The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 117 Seeing Through Everything, Turning the Hand to Create Clouds

“Tricky.”

The two retreated into the woods, the young master of Zhenwei Escort Agency looking grave.

Zhou Yan confirmed that the old man was indeed Qiu Qianzhang. Recalling Qiu's behavior at Guiyun Manor in the Legend of the Condor Heroes world, he guessed roughly that he was either acting as an intermediary for the Jin people or standing up for another force. Wang Kui had mentioned that dozens of people had gone to Chaya Mountain; Qiu Qianzhang should be among them.

Thinking this through, he said to Lu Beihe, "Let's take another look."

"What does the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) mean?"

"Wait for me."

"it is good."

Zhou Yan moved with the lightness of a swallow flitting through the forest, using the wooden building as cover to quickly disappear from Lu Beihe's sight.

When Zhou Yan returned, the young master of Zhenwei Escort Agency saw that he was holding two sets of stolen bandit costumes.

"Brother Lu, you can't catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den."

Lu Beihe was suddenly filled with heroic spirit, "Good, Brother Zhou, you have courage. I will risk my life to accompany you."

The two changed their clothes in the woods and then went back into the mountain village to explore further.

……

A lone firefly shone, and inside the building were a woman in red and soldiers who had recently delivered food to Qiu Qianzhang's lodgings.

The soldier's voice trembled as he spoke: "I saw it clearly, Mr. Qiu was spitting smoke."

The woman looked at the other person in disbelief.

"It's true."

"Go down."

"Got it."

Two soldiers withdrew, and the woman muttered to herself:

"I've heard that the legendary Iron Palm Water-Walking Master Qiu's martial arts were unparalleled, but I thought that was an exaggeration. Now I realize I was just ignorant. But what is Master Qiu's purpose in arriving at the mountain stronghold with the heroes from Xiangyang and Xinyang?"

……

Zhou Yan and Lu Beihe emerged from their concealment and appeared outside a brightly lit wooden building.

He said to the young master of Zhenwei Escort Agency, "Brother Lu, please keep an eye out for any activity in the surrounding area."

"it is good!"

Zhou Yan's figure appeared and disappeared in the darkness as he approached the wooden building. There were no lanterns under the eaves, so he leaped onto the building from a dimly lit corner on the side, causing the "Pearl Curtain" to peek into the building.

From his vantage point, he had a clear view of everything. One by one, the five or six people drinking in the hall came into Zhou Yan's sight. His gaze swept around and finally landed on the man in the center, his pupils shrinking slightly.

Zhou Yan's change in expression indicated that he recognized the person.

He was under the command of Zhang Sanqiang, a bandit leader from Jiangxi who robbed a caravan in Jingzhou.

How did this group of people end up in Caizhou? Zhou Yan pondered this question, listening intently.

"Master, the Chaya Mountain is a strategically important and easily defensible place, making it an ideal location for raising troops."

"That's not all. Jingdong Road and Hebei Road are now full of people scattered by the Jurchens and the Lin'an Prefecture army. With Chief Qiu's help, it won't be difficult to gather these forces together."

“Good.” The man with strong features and a sinister expression, who was called the hall master, said, “When the troops are strong and the gang leader Qiu is helping us, we will not be afraid of the sect leader in the future.”

"It's not that we're afraid of Zhang Sanqiang."

"Great! Let's drink!" The hall master was overjoyed upon hearing this.

Zhou Yan overheard everyone's conversation and roughly grasped the gist of it.

I encountered Zhang Sanqiang at the "Drunken Immortal Pavilion" in Xiangyang and mentioned the bandits. The leader of the Ming Cult said he would definitely investigate. In Xinye, I met Lu Beihe, and the young master of Zhenwei Escort Agency said that there were Jiangxi bandits active in the Xiangjing area. I thought Zhang Sanqiang was too busy to care about this matter, but it seems I misunderstood him.

It must have been Zhang Sanqiang who investigated and found that this group of Ming Cult scoundrels, having heard the news, decided to flee to Caizhou to establish their own stronghold.

As for encountering Qiu Qianzhang, that's simple.

Sun Bu'er encountered the other party near Xiangyang. The eldest of the Qiu family impersonated the leader of the Iron Palm Clan and became close to him, which makes sense.
Zhou Yan continued to listen. The rest of what the other group talked about was how to control the power of Chaya Mountain and how to grow it from small to large. When they got to the point, one of the bandits exclaimed in admiration of the red-clad woman Yang Miaozhen's figure, saying that she was a wild horse that only the leader of the gang could tame.

Zhou Yan thought to himself that the woman's surname was also Yang. He chuckled softly, then withdrew his body and floated to the ground without making a sound.

Lu Beihe greatly admired Zhou Yan's agility. His spear skills were inherited from his family and he had also received guidance from his adoptive father. He could certainly fight Zhou Yan, but when it came to agility, he was far inferior.

The two retreated into the mountains, and Lu Beihe asked, "How is the situation?"

“The bandit leader from Jiangxi lives inside the building; I recognize him.”

Lu Beihe was surprised: "How did this group of bandits get here?" "They must have encountered trouble and moved from Xiangyang to Caizhou to seek their fortunes."

Upon hearing this, Lu Beihe belatedly realized something and said, "These bandits do have some foresight. With Hebei Road and Jingdong Road in chaos, as long as they are ruthless and capable, it is indeed not a problem for them to raise a group of people and become mountain kings. Could it be that they came here to plot against this mountain stronghold?"

"almost."

Lu Beihe's eyes lit up. "Let's sit back and watch the tigers fight."

Zhenwei's young master has a good idea. Once Zhang Wangyue arrives, they can sit back and watch the fight unfold. Then, with nearly two hundred bodyguards and porters, plus six guns, they can seize the goods. However, this will inevitably result in considerable losses.

Zhou Yan had a better idea.

Perhaps by exposing Qiu Qianzhang and killing the Ming Cult's disgraceful leader, he could turn his enemy into a friend with the woman in red.

Judging from their behavior of robbing the goods without harming anyone, they are not people who cannot distinguish right from wrong.

However, if this were the case, Zhang Wangyue would not be able to wait.

“The group from Chaya Mountain are not ruthless. Brother Lu, do you think it’s better to sit back and watch the tigers fight, or to expose the Jiangxi bandits’ purpose and turn hostility into friendship?”

Lu Beihe was naturally capable of assessing the situation. "Turning hostility into friendship is the best policy, but the prerequisite is that we can deal with that white-bearded expert."

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "It's just a trick used by martial arts performers to fool people."

Lu Beihe was stunned.

"When I was escorting goods in Jingzhou, I happened to meet Qingjing Sanren of the Quanzhen Sect in Xiangyang. She had encountered this swindling old man in Xiangyang. At first, I didn't know that, but after listening to her, I learned that the old man's name was Qiu Qianren, and that's when I remembered this incident."

Zhou Yan's explanation was flawless.

The young master of Zhenwei realized what was happening and muttered, "I hate his ancestors. He scared me half to death. I'll do as Brother Zhou says."

Zhou Yan had a clear understanding of the situation, knowing both himself and his enemy. Lu Beihe, with his youthful chivalry, and the two hit it off immediately.

"Alright, we'll do as Brother Zhou says."

"I'll go see Chief Escort Wang and make some arrangements."

"I'm keeping watch here."

Without any hesitation, Zhou Yan and Lu Beihe went their separate ways. He fled into the mountains and forests, traveling swiftly, and met up with Wang Kui at midnight.

Zhou Yan quickly explained the whole story to the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) Wang Kui.

Wang Kui was a seasoned veteran; after a moment's consideration, he realized that this was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I've sent someone to find Chief Huyan and have him select some skilled men just in case."

"Brother, you're decisive."

"Hey!" In high spirits, Wang Kui turned around and ordered his bodyguards to ride at full speed straight to the Huai River camp.

Mu Nianci's mood improved, and she thought to herself that Chief Escort Zhou was like a stabilizing force in Fu'an, and that no matter how difficult the matter was, it could be easily solved in the hands of Chief Escort.

After a short rest, Zhou Yan took a communication firework and disappeared into the night again.

In Wang Kui's eyes, his departure was like a fish entering the sea or a bird soaring into the blue sky.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) thought to himself that Fu'an could do without anyone else, but it couldn't do without the chief镖师 (bodyguard/escort) and Brother Zhou.

……

The clouds drift and the wind rustles the grass.

After entertaining the guests, we proceeded to discuss business.

The mountain stronghold's council hall was simple, and nearly ten people, including Yang Miaozhen, Qiu Qianzhang, and the bandit leader, discussed matters.

Yang Miaozhen asked, "How did Senior Qiu rest last night?"

Qiu Qianzhang smiled slightly: "Thank you for your hospitality, Chief Yang. It is very kind of you."

"In that case, I would like to ask you to stay for a few more days, so that I may learn from you."

"From now on, I might settle down here and give you my personal instructions."

"This junior does not understand what you mean, senior?"

Qiu Qianzhang said, “I have one foot in the coffin and should not concern myself with worldly affairs. However, there is a major event that concerns the lives of countless righteous men in Hebei Road and Jingdong Road. If I am complacent and do not come forward to raise my voice, the heroes of both roads will inevitably suffer, and countless lives will be lost, causing endless disasters.”

Yang Miaozhen hurriedly said, "Please enlighten me, senior."

Qiu Qianzhang gently waved his palm-leaf fan, "Let me explain slowly."

(End of this chapter)