The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 130 The Silly Girl and the Madman of Niujia Village

Zhou Yan couldn't help but chuckle when he heard that Hong Qigong had put a bunch of bones in the stone box.

He knew that Ouyang Feng helped Wanyan Honglie not only to help Ouyang Ke gain favor and be given important positions in the Zhao Prince's Mansion, but also because he coveted the Yue family's martial arts.

Full of hope, they opened the stone box and found chicken bones, pig's feet, and other such items; they would probably be furious.

"Where are you going now, senior?" Zhou Yan asked.

"It's because he saw Ouyang Feng's ugly behavior. That old poisoner is very arrogant. How could he miss such an opportunity?" Hong Qigong said, then instructed, "This place is not suitable for long-term stay. You should get out as soon as possible."

"it is good."

"Old monster Ginseng Immortal deserved to die for serving the Jurchens. You're a man of your word, thanks. See you in Datong Prefecture."

As soon as Hong Qigong finished speaking, he suddenly flew out, his figure instantly covering an unknown distance, disappearing from Zhou Yan's sight in the blink of an eye.

……

Panic gripped the palace. In the darkness, no one knew whether it was a plot by the royal family to usurp the throne or a rebellion by the people. The palace guards, the imperial guards, and the imperial troops were all on high alert.

There are certainly some skilled ones among them.

Ouyang Feng's martial arts skills were unparalleled. When he ran, no one could catch up with him. However, it was not an easy task for the Yellow River Gang's experts and Hou Tonghai to get rid of him.

The sounds of pursuit echoed through the night.

Huang Rong, dressed in the uniform of a head guard, was extremely skilled in light-body techniques. At Guiyun Manor, Huang Yaoshi used his own cultivation to relax her muscles and tendons, and snake gall to enhance her internal strength, greatly increasing her power. Leaving the palace was not difficult for her.

She hid in the building waiting for Zhou Yan. The shouts, like boiling water, grew louder and louder as they approached. Huang Rong saw Ouyang Feng fly out of the palace wall like a big bird, followed closely by Ouyang Ke, Lingzhi Shangren, Sha Tongtian, and others.

Even in the darkness of night, sounds could still be heard.

"Senior brother, your arm! Ah, I'm going to twist that guard's head off!"

"Shut up, get out of here."

"I can not be reconciled."

Huang Rong saw Sha Tongtian, with his arms hanging down, quickly disappear into the distance. Hou Tonghai chased after him in a frenzy. Several skilled members of the Yellow River Gang leaped over the palace wall one after another. Suddenly, gray-white figures floated out from the palace wall, appearing occasionally and disappearing among the rows of buildings, following Ouyang Feng and his group at a leisurely pace.

Huang Rong now believed that the last person was the Beggars' Sect leader. Seeing that the group was about to leave and she couldn't wait for Zhou Yan, yet didn't want to miss the chance to watch the excitement, she figured that Zhou Yan was clever enough to escape without any problems. Huang Rong moved swiftly, as light as a swallow, and chased after them.

……

"Brother Huang."

Huang Rong never revealed herself as a woman in front of Zhou Yan. Once they left the palace, Zhou Yan called her Brother Huang.

With no response from any direction, the palace guards chased after him one after another, but after searching for a while without success, the figure disappeared into the alley.

Zhou Yan's figure appeared and disappeared in the dark wind as he walked through the streets and alleys to the inn, where he calmly went upstairs.

The oil lamp in the guest room cast a faint glow as he took out the martial arts manuals and prescriptions he had taken from Liang Ziweng.

After flipping through the manual, I found it to be a set of "Great Capturing Techniques" from beyond the Great Wall. It had some unique features, but it was far inferior to "Yue Family Freehand Techniques." I could take it back to the escort agency and have Liang Xiaowu and the other guards practice it.

He looked at the prescription with a pleased expression.

Besides the secret recipes for nourishing qi and blood, there is also a secret recipe for raising snakes using rare and precious medicines such as cinnabar, ginseng, and deer antler.

Zhou Yan thought he could capture a few Bosqu snakes and raise them according to the secret recipe. With the spirituality of the snakes in Snake Valley, raising them for a year or two would surely have a better medicinal effect than raising them naturally.

He laughed. Killing Liang Ziweng had probably crippled Sha Tongtian's left arm as well, and he had also obtained the secret manual for raising snakes. It was a worthwhile trip.

A gust of wind rustled through the window, and the candlelight flickered. Zhou Yan pondered that since he had learned about Niujia Village from Qiu Chuji, and that Sha Gu was also there, he should make a trip there. Huang Rong would surely look for him again, and he could then act as a go-between to bring Sha Gu back to Peach Blossom Island.

After all, Huang Yaoshi had taught him martial arts and had saved his life.

……

The noisy sounds of palace guards searching the past echoed down the long street.

Ouyang Feng, Ouyang Ke, and others entered the guest room.

Sha Tongtian sat in his chair with a gloomy face, not saying a word. He had obtained the "Wumu's Legacy" that the prince wanted. In the future, the prince and the young prince would lead their troops to fight in the south and north. It would be a good time for him to show his skills and strengthen the Yellow River Gang. However, he had been defeated by a treacherous villain.

He was shrewd and thought of a master impersonating a guard, but Zhou Yan used the "Rain of Pear Blossoms Spear" killing move, so it was difficult to determine his identity for the time being.

Sha Tongtian sighed inwardly at his terrible bad luck. If Liang Ziweng were here, and the other party was skilled in medicine, perhaps his arm could have recovered somewhat. But now it seemed that it was mostly ruined. That scoundrel's spear had entered from the "Quchi" point and severed his meridians.

Ouyang Feng was in a good mood. He placed the stone box on the table, thinking that if it contained exquisite martial arts techniques, he would memorize them thoroughly before Wanyan Kang arrived. If it was just military strategy, he would give it to Ke'er to deliver to the other party.

Ouyang Feng opened the stone box, and the injured Sha Tongtian and others gathered around.

All eyes turned to the box, and suddenly, everyone's expression changed drastically, and they were all extremely surprised and speechless.

All that could be seen inside were chicken bones and gnawed pig's feet; there was no sign of the "Military Manual of Yue Fei."

Ouyang Feng's face turned ashen, and his hair stood on end in fury.

Suddenly, a loud laugh came from the building opposite the inn, "The old poisoner has schemed and plotted, but all he has is a broken stone box and a pile of bones."

Hong Qigong lay on the roof, gulping down a few mouthfuls of wine, his face beaming with delight.

"Old beggar, it was you who caused this trouble. Bring the book over here."

Ouyang Feng, who was in the inn a moment ago, appeared on the roof of Hong Qigong's room the next. The Nine-Fingered Beggar laughed and flew across the street, landing on a rooftop further away.

Two figures, one in front of the other, flew away swiftly like large birds taking flight.

“Mr. Ouyang, what should we do?” Master Lingzhi asked.

No sooner had the monk finished speaking than Huang Rong landed on the rooftop where Hong Qigong had stood and shouted, "The assassin is here! Guards, why aren't you arresting him?"

A group of palace guards who had rushed from the main street saw Huang Rong dressed in a headdress and shouted as they surrounded the inn. "I stabbed him to death!" Hou Tonghai roared in fury.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" Sha Tongtian roared, bursting out the door. Ouyang Ke, Lingzhi Shangren, and the others either broke windows or left through doors, fleeing in a flurry.

“The monk, the bald man, the old man with a fleshy tumor on his head, the white-faced man with a fan, capture them.”

The arrogant and charming Ouyang Ke glared at Huang Rong, thinking to himself, "I'll remember you. How dare you call me an old man with a pale face."

Huang Rong watched the group flee in a disheveled state, feeling quite pleased with herself. She had never had so much fun and happiness since leaving Peach Blossom Island.

She followed closely behind Ouyang Ke and the others, calling for the palace guards to intercept and capture them. In this chase, the few skilled members of the Yellow River Gang who had escaped were either killed or captured by the palace guards and imperial soldiers. Ouyang Ke and the others, like stray dogs, climbed over the city wall and fled into the countryside. Only then did Huang Rong stop, and then the quick-witted Huang Rong muttered, "I wonder which inn the interesting head镖师 Zhou is staying at."

……

Morning mist and dawn light bring fresh grass and flowers; birdsong, pine breeze, and babbling brooks accompany the murmur of the stream.

It was the height of spring in Jiangnan, with willows swaying along the roadside, intoxicating fragrance of flowers, and the rice seedlings in the fields a vibrant green.

Zhou Yan rode the "Night-Shining Jade Lion" out of the city, inquiring along the way, and arrived at Niujia Village without breaking a sweat.

He remembered that in the Legend of the Condor Heroes world, Qu Lingfeng's tavern was at the entrance of the village, and he could just walk right up to it.

The sky was bright and clear, but what Zhou Yan could see was a dilapidated tavern with two wooden tables under the eaves, covered in dust.

He released the "Night-Shining Jade Lion" into the mountains to graze, and then went to the tavern to knock on the door.

With a creak, the door opened and a disheveled girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a thorn hairpin in her hair, walked out of the hall.

"Hello, young lady," Zhou Yan greeted her gently.

"My name is Silly Girl."

"Oh, I see."

Zhou Yan walked straight ahead, and the silly girl asked him what he was doing, then followed with a grin. Inside the hall, they saw dust and cobwebs everywhere, some cold rice in a wok, and a tattered mat on the bed.

Zhou Yan sighed. They were all disciples of Peach Blossom Island, but Lu Chengfeng was the master of Guiyun Manor, Lu Guanying led the heroes of Taihu Lake Stronghold, Qu Lingfeng died far from home, and Sha Gu lived a miserable life.

Knowing about the silly girl's background, Zhou Yan didn't need to ask her any more questions.

He said softly, "Silly girl, shall your big brother take you away from here?"

"Hehe, is there anything to eat?"

"You can eat whatever you want."

"What about the meat?"

"no problem."

"Silly girl eats meat with her older brother."

"it is good."

"Silly girl, wait for me."

"Yes, silly girl will listen to big brother."

As soon as the silly girl finished speaking, she walked to the threshold and sat down, singing: "Rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye, to Grandma's bridge, Grandma calls me her good baby."

A bag of candy, a bag of fruit, Grandma bought a fish to cook…

"Big brother, can I have candy or fish?"

"Eat"

"Hehe, big brother is so nice."

Zhou Yan smiled slightly at the silly girl, then turned and went into the cupboard.

He opened the cupboard door and saw seven or eight broken blue-and-white porcelain bowls on the shelf. After observing them briefly, he walked to the iron bowl at the far end and turned it to the left. The iron bowl did not move at all. When he turned it to the right, he suddenly heard a cracking sound and the cupboard wall split open to the sides, revealing a dark hole.

After the air had circulated, Zhou Yan found some tree branches, tied them into a torch, and went inside.

The light dispelled the darkness, and what came into his view were Qu Lingfeng's remains and the iron box.

Zhou Yan knew that the iron box contained Qu Lingfeng's desire to return to Peach Blossom Island, and also knew that Huang Yaoshi was fond of antiques and calligraphy, and had stolen jewelry, ancient bronzes, and scrolls of calligraphy and painting from the palace and tombs.
Zhou Yan will not open the iron box; the treasures inside can be given to Huang Rong intact at the time.

He went back into the hall, took a mat, and gathered up Qu Lingfeng's remains. He then went outside to find a hoe, dug a pit on the hill outside the tavern, and buried the bones.

Zhou Yan returned and entered the room. He saw a long knife on the ground. He picked it up and saw that the character "曲" was engraved on the blade.

"Give Qu Lingfeng's knife to Sha Gu." Zhou Yan searched around but found nothing else. He picked up the knife and the box and was about to leave the room.

After taking only two steps, they heard a sound coming from inside the hall.

A rough voice shouted, "Bring us food right now! We're starving!"

Zhou Yan recognized the voice and exclaimed in surprise, "Hou Tonghai, how could we run into him here?"

But then they heard the silly girl inside the hall chuckle.

Master Lingzhi's voice rang out: "Silly girl, is there no one here?"

"There's an older brother."

"Where is everyone? Why aren't you cooking?"

"inside."

The sound of footsteps approached.

(End of this chapter)