The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 125 The Seven Masters of Quanzhen: A Young Friend Zhou Emerges from the Water

Nemo's figure swept across the lake and landed on Zhou Yan's fishing boat.

The anger caused by Zhou Yan's repeated schemes against him was now burning fiercely within him.

The pagoda was littered with lime. When the other party jumped over it, the bamboo pole propelled the boat, but the fishing boat he was on suddenly swayed more than two zhang away. The two boats were already separated by a zhang, and there was no way to jump over a distance of more than three zhang. As a result, he could only watch helplessly as the other party killed Cui Qingshan and the other two people on the inner boat.

Nemo Star finally found an oar, rowed closer, and suddenly leaped out, landing on the bow of the boat. He moved forward again, and swung his snake whip at Zhou Yan's back.

Nemo Star landed at the bow of the ship, which Zhou Yan could sense. He exerted force with his arm, spun around, and threw Cui Qingshan out.

With a "bang," Cui Qingshan, who still had some remaining consciousness, was sent flying by Nemo Star's snake whip, while Zhou Yan had already landed on another fishing boat at this moment.

The镖师 (bodyguard/escort) from the Changfeng镖局 (escort agency) at the bow of the ship roared, his steel blade unleashing a tremendous force as he slashed towards Zhou Yan.

A surge of internal energy, warming from his dantian, instantly coursed through Zhou Yan's two Qiao meridians. His sacrum, hips, and coccyx expanded, and he used the "Golden Goose Skill" to deflect several feet off course in mid-air.

The blade slashed past Zhou Yan's right arm. He landed on the bow of the boat, took a step forward, and delivered a "Iron Mountain Lean" to his opponent.

An immense force crashed into the bodyguard like a tidal wave. He felt a tightness in his chest, followed by a slightly sweet taste in his throat, and his figure was sent flying backward.

The fishing boat was no more than ten feet wide, with little room to maneuver. With a "thud," two bodyguards were hit and tumbled into the lake. Zhou Yan grabbed the oar, and a fierce wave of oars swept across about two feet, landing on the last bodyguard from the Changfeng Escort Agency on the fishing boat.

The bodyguard yelled and jumped into the lake.

Zhou Yan's oar fell into the water, and with a few strokes, he increased the distance between himself and the fishing boat on Nemo Star.

Helian Chuncheng and Yin Kexi also seized the fishing boats and forced the fishermen to chase after them.

With a flourish of his oars, Zhou Yan led the fishing boat into deeper water, where he leaped into the lake.

Helian Chuncheng held a bamboo pole, waiting for Zhou Yan to emerge before throwing it out. However, the surrounding lake water did not ripple at all, as if Zhou Yan had already disappeared into the water.

Unwilling to give up, Helian Chuncheng looked around, searching, but how could he see into the distance in the falling night?

In his anger, he plunged the bamboo pole into the lake.

What was originally thought to be a sure-fire victory turned out to be a disaster, with the enemy not only escaping but also losing several bodyguards, including Cui Qingshan.

Nemo Star landed on the bow of the ship and said angrily, "That kid is cunning."

Helian Chuncheng slowly composed himself and said, "Brother Nemo, there's no need to be discouraged. We'll kill him next time."

"I will."

Nemo's face turned ashen.

……

The water rippled, the night was cool as water, and the painted boat moved slowly forward, pushing aside the surface of the lake. The Taoist priest had a long, black beard, a spirited demeanor, and carried a long sword on his back.

The Taoist's body trembled, and he unleashed a series of consecutive elbow strikes: upward elbow, flat elbow, sweeping elbow, smashing elbow, and coiling elbow. His wide sleeves vibrated violently in the air, creating a loud whooshing sound. The power was truly astonishing.

The Taoist priest exuded an aura as fierce as a tiger. A white-browed, white-bearded Taoist priest, who was seated at a square table a little further away, said, "Junior Brother Qiu is skilled in martial arts and has a fiery personality. When he uses this 'Elbow Technique,' it will be even more powerful than yours or mine."

The handsome Taoist priest with long eyebrows beside him smiled and said, "That's true."

The woman's melodious voice then broke in, "It's quite a coincidence that Master Zhou and the Quanzhen Sect are connected. When I parted ways with him in Xiangyang, I never imagined that my senior brother would meet him in Zhongdu and exchange martial arts techniques."

The woman, speaking thus, was none other than Sun Bu'er, the Pure and Tranquil Hermit of the Quanzhen Sect, and those at the same table were Wang Chuyi, the Jade Yangzi, and Ma Yu, the Danyangzi. The one wielding the elbow technique was none other than Qiu Chuji, the Changchunzi.

The painted boat was tall, and light poured down from the second-floor rooms, outlining the figures of three other people with different appearances. The Seven Masters of Quanzhen gathered at West Lake.

A handsome Taoist priest set out wine and water, and then respectfully stepped aside.

Ma Yu asked, "Junior Brother Qiu, how is this elbow technique?"

Qiu Chuji's hands moved like monkeys playing with fruit, alternating between left and right elbow strikes, creating white wisps of air. Suddenly, he shrunk his body and strode over, saying, "Just what I wanted."

Qiu Chuji possessed superhuman strength and outstanding martial arts talent. He learned elbow techniques from Ma Yu and, after practicing them, personally experienced the destructive power and lethality of this technique from the "Yue Family Boxing Manual".

He picked up his wine cup, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "It's a pity I never met young friend Zhou." "When you return to Zhongnan Mountain, senior brother, you can visit Zhongdu. Young friend Zhou's eight-treasure rice is unforgettable," said Wang Chuyi.

Qiu Chuji laughed heartily.

He kept hearing about Zhou Yan from Ma Yu, Wang Chuyi, and Sun Bu'er, and naturally wanted to know more about him, but his special trip to Zhongdu ruined his intention to "go with the flow".

Like a fish swimming on the waves, the lake surface not far from the painted boat suddenly parted, and the light shining from the painted boat illuminated Zhou Yan's face with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. Just as he was about to take a breath and swim out, he suddenly stopped and looked at a table of seven people on a boat not far away.

Wang Chuyi, Ma Yu, Sun Bu'er? There are four more, who are the Seven Masters of Quanzhen.

As soon as Zhou Yan had this thought, he spoke up: "Master Wang, Master Ma."

The Seven Masters of Quanzhen were drinking and chatting, and when they were in high spirits, they suddenly heard shouts. Wang Chu looked around and saw that there was not a single person, let alone a fishing boat or small vessel. He was really startled.

"Senior brother, can you hear the call?"

"some."

But there was no one around.

"Master, over here."

This time the voice was much clearer. Wang Chuyi stood up and looked towards the lake in the direction of the sound. He saw the water churning and a gray figure quickly paddling towards him.

As they approached the pleasure boat, the other party craned their necks.

Wang Chu was taken aback. "Young friend Zhou, what... how did you get into the lake?"

Sun Bu'er and Ma Yu also walked over quickly, their expressions showing no less surprise than Wang Chuyi's.

"Young friend Zhou."

"Zhou the bodyguard."

The two spoke in unison, and Qiu Chuji guessed Zhou Yan's identity. He chuckled and said, "Ha!" Just a moment ago he was thinking about "fate," but in an instant, the young friend Zhou, who was praised by his senior brothers, junior brothers, and junior sisters, appeared from the lake.

Wonderful.

Wang Chuyi asked Zhou Yan why he was in the lake.

Zhou Yan said, "Daoist Master, let's board the boat and talk."

Wang Chuyi, Ma Yu, and the others then came to their senses.

"Please come aboard, young friend." Wang Chuyi found a rope and threw it down. Zhou Yan held the rope and, with the help of the other party's pull, rose high and landed lightly on the boat.

The young Taoist priest Yin Zhiping, who was watching from a distance, exclaimed in surprise and said to the older Taoist priest beside him, "Brother Zhao, we have seen him before, at Songhe Tower in Zhongdu."

Zhao Zhijing also remembered that he had exchanged a few words with the other party at Songhelou. At that time, he was disgusted by the other party's association with Quanzhen Sect and left in a hurry with his junior brother.

Little did they know that the young friend Zhou, whom their master and uncle had been talking about, was actually the bodyguard they had once disregarded.

Zhou Yan landed on the boat, and Wang Chuyi asked, "Young friend, what brings you here?"

"When I visited the pagoda on Nanping Mountain, I was chased and killed, but I escaped by using water magic."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhijing thought to himself that he had also fought with his fellow镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) at Songhelou that day. 镖师 are indeed uncouth; he wondered why his master and uncle-master took such people seriously.

The Hermit of Tranquility said, "Which group of thugs are you? We will help you repel them."

Zhou Yan hurriedly said, "Thank you for your kindness, Daoist. However, those thieves were masked, so I didn't get a good look at them. I also guess they've already left."

Sun Bu'er was quite disappointed and cursed him as a scoundrel.

Zhou Yan said he didn't know, but he already had the answer.

Cui Qingshan was very familiar with the iron abacus and martial arts routines, but the one who targeted him was the Changfeng Escort Agency.

(End of this chapter)