The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 15 The Dragon's Regret, the Divine Dragon's Tail Swing

The evening breeze blows through the autumn leaves, and smoke rises from the kitchen fire.

Serve tea and cakes, lift the pot and add soup.

Zhou Yan laid out all the dishes and drinks on the guild and invited Hu Yanlei, Shi Baichuan, and Wang Biaoshi to take their seats.

Green ant wine, braised rabbit head, pheasant soup, snake soup, and other dishes—a simple family feast for four was held in the courtyard adorned with lanterns.

They were all镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) who risked their lives for their clients, and they gathered together without any formalities or rules.

The three gourmets' attention was focused on the snake soup.

The white snake juice is full of snake meat aroma, the yellow chrysanthemum petals have a floral fragrance, and the fresh and delicious flavors of ingredients such as chicken and mushrooms spread in the mouth, combined with the aroma of herbs, to form a unique and rich taste.

Hu Yanlei tasted it with a spoon and praised it highly: "Wonderful! This snake soup tastes even better than the three-snake soup at Songhelou."

The bodyguard, whose real name was Wang Kui, was skilled with a knife. After drinking the soup and eating the meat, his eyes lit up. "It is indeed a rare delicacy. The snake meat is tender and has no strange taste. The soup is fresh, fragrant and delicate. It can be considered a signature dish in any restaurant in Zhongdu."

Shi Baichuan clicked his tongue in admiration: "I never expected Brother Zhou to have such excellent cooking skills."

Zhou Yan raised his glass, and after the four of them drank together, he said, "It's mainly because the ingredients are special."

Hu Yanlei said, "I can tell too, it's a medicinal snake. Brother Zhou, where did you get such a precious snake? I'd like to go and buy a few."

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "It was by chance. During the daytime hunt, I encountered a group of ginseng hunters. This snake must have smelled the blood and came to attack me, but it was killed instead."

"This beast is lucky to have been born." Hu Yanlei picked up some snake meat with his bamboo chopsticks and began to chew it.

"Eat its flesh and drink its soup." Shi Baichuan and Wang Kui laughed heartily and busied themselves for a while.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the conversation turned, and Hu Yanlei recounted with a smile what had happened at Songhelou that day.

Shi Baichuan and Wang Kui then learned that Zhou Yan had defeated two bodyguards from the Sihai Escort Agency, and the two couldn't help but praise him again.

Hu Yanlei sighed, "At the time, I was thinking about how to save face, but little did I know that Brother Zhou would flatter me. The younger generation surpasses the older generation, and heroes have always emerged from among the young."

Wang Kui laughed and said, "Brother Zhou's talent in martial arts is beyond question. Otherwise, how could he have become the youngest bodyguard in the escort agency? But I don't like what you're saying. What do you mean we're useless?"

Shi Baichuan said, “That’s right. An old horse in its stall may still have the ambition to gallop a thousand miles, and we are not even forty years old yet.”

"Hehe!" Huyan Lei laughed: "You used to use a sword, but now you're using a knife. Isn't that just admitting you're getting old?"

Wang Kui was taken aback, then laughed.

Zhou Yan asked in surprise, "Brother Wang used to use a sword?"

Wang Kui said, "Actually, I used a knife when I was young. Later, I became a head guard for the government and, to elevate my status, switched to a sword. When the Jurchens invaded the south, the country was devastated. The government official died in the Yellow River while crossing it to retreat to Lin'an. I was thrown into the river but survived by chance and eventually ended up at a security escort agency. Later, I took up a knife again, practiced my swordsmanship diligently, and killed the criminal leader of the Yellow River Gang. Since then, I have never put down my swordsmanship."

Wang Kui's voice deepened: "If I had been wielding a knife back then, perhaps that official would have spared a bloodline."

“This isn’t your fault. It’s the world that’s in trouble,” Shi Baichuan said.

Wang Kui sighed.

The leader of the Yellow River Gang is none other than Sha Tongtian, the Dragon King of the Ghost Gate. This man is a thief and robber; once I master my skills, I will surely kill him. Thinking this, Zhou Yan raised his wine cup and said to Wang Kui, "Don't worry about a future filled with shame; just seek a life without regrets."

Hu Yanlei chuckled, "I just love Brother Zhou's sharp edge."

"Thank you, Brother Zhou," Wang Kui said. "After drinking this cup of wine, you are my little brother."

Hu Yanlei joked, "If you don't like hearing that, you're only treating Brother Zhou as a brother now." "Slip of the tongue, you're punished with a drink."

Wang Kui drank three cups of wine and said to Zhou Yan, "Yesterday, on a whim, I blurted out the method of cultivating lightness skills. The head镖师 (bodyguard) has sharp eyes. If Brother Zhou really wants to cultivate according to my method, he will definitely suffer a qi deviation."

"Perhaps I am exceptionally talented and could master all six meridians."

Wang Kui laughed heartily: "With Brother Zhou's talent, if he practices diligently and without ceasing, he can master the Six Classics in ten years or so."

The镖师 nodded: "It is indeed very likely. At that time, Brother Zhou will be one of the top experts among the镖师."

Zhou Yan knew the other party meant well, but he still found it funny. It took him ten years to master the Six Classics, and he couldn't even beat Little Dragon Girl. What was he doing in the martial arts world?

Wang Kui suddenly said, "Brother Zhou's fist skills are superb, I am ashamed to admit that I am inferior, but his knife and sword skills are mediocre. So, brother, please give me a few words of advice." Zhou Yan replied solemnly, "I am all ears!"

Wang Kui said solemnly, "In my life, I first practiced the knife, then the sword, but in the end, the knife is still the one that accompanies me. In terms of knife skills alone, I am a number one figure in the Fu'an Escort Agency, but in the context of escort teams and the entire martial arts world, I am just a drop in the ocean, insignificant. Brother Zhou, you will be going to the escort agency to carry out your duties tomorrow. If you want to learn the knife, you can learn it when I teach the 'gangzi' knife skills. Now I will share some insights and experiences with you."

Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish; that's exactly what Wang Kui is doing now.

"The saying 'A sword is for a gentleman, a knife for a bandit' may not be entirely true, but it does illustrate the characteristics of a knife. A knife must be imposing; when you strike, you must have the momentum of being ready to die, like a reckless and ruthless young man committing murder without any regard for consequences. You must also have the momentum of 'I am the only one who can do it,' and the knife should fall like thunder."

Wang Kui always carried a knife with him. He got up and walked into the courtyard. “It’s a very common move, ‘Night Battle in All Directions.’ Anyone who knows how to use a knife can do this move, and even someone who doesn’t know how to use a knife can learn it after just one glance. But the momentum and the form are combined into one, and that’s how it is.”

The bodyguard, who had been acting like a glutton just moments before, suddenly exuded an aura of dominance and banditry. He swooped down and drew his sword, the blade flashing and taking flight close to the ground, as if it would devour everything in its path.

"Excellent swordsmanship!" Hu Yanlei and Shi Baichuan cheered in unison.

Wang Kui sheathed his sword and cupped his hands: "Sword techniques are ever-changing, but the core principle remains the same. Brother Zhou, remember this."

Zhou Yan stood up, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "I will remember your words, brother."

"Hehe, let's drink wine and soup." Wang Kui seamlessly transitioned from bandit to gourmand.

The banquet was quite enjoyable. Hu Yanlei, in high spirits, shared some insights into spear techniques and even went to the field to practice with a wooden stick. Only Shi Baichuan was rather annoyed; his weapon, the iron fan, was too unorthodox, and he figured it was better not to teach it.

Time seemed to flow like a painting, lively and joyful. As the hour of Hai approached, Zhou Yan saw the three slightly tipsy people off.

He watched the bodyguards disappear into the night from the alley entrance, then turned back, pushed open the door to the courtyard, only to find that Hong Qigong was already at the table.

"Senior arrived long ago."

Hong Qigong drank strong liquor and wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth with his right hand: "Of course, those bodyguards are good. They didn't pass on their sword and spear techniques indiscriminately. They conveyed the essence but not the form, which is most suitable for someone with your outstanding comprehension to take charge of weapons in the future."

Zhou Yan thought to himself that the day before yesterday, someone had haphazardly imparted their skills.

"Young man, you can't accept something for nothing. Besides, you've mastered the Free and Easy Fist in just a few days, and I'd like to see how much of the other martial arts you can learn from this beggar, and what your potential is. I'll teach you a couple more moves. Same as always, I'm not your master and you're not your disciple, I'm just itching to pass on my skills."

"It would be impolite to refuse," Zhou Yan said. "But there's no rush. I've reserved a portion of snake soup and other dishes. I'll steam them up for you to enjoy, senior."

Hong Qigong ignored his words, saying, "Since you've already decided, how can you eat with peace of mind if I don't teach you these two moves? Watch closely, these two moves are called 'The Dragon Regrets' and 'The Dragon Swings Its Tail'."

As Hong Qigong spoke, he swayed and landed in the courtyard. He slightly bent his left leg, bent his right arm inward, and drew a circle with his right palm. With a whoosh, he pushed it outward, and his palm swept across the branch of the ancient tree in front of him. With a crack, the arm-thick branch snapped in two.

Under the moonlight, Hong Qigong's body rose and fell, resembling a giant tiger with glaring eyes and a white forehead, as he suddenly turned his head and slashed horizontally with his backhand. The force of his palm exploded, and a thunderous roar like a torrential rain resounded, with white energy churning and surging.

Zhou Yan let out a slight breath; the two moves that Hong Qigong had taught him were of extraordinary significance.

(End of this chapter)