The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 110 Suddenly a rogue appeared at night with a gun

The bright moon shines on the boat as we engage in lively and insightful discussions.

Zhou Yan stood tall, watching the large ship gradually sail away.

The storyline of The Legend of the Condor Heroes gradually deviated from its original direction after Yang Tiexin and Mu Nianci arrived at the Fu'an Escort Agency. When Ke Zhen'e, Guo Jing and others assassinated Wanyan Honglie on the Lantern Festival, and Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, appeared in Zhongdu, a dramatic change occurred.

Zhou Yan had no idea how the two Quanzhen disciples and the six Jiangnan freaks discussed things, or whether Ma Yu, Wang Chuyi, and Qiu Chuji had joined forces.

He had thought that since Ke Zhen'e, Ma Yu and others were still in Zhongdu, he could assess the situation and make decisions accordingly. However, Huang Rong was seriously injured and her life was hanging by a thread. Mei Chaofeng hired a bodyguard, and the course of many events was so unexpected.

After this unexpected turn of events, Lu Chengfeng and Mei Chaofeng reconciled and buried the hatchet because of Huang Rong, and Huang Rong also returned to Peach Blossom Island.

But then the Six Heroes of Jiangnan suddenly appeared at Taihu Lake, accompanied by Guo Jing. Zhou Yan anticipated that they would still be going to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in Jiaxing.

He was a little curious whether Wanyan Kang knew he was going to Jiaxing after his birth, or whether he was going as a young prince of the Jin Kingdom.

In fact, according to Qiu Chuji's original intention in The Legend of the Condor Heroes, he was to take Wanyan Kang to Jiaxing for a martial arts competition. After the competition, regardless of who won or lost, the two would reconcile, and Qiu Chuji would then explain Wanyan Kang's background to him, bring Bao Shi out, and choose a place to live in seclusion.

However, the course of events took a dramatic turn after Mu Nianci's martial arts contest to find a husband and Guo Jing's encounter with Huang Rong. Could it be that the arrival of Mu Nianci in Fu'an and Huang Rong's southward journey from Fenglingdu, among other events, brought the story back to Qiu Chuji's original vision?

Zhou Yan couldn't help but sigh as he read this aloud.

As the large ship sailed further and further away, he sat cross-legged again and began to circulate his qi to temper the Yin Wei meridian among the eight extraordinary meridians.

This meridian plays a role in storing and replenishing vital energy, and in maintaining the balance of the various yin meridians in the human body.

He now has considerable insight into the internal energy cultivation methods of the Quanzhen School. Under the guidance of Ma Yu and Wang Chuyi, he has come to understand many Taoist classics and has a profound understanding of the direct and intangible relationships between the meridians of the human body and their connection to the internal organs. However, the process of refining and opening the meridians does not entirely follow the steps learned in the traditional methods.

Just as he not only practices swordsmanship but also spear techniques, in theory, the meridians he should refine should primarily focus on the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin and the Triple Energizer Meridian of Hand-Shaoyang.

However, Zhou Yan did the opposite, refining his Yin Wei Meridian. The reason for this was that his internal Taoist cultivation techniques had improved, his knowledge had accumulated, and he had gained an objective and profound understanding of bodily functions.

The Yinwei Meridian overflows with Qi, and during Zhou Yan's cultivation, whether he consumed snake gall or extracted the warm and pure Qi from the Jade Guanyin, he needed to use the Qi of the meridian to transport blood and stimulate internal strength.

In short, when the pulse energy is sufficient, the circulation of qi and blood and the stimulation of internal energy will have a multiplier effect.

The Yinwei Meridian originates on the inner side of the lower leg, ascends along the inner thigh to the abdomen, and merges with the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian. It then passes through the chest and intersects with the Ren Meridian at the neck.

Zhou Yan guided his Qi with his mind, and his pure and powerful internal energy emanated from his Dantian. It circulated along the meridians and suddenly gushed out from the "Jinmen" acupoint on the outer ankle of the Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian. It traveled along this extraordinary meridian and solidified major acupoints such as "Naoshu", "Tianji", "Tianliao", and "Jianjing".

The internal energy flowing through the meridians is like an iron hammer, while the meridians are like thick iron. The sixteen major acupoints on this meridian, after being solidified by the internal energy, are like a furnace.

Zhou Yan used this method to temper his meridians like forging iron, removing the dross and keeping the essence. Through repeated hammering and tempering, the meridians gradually became wider and stronger.

Just as described in the poem "Visiting the Golden Gate and Presenting it to the Carving Craftsman" ("All things are created by me, and all different substances and shapes are wonderful"), Zhou Yan repeatedly tempered himself. When the moon was high in the sky, suddenly the internal energy between the sixteen major acupoints of the Yinwei Meridian gushed out like a spring. The Yinwei Meridian, which he had tempered for half a night, hummed as if it had a wonderful sound of metal and stone, as if it had been tempered and cleared.

"Hoo!" Zhou Yan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, which he quickly withdrew. After such a long period of tempering, his energy had naturally been greatly depleted. The Jade Guanyin exuded a gentle aura. He used the Quanzhen internal martial arts technique to intercept qi, circulate qi and blood, and stimulate it into internal force. Indeed, due to the tempering and unblocking of the Yin Wei meridian, his speed had increased considerably.

As he paused to drink his tea, his fatigue dissipated. Just as he was about to find some food to fill his stomach, he suddenly heard the sound of a conch shell coming from afar. The sound rose and fell, sometimes long and sometimes short.

Zhou Yan could tell that the conch shell was making some kind of communication.

After the conch shells made several sounds, Liang Xiaowu and three other boatmen jumped out and stood at the bow of the boat.

The moonlight was bright, and one could see far into the distance. Looking out, the boats resembled a swarm of ants, countless in number, like ink splattered on a large green sheet of paper. The boatman ran over and said, "Sir, heroes are active on Taihu Lake ahead. Perhaps we should give way for now?"

Zhou Yan had an idea and said, "We can stop the boat."

"Alright, whatever you say, sir."

At dusk the night before, Lu Chengfeng boarded the large ship and had a conversation with Zhou Yan. The boatman heard everything clearly, but he was not worried. He immediately ordered his crew to lower the sails and anchor, and then led his crew into the cabin, ignoring everything that was happening outside.

"Chief镖师, what do you think is the purpose of this gathering of heroes from Taihu Lake?"

Liang Xiaowu and the other escorts were not nervous at all. The merchants had arrived at Guiyun Manor, and the personal escort mission had been successfully completed. With their worries gone, the scene before them, even if their head escort and Manor Lord Lu were complete strangers, would not cause any problems as long as they did not get involved. They could just treat it as watching the show.

Zhou Yan wondered if the gathering of heroes at Taihu Lake Stronghold was because the Jin envoy was heading south and the Lin'an Prefecture government had sent someone to meet him. If that were the case, Duan Tiande should be the one leading the troops.

Led by Lu Guanying, the heroes of Taihu Water Village first dealt with the Jin envoy's team from Lin'an Prefecture, and then took action against Wanyan Kang. However, the current problem is that it is unknown whether Ouyang Feng is present.

If Ouyang Feng had accompanied the Western Poison all the way, Taihu Water Village and Guiyun Manor would have been uprooted by him.

Zhou Yan could not stand idly by, so he thought he should assess the situation and adapt accordingly, or at the very least, send a message.

"Who knows? We'll see."

Several people stood at the bow of the boat and watched. Before long, a fleet of ships approached from the direction where Taihu Lake connects to the Yangtze River. Suddenly, the sound of conch shells rose from the lake. The two fleets gradually drew closer, and shouts, curses, and the clash of weapons could be faintly heard. A large ship was engulfed in flames, burning half of the night sky red.

The two fleets on the lake were engaged in fierce fighting. Small boats were constantly joining the Taihu Water Village fleet, while damaged boats and light boats carrying wounded soldiers were coming and going not far from the large ship where Zhou Yan was located.

In the darkness, an indignant voice rang out: "Those traitors on Ling'ao Island killed Chief Tang with iron molten metal. That three-headed ghost is vicious too."

"Don't rush, Misty Peak will avenge Chief Tang."

"Be careful, bro."

As boats came and went, these words reached Zhou Yan's ears. He was slightly taken aback. Iron Powder, Three-Headed Ghost, could it be Sha Tongtian and Hou Tonghai?

Thinking this way, he quickly came to the conclusion after considering the scene of Huang Rong chasing the other party to Lin'an Prefecture but failing to catch him.

Hou Tonghai, Sha Tongtian, and others must have gone to Lin'an Prefecture to scout before meeting Wanyan Kang. They must have sensed some danger in Taihu Lake and infiltrated the Taihu Lake water fortress team.

Lu Guanying is in danger.

"Xiao Wu, I'll go take a look."

"Escort leader, be careful."

Liang Xiaowu and the other three players had long followed Zhou Yan's lead, so he wasn't worried about talking too much.

Zhou Yan didn't take the iron bow or the steel sword. Instead, he asked Xiao Wu for a communication flare and held a steel spear.

Large ships carrying carriages and horses all carried a small boat for escape in case of emergencies.

Liang Xiaowu and several boatmen worked together to launch the light boat, and Zhou Yan jumped aboard and rowed straight towards the smoke-filled waters of Taihu Lake.

(End of this chapter)