The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 17 Night Walk in Brocade Clothes
"A dragon that soars too high will regret it; fullness cannot last long."

After Hong Qigong left, Zhou Yan cleaned up the courtyard kitchen, lit lamps and placed them on the stone table, then sat down under the ancient tree.

He didn't rush to cultivate, but instead sorted through the fragments of his memory.

Drawing upon Guo Jing's insights from his spiritual practice.

In The Return of the Condor Heroes, Guo Jing had a fight with Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, as soon as he appeared. He used the move "Kanglong Youhui" (Regretful Dragon Soaring), which was at a high level of mastery. The initial push seemed light and easy, but when it encountered resistance, it could instantly add thirteen more bursts of force, each stronger than the last, layer upon layer, and no force could be broken.

His thinking extended from "fullness cannot last, and surplus cannot be exhausted" to the great tide. The great tide is like flying flowers, and the remaining momentum returns to the next tide, making the momentum even more surging and fierce, just like Guo Jing's "The Dragon Regrets When It Soars" which has reached the pinnacle of perfection, with each layer of power stronger than the last.

Zhou Yan stood up and paced under the ancient tree with its lush foliage, muttering to himself: "So the essence of this move lies in 'the fullness cannot last,' implying the principle of 'reserve before use,' 'striking first and then controlling.' 'Striking first' is the force that is thrown out, while 'controlling later' is the force that is retained within oneself. When encountering an enemy, before striking first, one draws out the opponent's power, and upon encountering the force, one bounces back. The power of the Dragon Subduing Palm is like a raging storm. Therefore, the key to this move is the moment the opponent begins to exert their strength."

"Wonderful!"

There was a not-so-thick poplar tree in the corner of the courtyard wall. He walked over, put a little force into his hand, and slapped the trunk. With a snap, the rebound force made his palm rise slightly.

He took another shot, using different amounts of force to feel the tree trunk's rebound and to control his own strength.

In the cool night, in the empty courtyard, if Hong Qigong saw Zhou Yan experiencing the "giving and taking" of "the dragon soaring too high will regret it" in this way, he might incredulously drink a couple of mouthfuls of strong liquor to calm his nerves.

After dozens of times, Zhou Yan had become extremely sensitive to the rebound of the poplar tree's power.

He guided his qi with his mind, circulating it through his meridians. Suddenly, 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, his palm slamming firmly onto the poplar tree trunk. In the instant the trunk rebounded, Zhou Yan used the method of externalizing internal force to unleash all the remaining power.

With a "click".

The poplar tree, as thick as a wrist, didn't sway, but snapped in two.

Zhou Yan drew inspiration from Guo Jing's cultivation method, first comprehending and then practicing, and in one go he grasped the true meaning of the "Regretful Dragon" palm technique.

He picked up a poplar tree, broke off a branch, turned it into a stick, took a few steps forward, and then turned around.

The thrusting and retraction of the wooden stick, in terms of a single movement standard, can be described as a textbook example of a counterattack.

At the evening banquet, Hu Yanlei used a stick as a spear and performed his signature move, "Returning Spear," which Zhou Yan remembered clearly.

With a "bang," the wooden stick struck the courtyard wall, causing the tiles to rattle like raindrops, and dust to scatter in all directions.

Zhou Yan walked to the ancient tree, placed the wooden stick on the stone table, and began to refine the "Regretful Dragon Soaring" technique over and over again.

Having consumed the blood of the ginseng immortal old monster and cultivated his inner strength through about five years of arduous training, he was no longer easily fatigued and was more sensitive to his body than before. Therefore, after a long period of cultivation, he could clearly feel the effect of the gentle and peaceful energy emanating from the jade Guanyin pendant hanging around his neck on clearing his meridians.

Zhou Yan sighed, saying that with the Jade Guanyin's efficacy, even without great opportunities in the future, it wouldn't be as Wang Kui said, that it would take more than ten years to refine and open the six main meridians.

If one obtains the "Nine Yang Manual" or the "Nine Yin Manual," having a Jade Guanyin to assist in cultivation will make the process twice as effective.

As night deepened, Zhou Yan fetched water to wash up, took a bath, and went to bed on the kang (a heated brick bed).

……

On an autumn morning, the sky was as clear as a mirror, without a single cloud.

Zhou Yan arrived at the escort agency looking radiant.

The two-day rest period is over, and from today onwards, we must go to the escort agency as usual to carry out our duties, including practicing martial arts, escorting goods, and keeping watch at night. These are all part of the daily life of an escort.

Zhou Yan first went to the martial arts field to train his arm strength and shoulder muscles with stone locks, and then performed a set of "Taizu Changquan" in a steady, upright and majestic manner.

Hu Yanlei, Shi Baichuan, and Wang Kui arrived at the martial arts arena.

"Brother Huyan, Brother Wang..."

He was about to greet Shi Baichuan, but then he saw that the other man had black eyes.

"Brother Shi, what's going on?"

Hu Yanlei laughed heartily, "I was pressing acupoints on my wife last night."

There seemed to be no problem with what he said. The day before yesterday at the martial arts arena, Zhang Wangyue asked the镖师 (bodyguard/escort) how long it had taken him to master the acupoints where the two Qiao meridians intersected. The other party said that he had been pressing the acupoints on his wife for several days before he knew them by heart.

Zhou Yan's comparison of himself to Hu Yanlei is quite insightful. He can associate dark circles under the eyes with acupressure and nourishing snake soup.

"Brother Shi, you work hard until the early hours of the morning and the rooster crows at dawn. I admire you."

Shi Baichuan said in a serious tone: "An old steed in its stall may still be eager to run, but it will not stop until it dies."

Zhou Yan was filled with respect. "Master Wang, let's spar a bit," Hu Yanlei said.

"no problem."

The two men shared some insights on spear and sword techniques with Zhou Yan last night. Now, Hu Yanlei suggested a sparring session, which was to show Zhou Yan their moves.

The deep clang of a gunshot and the sharp slash of a blade rang out simultaneously, as Huyan Lei's spear surged like a writhing python. Wang Kui's swordsmanship was domineering and fierce, like ink splashed on a great river.

A gun can split the earth and shatter rocks, a knife can stir up raging waves.

The night before, Zhou Yan listened to Hu Yanlei and Wang Kui's insights on spear and sword techniques. Now, watching the sword and spear clash, he could instantly grasp the essence of the many subtleties between the moves, which might have been difficult to understand in the past.

Seeing Hu Yanlei's domineering and vigorous spear technique, he wondered if this was the Hu family spear technique, and he couldn't help but put in a lot of hard work to memorize it.

In fact, Zhou Yan didn't remember many of the minor details in The Legend of the Condor Heroes. Guo Jing also learned the widely circulated Hu Yan family spear technique from the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan.

At dawn, Zhou Yan learned Hu Yanlei's spear technique and Wang Kui's Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Saber technique.

……

Time flies, and several days have passed in the blink of an eye. During the day, Zhou Yan practices boxing at the escort agency, and at night he cultivates his internal energy in the courtyard, diligently practicing the Free and Easy Fist, the Dragon's Regret, and the Dragon's Tail Swing.

He had completely integrated into the life of a bodyguard.

Of course, there were also unpleasant things. Cui Qingshan always spoke in a strange and sarcastic tone. He wasn't promoted to a bodyguard, and his nephew, Cui Changshun, harbored resentment towards him.

But Zhou Yan is now a favorite of the escort agency, and the other party can't do anything about it.

In the morning, everyone got busy.

When the escort agency was on a mission to Sichuan, Zhang Wangyue asked Huyan Lei if Zhou Yan was suitable. Huyan Lei replied that Cui Qingshan was in the escort team, so it was not appropriate.

At 9:00 AM, the goods were delivered by the managers of the major merchants in Zhongdu, who arranged for their employees to transport them to the address provided by the employer.

More than thirty trucks arrived, carrying medicinal herbs and leather goods from Liaodong, textiles and embroidery from Jiangnan, and porcelain.

In the afternoon, the employer arrived at the escort agency. The agency owner, the chief escort, and the other party inspected the goods and checked the accounts together. Then, Zhou Yan and the other escorts and porters loaded the goods into the escort box and stamped it with the seal.

I was so busy that I only had a moment to relax when the night was deep in the air.

Below the chief镖头 (head镖师, a high-ranking镖师 in the镖局, a type of镖局, is Zhang Wangyue and Shi Xiangui, two镖头.)

The escort was Shi Xiangui.

Therefore, Zhou Yan and the others who did not escort goods were assigned to night duty.

It will take at least two more days for the escort agency to hire mules and horses to transport the goods.

Starlight falls, and the night wind rustles through the leaves.

Hu Yanlei and Zhou Yan were on night duty.

After the two men made their rounds, they returned to the courtyard where the caravan was parked. Hu Yanlei said to Zhou Yan, "After midnight, find a place to rest."

"How does this make."

I can't sleep.

"I am the same way. Why don't you tell me some anecdotes about the Hu family generals?"

"Haha, let's go over to the pavilion for tea."

The two walked toward the octagonal pavilion in the courtyard, and the barking of dogs could be heard from the long street outside the security agency.

Zhou Yan and Hu Yanlei instinctively stopped. In just a moment, several black figures appeared in the night between the rows of buildings of the escort agency, sometimes floating on the rooftops and sometimes appearing in the treetops, their figures graceful and ethereal.

Zhou Yan holds the bow in a reverse grip.

Hu Yanlei gestured for them to wait and see.

The two stood in the shadow cast by the pavilion pillars, while several figures, as agile as night owls, crossed the escort agency and disappeared into another patch of night.

(End of this chapter)