the horses are made of gold. Let me tell you, when the time comes, don't look around or touch anything, lest you be looked down upon. Especially when you see a beautiful woman, just think about her in your heart."

"That is certainly true."

"I wonder if Master has arrived yet?"

The eldest disciple said nonchalantly, "Even without a master, there's still me."

"Our senior brother is right. We will follow his lead."

Once they emerged from the mountains and fields, Zhongdu came into view, and the group's excitement was palpable, prompting them to quicken their pace.

A faint, pungent smell of blood began to waft through the woods at that moment.

Suddenly, a huge bamboo basket on the back of the man in the middle of the group began to shake, and with a whoosh, a large, blood-red snake pushed open the bamboo lid.

The snake was as thick as a bowl, and its entire body was vermilion. Its head stretched out and retracted intermittently, and a forked tongue extended from its mouth. Following the scent of blood, it suddenly disappeared into the roadside bushes.

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(End of this chapter)