The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 116 Iron Palm Water Walking

On a cool March morning, more than a dozen thatched huts were set up in the woods along the Huai River. Before the sun rose, smoke drifted from the treetops.

Mu Nianci practiced her spear technique, but felt restless and it didn't seem to be working. So she put away her spear and walked to Yang Tiexin's side at the camp.

"Father, do you think this shipment can be salvaged?"

Mu Nianci was with Wang Kui and several other bodyguards, following the woman in red.

The group of men were quite skilled; in a one-on-one fight, few bandits could match them. Coupled with their extensive experience in the martial arts world, they had no problem silently following and driving a caravan of hundreds of mules and horses.

They followed them all the way to Caizhou, where thousands of the enemy troops roared into Chaya Mountain.

Wang Kui and his bodyguards staked out the area, while Mu Nianci returned to report the news. Five days had passed by now.

Yang Tiexin thought to himself, "That female bandit is not one to kill indiscriminately. Perhaps there will be a turning point when the chief镖头 (chief镖头, a person who leads a large bodyguard) arrives."

"Hmm!" Mu Nianci nodded, her mood rather somber.

"What's wrong with you?"

"That female bandit was only slightly older than my daughter, yet she was able to lead over a thousand men to rob a caravan, while my daughter could only watch helplessly, feeling utterly useless."

"Silly girl, that's not how it's said. You must know that there are always people more skilled than you and mountains beyond mountains. If we're really talking about that, isn't Chief Escort Zhou about the same age as you? But look at his martial arts skills, how much worse are you?"

If Yang Tiexin had compared her to others, Mu Nianci would have inevitably disagreed, but when he brought up Zhou Yan, she was completely convinced.

"I wonder where the head镖师 is now. If he were here, perhaps this wouldn't have happened. On that shipment to Jingzhou, we were also robbed, and he turned the tide. When Zhenwei镖局 encountered remnants of the Great Qi in Xinye, the head镖师 also saved us from danger."

"At least we won't be so helpless," Yang Tiexin sighed.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of hooves rapidly approached from afar.

The two looked over at the same time, but saw no one. However, the guards on the outer perimeter were already excitedly shouting, "Chief镖师 (bodyguard) Huyan and Chief镖师 Zhou are here!"

Mu Nianci was taken aback. Why was Chief Escort Zhou here?
……

The somber and oppressive atmosphere that had enveloped the camp for several days vanished with the arrival of Zhou Yan and Hu Yanlei.

Zhou Yan briefly introduced Lu Beihe, the young master of Zhenwei Escort Agency, to Yang Tiexin and the other escorts. The group sat on the ground in the thatched shed, and Mu Nianci told them about the results of their surveillance.

The original owner had never been to Caizhou during his time as a porter, but Zhou Yan, with his knowledge of two lifetimes, was aware of this.

South of Caizhou lies Luzhou, and the Chaya Mountains, with their treacherous terrain, have been a strategic location fought over by military strategists throughout history. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the states of Wu and Chu vied for supremacy here; after the death of the King of Wu, he was buried at Tianmofeng. During the Sui Dynasty, Dou Jiande was defeated at Chaya Mountain and died in battle, and was buried in Fengming Valley. Shang Rang, a general under Wang Xianzhi, the leader of the peasant uprising at the end of the Tang Dynasty, once stationed troops at Chaya Mountain, later joining forces with Huang Chao to defend it. Later still, Li Zicheng once raised troops here.

Mu Nianci stated the matter succinctly, and one of the bodyguards asked, "Brother Zhou, what do you think is the best course of action now?"

Lu Beihe had been observing Zhou Yan closely. During his two days with Zhou Yan at the Zhenwei Escort Agency in Kaifeng, he admired Zhou Yan's martial arts skills and personality. Zhou Yan was unpretentious and spoke and acted with composure and grace. His martial arts were at least equal to, if not inferior to, Lu Beihe's own. However, having met Zhou Yan in Xinye, he hadn't seen the Fu'an escort team and thus didn't know their methods of leading them. Now, putting himself in Zhou Yan's shoes, he saw the older escort leaders and guards of Fu'an showing him respect and obedience, almost to the point of following his lead. Lu Beihe sighed inwardly.

I was in the same situation at Zhenwei, but I had the status of the young master above me. Zhou Yan won people over with his real talent, learning, and virtue. Compared to him, I felt ashamed of myself.

When the bodyguard asked the question, Zhou Yan replied, "Let's follow the arrangement of Chief Bodyguard Hu Yan. Once the chief bodyguard arrives, I'll go to Chief Bodyguard Wang's place to find out what's going on."

When Zhou Yan said he would investigate further, Hu Yanlei and the other bodyguards, who knew his style of doing things, knew that he wanted to go deep into the lion's den and find out the strength of the enemy.

Mu Nianci quickly said, "I will lead the way with the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort)."

"it is good."

“Me too,” Lu Beihe said.

"nature"

Lu Beihe let out a "Ha!" Zhou Yan's posture was quite pleasing.

All three had traveled day and night and were hungry.

The porter quickly brought breakfast.

The rice is served in a porcelain bowl, and the fish is also in the bowl. It is a crucian carp caught from the Huai River, about a foot long and less than the width of a palm. It is a top-quality crucian carp.

Zhou Yan and Lu Beihe ate fish dipped in soup to fill their stomachs.

As dawn broke, Zhou Yan led Lu and Mu straight to Chaya Mountain.

...The setting sun hung over the distant mountains, and the west wind rustled through the green grass by the lake at the foot of the mountain. Zhou Yan looked out and saw towering peaks, deep caves, ancient trees reaching for the sky, and verdant vines dripping with dew. What a perfect place to hide troops!

Wang Kui and several bodyguards were all beside Zhou Yan.

The head镖师 said, "I sneaked in several times a few nights ago. There's a wide area in the mountains with a simple stockade. I figure this band of thieves hasn't been here long."

Upon hearing this, Lu Beihe said, "It's possible that they retreated here after fighting against the Jin people and the imperial army of Lin'an Prefecture in Jingdong Road and Hebei Road."

Zhou Yan agreed. When he arrived in Jinan Prefecture, he had to change his route due to regional warfare. Calculating the time, the situation could change within a few dozen days. There was a high possibility that some teams would be defeated and retreat to Chaya Mountain. The caravan was traveling along the Huai River, and the enemy had their eyes on the mules and horses, which led to the robbery.

How many people are there?

"There are about three thousand people. A few dozen of them arrived an hour ago, and they seem to be another group of bandits."

"I'll go in and take a look."

Wang Kui hesitated for a moment, then looked at the rugged rocks and shady forests of the mountains, and said, "Okay, be careful."

"Ok!"

Zhou Yan wasn't worried at all. The mountains and fields in front of him were easy to hide in, and it wouldn't be difficult to find his way through.

“I’ll go with the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort),” Lu Beihe said.

"Row!"

Mu Nianci originally wanted to follow, but considering that her martial arts skills were far inferior to Zhou Yan's, she feared that if she ventured into the lion's den and something unexpected happened, she would become a burden, so she suppressed her thoughts.

Zhou Yan left his iron spear in Taihu Lake. He held a steel sword, while Lu Beihe carried two guns. The two disappeared into the lush forest shrouded in twilight, winding their way towards the valley that Xiang Wangkui had once explored.

The journey was uneventful, and Zhou Yan observed that the enemy's defenses were far inferior to the caravan's nighttime encampment arrangements. The loss of the caravan's goods on the Huai River was purely due to the enemy's superior numbers.

As night fell, Zhouyan and Lubeihe approached Kuanggu Mountain Village.

More than a dozen dilapidated stockades are scattered among the hills, arranged in a row according to the terrain.

Under the cover of night, Zhou Yan and Lu Beihe moved swiftly towards a secluded stockade.

A gentle breeze blows, and the humble window is half-open.

What came into Zhou Yan's view was an old man with a white beard wearing a yellow short shirt. He was sitting cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed, and wisps of smoke were continuously being exhaled from his mouth.

Zhou Yan was about to get a clear look when Lu Beihe tugged at his sleeve.

"Head镖师 (镖师 is a term used to describe a powerful and skilled martial artist), this old man is clearly practicing an extremely advanced martial art. His internal strength is probably far beyond ours. We must not act rashly."

"I know."

Lu Beihe let go, and when Zhou Yan looked over again, the old man still maintained his air of a wise man, exhaling smoke.

Zhou Yan's mind suddenly stirred, and he thought of someone.

The one who can walk on water with iron palms is fake.

That is, Qiu Qianzhang, the elder brother of Qiu Qianchi, the Iron Palm Lotus.

The light from the lanterns shone from afar, and two bandits from the mountain stronghold brought the meal, standing respectfully outside the door.

"Mr. Qiu, your dinner is ready."

"Send it in."

"okay"

The soldier delivered the drinks and dishes into the building. When he saw the old man puffing smoke from his mouth, his legs trembled involuntarily. He didn't dare to look at him for long. After placing the dinner in the room, he left and, once he was a little further away, turned and fled as fast as he could.

Zhou Yan chuckled softly. He really was the charlatan eldest son of the Qiu family.

Considering the other party's style of doing things, he suddenly realized that there might be a chance to save this shipment.

(End of this chapter)