The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 146 The Identity of the Boss, Guo Yang Enters the Capital

Birds roost in the woods, and morning light rises over the western ridge.

The giant bow with ox horns was as striking as a full moon.

"bang"

The arrowhead left a clear mark in the air, heading straight for the wild boar more than ten feet away.

"Ow"

A mournful sound rang out instantly, startling the forest birds into flight.

The wild boar, struck by the arrow, was tumbled over by the terrifying force of the penetration.

The wild boar, weighing over 150 pounds, was ferocious by nature and ran wildly as it got up.

Zhou Yan moved swiftly, and the second and third arrows shot out in a flash. Even from a distance, the sound of arrows piercing wild boars could be clearly heard.

The wild boar, struck by arrows in its front and hind legs, tumbled forward onto the ground with a thud, kicking up large patches of mud and grass.

"What a fine bow! It's just right for my hand," Zhou Yan exclaimed.

Li Mochou did not mention her encounter with Ouyang Ke at the mountain god temple. She was worried that his arrival at Zhongnan Mountain would be detrimental to her sect, so she bid farewell to Zhou Yan and left in a hurry.

After recuperating at the Mountain God Temple for several days, Zhou Yan arrived in Zhongdu accompanied by Hong Qigong.

The leader of the Beggars' Sect was a man who was rarely seen. Zhou Yan's injuries had not yet healed, so he did not disturb him, saying that he was going to have a drink, and then left without a word.

Zhou Yan had recovered about 50-60% of his injuries, and when he arrived at the escort agency, Zhang Wangyue, Hu Yanlei, and the others couldn't detect anything amiss. As usual, he spent his days at the escort agency leading his men in martial arts training and his evenings cultivating and healing.

When Wang Kui and the others returned from Jiangzhou, they had not only recovered completely, but their internal strength had also increased slightly.

The owner, Duan Huai'an, arranged to climb Xishan Mountain on the Double Ninth Festival, and all the镖局 (bodyguard agency)镖师 (bodyguards) who were not on escort missions participated.

The martial artist climbs the mountain, unrelated to poetry; he discusses the escort agency's profits for the year and the future direction of Changfeng. He also addresses how the agency will operate next year and whether it plans to open branch offices.

I know my brothers are climbing the mountain, but there is one less person wearing the dogwood branches.

During this time, Zhou Yan learned something unexpected.

While reminiscing about his relatives and friends, Dongjia Duan Huai'an inadvertently revealed that his ancestral lineage originated from Wuwei.

This news surprised Zhou Yan quite a bit.

He remembered that the Duan family of Dali seemed to have originated from Wuwei, which aroused his curiosity. After returning from Xishan, he tried his best to consult some ancient books and found that there really was a Duan family in Wuwei.

It would be difficult to find information about ordinary wealthy families or martial arts families, but the Duan family of Wuwei served as officials, including the Protector-General of the Western Regions during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, so it is not difficult to find information about them.

His mind began to wander uncontrollably, wondering if there was any connection between his employer and the Duan family of Dali.

Duan Huai'an only mentioned it briefly, and it was not worth delving into.

This matter was forgotten after ten days or half a month, because the appointed time between Qiu Chuji and Yang Tiexin was approaching.

Nearly a month after climbing West Mountain, the escort agency made several short-distance shipments, giving Zhou Yan some free time. Mid-Autumn Festival arrived amidst the falling yellow leaves of West Mountain.

He took his bow and went out of the city early to hunt. By sunrise, in addition to the wild boar in front of him, he had also shot and killed several pheasants and rabbits.

The poultry meat at Yang Tiexin's family banquet was almost enough.

Zhou Yan put away his bow and arrows, went to the dying wild boar, took the arrows and loaded them into the quiver, gave a whistle, and "Night-Shining Moon Lion" ran into the forest. He put all the prey into a felt bag he had prepared in advance, mounted his horse and headed straight for Yang Tiexin.

……

The courtyards on the outskirts of the city are filled with the fragrance of osmanthus.

Mu Nianci looked at Yang Tiexin pacing back and forth and said with a smile, "Father, sit for a while and have a cup of tea. Perhaps Master Qiu will arrive soon."

Yang Tiexin said, "I haven't seen Daoist Qiu for eight or ten years, and now I'm finally seeing my nephew Guo. How can I sit still?"

“But Father walks around and around, he’s making me and Silly Auntie dizzy.”

"Okay, sit for a while."

Yang Tiexin had just sat down when the sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached.

Mu Nianci, who was killing a chicken with Sha Gu in the courtyard, got up to wash her hands and followed Yang Tiexin quickly towards the outside of the courtyard.

Zhou Yan dismounted, placed the bag containing the game on the ground, and said to Yang Tiexin, "Let's get out of the city early and hunt a wild boar."

"Thank you, Chief Escort."

"Please don't be so polite, senior."

The escort agency was closed for the Mid-Autumn Festival, with only bodyguards and porters on duty. Zhou Yan said, "I'm going to the escort agency for a bit, I'll come back later."

Since they were already acquainted, Yang Tiexin said, "Let's have lunch together."

"okay."

"Take care, Chief Escort Zhou." "Yes, I'm off." Zhou Yan waved to Mu Nianci, who was seeing him off, and rode away.

With the wild boars gone, the "Jade Lion Under the Night" ran swiftly. Not far from the city gate, more and more merchants came and went. Zhou Yan pulled on the reins, and the white horse slowed down, its hooves striking the hard ground with a thumping sound.

At that moment, the sound of horses' hooves came from the direction of Zhou Yanshen.

The sound was urgent, and he shoved the "Night-Shining Jade Lion" to the side of the road to clear a path.

When the sound of hooves that followed was still a few feet away from Zhou Yan, a soft shout suddenly rang out from the rider's mouth, "Watch out for the gun!"

In the autumn light, a large spear broke free from its holster and pierced through the air with a whooshing sound.

Hearing the sound of wind behind him, Zhou Yan reversed his left hand and grabbed the spear five inches behind the tip.

The spear, however, with a flick of the wielder's wrist, suddenly plunged downwards, dodging Zhou Yan's counter-attack and striking the "Yaoyu" acupoint.

Every spear technique has a "returning spear" move. The difference between different spear techniques lies in the hidden variations of this move. For example, the Yang family spear technique has three variations, which surpass the Huyan spear technique.

The classic killing move "Phoenix Nodding" exists in various spear techniques, just like "Returning Spear," but Zhou Yan has never encountered anyone who can use this move so skillfully.

He "hid himself in the stirrups," landed smoothly, and a spear came after him from behind. Zhou Yan leaped forward, his toes behind and his body in front, in the "Chang'e Flying to the Moon" posture from Li Mochou's "Beauty Fist Technique."

At the mountain temple outside Datong Prefecture, Zhou Yan watched Li Mochou practice her boxing and, like Hong Qigong, memorized many of her moves.

"Chang'e flying to the moon" means she has to turn back.

With the spear following closely behind Zhou Yan, he suddenly turned around, drew his sword, and swung it like a whip, striking the spear.

With a clang, metal clashed, sparks flew, and Zhou Yan's Qingfeng sword shot out in a rainbow-like arc, sending the spear flying.

A pretty woman in red, holding a gun, appeared in his line of sight.

"The eldest brother of the Zhou family has superb swordsmanship."

"The Yang family's daughter."

When Zhou Yan heard the words "watch the gun" a moment earlier, he felt that the voice was quite familiar. However, the gun kept chasing and thrusting, so he also smoothly returned the counterattack.

Seeing Yang Miaozhen now, he understood that the feeling of déjà vu he had felt earlier was due to a combination of factors.

Yang Miaozhen dismounted, holstered her large gun like a scabbard, and said with a smile, "This younger sister wants to see how much Brother Zhou's kung fu has improved. Please forgive me if I offend you."

"you are welcome."

The two led their horses along, and Zhou Yan asked, "What business does Sister Yang have in Zhongdu?"

"I'm here to visit Brother Zhou, Sister Mu, and the head镖师 (bodyguards/escorts). Also, a while ago, I led a group to abduct a Jurchen official who was traveling with his family to Kaifeng. During the interrogation, I learned that the Mongol Khan was mobilizing troops to the south. Since I had some free time recently, I came to Zhongdu to inquire. Brother Zhou, have you heard anything about what's going on in the city?"

The Fu'an escort team rarely traveled to the Western Regions or beyond the Great Wall, and the situation in Zhongdu was still peaceful, with no news spreading. Zhou Yan was truly unaware of any such information.

However, it is estimated that it was not long before Genghis Khan led his army to attack the Jin dynasty, so the information obtained by Yang Miaozhen during her interrogation was highly credible.

"There's been no word from Zhongdu. What is the Yang family girl up to?"

"When the Mongols attacked the Jin people, the righteous armies in various places along the Hebei Road and the Jingdong Road responded one after another."

"I see." He nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm. Since there's no news from Zhongdu, I'll take a trip. Is Sister Mu at the escort agency?"

"Yes, why don't we go to the escort agency first, rest for a bit, and then go together?"

"it is good."

Where is Miss Qiu?

"gone."

"Back to the valley?"

"They said they'd go to the Iron Palm Clan first."

"Qiu Qianzhang left with them?"

"Ok!"

The two walked and talked, following the merchants entering the city through the city gate. More than ten miles behind them, four riders galloped.

Qiu Chuji, beaming with pride, said to Wang Chuyi beside him, "My brother Yang will surely be waiting with wine."

“Young friend Zhou is no different,” said Director Wang.

Qiu Chuji laughed heartily, “That is indeed the case.”

Guo Jing, who was traveling with the three men from Changchun, saw Zhongdu in sight and was excited, thinking that he would soon be able to see Uncle Yang, thank his benefactor, and kill Wanyan Honglie.

(End of this chapter)