The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 171 A Heart-Shattering Palm, Huang Rong Searches for Treasure
"The dancing pavilions and singing stages, the elegance is always washed away by the wind and rain."

The lights were as bright as day. Inside the council hall, the manager of the Changfeng Escort Agency sighed.

Although the Sihai Escort Agency had changed its name and become the Zhongdu branch of the Changfeng Escort Agency, Lei Luo, who had regained control of the agency and resumed his status as the owner, still sighed, "That's right. When the Jin Kingdom marched south, there were many famous generals, such as Wanyan Zongbi, Wanyan Yinwuke, Wanyan Zongwang, and Wanyan Zonghan. Which one of them wasn't a brilliant figure with the ambition to swallow a tiger? But now, Zhongdu is in danger and the country is declining."

Lei Luo then changed the subject, "Fortunately, the Emperor and the Crown Prince are both very talented and still have the potential to turn the tide."

The manager chuckled, "Indeed, when the young prince visited our escort agency, he immediately struck me as extraordinary. Leaving aside his martial arts skills, his gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, humble, loyal, filial, brave, and honest character is truly admirable. With Fu'an eliminated, Changfeng will be the sole power in Zhongdu. Our boss will surely be delighted. Changfeng can also gather intelligence on the Mongol army, and perhaps our boss will even gain the Crown Prince's favor and earn him a title."

The manager of Changfeng Escort Agency was transferred from Datong Prefecture. He was meticulous in his work, had excellent accounting skills, and also possessed considerable martial arts skills. Lei Luo was now in charge of the Zhongdu branch, and the manager and Lei Luo naturally had nothing to talk about.

Lei Luo was quite pleased with the manager's words, but he said aloud, "If I can run the escort agency well and see it thrive for even a day, that will be enough."

"You're too modest, sir."

"How is things in Fu'an now?" Lei Luo asked.

The manager said, "It's about time to wrap this up."

Suddenly, someone drew a knife in the courtyard outside the council hall.

"who?"

"Deadly"

"what!"

With a "thud," someone seemed to fall to the ground.

The steward was alarmed and hurried to the window, but the carved window burst open in an instant, and a figure rushed in like a tiger, thrusting a sharp spear at him.

The steward stepped back and casually lifted his hand, sending the wooden table in the hall flying. It crashed into the figure rushing in with a deafening roar, like a storm in an instant. The thick wooden table shattered into pieces under the tiger-headed, gold-inlaid spear of Huyan Lei, who had a leopard-headed and ring-eyed appearance, and the pieces flew in different directions.

The palm-width spearhead suddenly pierced through.

The steward instinctively raised his hand, and the spear pierced his arm, piercing forward until his arm was shattered, and then the spearhead suddenly pierced his shoulder.

With a push of his right hand, Hu Yanlei pinned the steward to the wall with the spear.

Lei Luo's "Ah" was caught in his throat as the lamplight flickered and Zhou Yan came into view.

“It’s you… Zhou… Zhou Yan.”

“That’s right!” Zhou Yan chuckled in a low voice. As he replied, the sounds of fighting had already spread throughout the courtyard of Changfeng Escort Agency.

For nearly a year, the bodyguards and escorts of Fu'an have been practicing diligently under the encouragement of Zhou Yan, and have also been taught the art of combined attacks by Zhang Wangyue. They have long since undergone a complete transformation.

Fu'an is called a security escort agency, but its strength far surpasses that of gangs like the Yellow River Gang.

Mu Nianci and Liang Xiaowu led more than 30 people to attack. The first thing they did was to kill people with a large number of arrows, bone-piercing nails and iron caltrops. Mu Nianci and others with high cultivation fought one-on-one, while the remaining two or three people joined forces to throw fishing nets, throw lime, and slash and stab with knives and spears. The镖师 (bodyguards) and 趟子手 (escorts) of Changfeng Zhongdu Branch were routed.

Lei Luo heard increasingly agonizing screams coming from all the courtyards, and his body trembled, but he suppressed his fear and said, "Don't do anything rash. You're trying to provoke a full-scale conflict between Changfeng and Fu'an. The young master is on good terms with the current crown prince, and Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, is a guest of the escort agency."

"Did Helian Chuncheng hire thugs to ambush and kill me and the Fu'an镖队 at the Tongguan Wharf on the Yellow River?"

Lei Luo was taken aback.

Zhou Yan could tell from the fleeting change in the other party's expression that the other party was completely unaware of what Helian Chuncheng had done, so he didn't need to ask any further questions. He used his right palm to strike the other party's "Shanzhong" acupoint on his chest with the "Heart-Shattering Palm".

The Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian intersects at the "Shanzhong" acupoint, dispersing and connecting to the pericardium. When Zhou Yan struck down with his palm, the immense internal force surged along this meridian, crashing into Lei Luo's pericardium and shattering his heart.

A single blow can destroy a heart.

"Brother, deal with the bodyguards and porters outside and then leave."

Hu Yanlei drew his gun, the blade slicing through the steward's throat, spraying blood onto the white wall.

"Just leave like this? Aren't you going to search around and grab a few martial arts manuals?" Hu Yanlei asked.

"Xiao Wu will handle the aftermath."

Hu Yanlei laughed heartily, "That's great!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhou Yan soared out like a roc, his Qingfeng sword unsheathed. He joined the battle at lightning speed, his sword whistling and flying at high speed. The dust in the air was cut open by the force of his sword, revealing streaks of white. The crisp, piercing sounds and the clanging, resonating sounds mingled, seemingly without end, extending from the courtyard in front of the council hall to another area.

Hu Yanlei's lips twitched, and he muttered to himself, "Brother Zhou went to Zhongnan Mountain and his skills have improved considerably. I, too, have practiced diligently from dawn till dusk, but the gap between us is becoming increasingly obvious. Brother, you are exceptionally talented and a martial arts prodigy. I think from now on, we don't need to call you 'Taihang Sword God,' but 'Central Plains Sword God,' or 'Central Divine Sword.' Haha, the nickname 'Central Divine Sword' is truly majestic."

The battle at Changfeng Escort Agency ended completely in less than half an incense stick's time. Zhou Yan, Hu Yanlei, and Mu Nianci left first, while Liang Xiaowu cleaned up the mess. He looted the corpse to obtain the silver and the martial arts technique, which Liang Xiaowu, who had received Zhou Yan's true teachings, was skilled in.

……

Shields, swords, and spears transformed into a massive wall of advance in the blink of an eye. The Jin soldiers were forced into a dead end in Guo Jing's sight. In the present world, he had not yet mastered the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms," but since his journey north from Lin'an, under the guidance of Qiu Chuji, his Quanzhen martial arts had been steadily improving, and his cultivation was truly remarkable.

As Guo Jing walked forward, he picked up a long spear and began to use the "Huyan Spear Technique".

He held the gun in both hands, and in the smoke, the spearhead leaped up, like a phantom, and thrust several times, causing the Jin soldiers in front of him to fall away with screams of pain.

"Huh, Huyan spear technique."

The Mongol soldiers who had stormed in through the west gate had advanced into the neighborhood where Changfeng Escort Agency and Fu'an Escort Agency were located. Zhou Yan, Huyan Lei, and Mu Nianci moved swiftly through the streets and alleys. Suddenly, Huyan Lei saw Guo Jing leading his troops in a battle with the Jin soldiers, and saw the enemy using the "Huyan Spear Technique." He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Who goes there? Fire!" A Mongolian voice rang out in the night. Guo Jing, who had just smashed the head of a Jin soldier with his spear, glanced into the distance.

He first recognized Mu Nianci, who was dressed in red, and then saw Zhou Yan and Hu Yanlei.

"My benefactor, Sister Mu"

Guo Jing quickly used Mongolian to stop the soldiers from firing arrows, leaped onto a rooftop, and landed in front of Zhou Yan in a few bounds. "My benefactor, Sister Mu, it's been a long time."

"Brother Guo," Mu Nianci greeted him warmly.

"Long time no see, Brother Guo."

"What is this, my benefactor?"

"Let's deal with matters of the martial world and return to the escort agency."

The fighting in the alley continued. Guo Jing said, "I'll go find my benefactor later."

"Alright, the escort agency is just ahead."

"it is good."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhou Yan and his group headed straight for the Fu'an Escort Agency without lingering.

……

Zhang Wangyue was a little worried about how to deal with the more than two hundred Jin soldiers' corpses. Zhou Yan landed in the courtyard and walked over, saying, "The Mongol soldiers are about to attack. The corpses can be moved directly to the street."

"Very good, Changfeng has resolved the issue."

"Yes, Xiao Wu is cleaning up the mess and will be back soon."

"it is good!"

"They're waiting for you over there."

"I'll be right there." Zhou Yan glanced at Huang Rong and Mei Chaofeng, greeted Zhang Wangyue, and walked over.

The wind rustled past, carrying away the lingering stench of blood.

Zhou Yan and Huang Rong strolled to the edge of the martial arts field.

"How did this silly girl learn her father's martial arts?"

Zhou Yan said, "I met Master Qiu by chance at West Lake in Lin'an and learned about the news of Yang, the镖师 (bodyguard) of the镖局 (bodyguard agency), who was an old friend of mine."

Huang Rong smiled and said, "You told me about this before. Is it related to the Taoists of the Quanzhen Sect?"

“Sort of.” Zhou Yan sat on the stone lock, and Huang Rong sat down as well. He said, “The former residences of the Guo and Yang families are in Niujia Village on the outskirts of Lin’an. I had nothing to do, so I went there. I met her at an inn at the village entrance and encountered Ouyang Ke and his men. We fought and I took her away from Niujia Village. She has some mental issues and calls herself ‘Silly Girl.’ She doesn’t remember anything from her past. There’s a secret room in the inn. Inside, I saw two skeletons and an iron box. One skeleton had a waist tag on it, so it was a palace guard. I guess the other one is related to ‘Silly Girl.’ Oh, and there was also a long knife with the character ‘Qu’ engraved on it.”

With Qiu Chuji's words preceding his statement, Zhou Yan's account was flawless.

Huang Rong was intelligent and roughly guessed some of the identity of the silly girl from Zhou Yan's words.

"Where's the metal box?"

"In the courtyard."

"Let's have a look together."

"it is good"

Huang Rong suddenly smiled.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing much, I just feel like you have a lot of stories to tell."

"It seems a bit like that."

"More than that, the Iron Palm Clan, Ouyang Feng, the strange eagle in Snake Valley on the outskirts of Xiangyang, Gongsun Li and his son in Peach Garden in the valley, the Vajra Sect of the Western Regions, how many strange things and people can be encountered."

Zhou Yan smiled but remained silent.

The two got up and went to the council hall. Zhou Yan told Zhang Wangyue that he would take Sha Gu and Mei Chaofeng with Huang Rong, and the four of them left.

Upon arriving at the courtyard, Zhou Yan asked the simple-minded girl to brew tea while he dug out an iron box from the courtyard wall.

"This is what was discovered at the Niujiacun Hotel."

The light from the oil lamp shone from the stone table beneath the ancient tree.

Huang Rong opened the iron box, and in the firelight, the box was filled with dazzling objects, which turned out to be pearls and jade treasures.

Huang Rong grabbed a handful of jewels, released her fingers, and gently slipped them one by one into the box. The sound of the pearls and jade clashing together was clear and melodious.

“These are all extremely precious treasures. Any one of them is roughly equivalent to the entire profit of Fu’an’s escort missions for a year.” As Huang Rong said this, she glanced at Zhou Yan out of the corner of her eye, but he looked completely normal, as if he regarded the treasures as dirt.

Huang Rong was initially curious about Zhou Yan's attitude. After all, the镖人 (bodyguards) worked hard and earned only a meager profit. But the quick-witted Huang Rong then thought that Zhou Yan was willing to give her snake gall, which was coveted by many in the martial arts world and could relax muscles and strengthen bones, without any hesitation. So she was relieved.

People are divided into different classes, just as wood is divided into rosewood and sandalwood. The镖头 (bodyguard/escort) who saved his life possessed a strong sense of integrity.

Huang Rong continued her treasure hunt. The iron box had a hidden compartment, beneath which lay ancient artifacts stained with verdigris. The more she looked, the more curious she became. She lifted another layer, only to find scrolls of calligraphy and paintings underneath.

She casually picked up a scroll and unfurled it on the stone table. The painting depicted towering, steep mountains with five peaks, the middle one being particularly high, its tip pointing straight to the sky and soaring into the clouds.

On the west side of the peak stands a lone old pine, upright and majestic. Beneath the pine, a general is painted in vermilion ink, wielding a sword against the wind. The face of the figure is obscured, but his robes flutter and his posture is otherworldly. A poem is inscribed on the painting:
"My clothes are covered in dust from years of travel, so I specially seek out the fragrance of flowers on the verdant hills. I can never get enough of the beautiful waters and mountains, so I urge my horse to return home under the bright moon."

Zhou Yan's mind raced. He thought to himself, "What a coincidence! In the world of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Huang Rong deduced the whereabouts of the 'Martial Arts Manual' from this painting."

(End of this chapter)