The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 172 Massacre of the City, Death in Remonstrance

Huang Rong softly recited the poem, and after reading it, she said, "I wonder who this general is, and who the poem is about?"

Zhou Yan knew that the poem above was written by Han Shizhong. He suddenly thought of Zhenwei Escort Agency in Kaifeng Prefecture. Lu Beihe had once said that the owner of Zhenwei was a descendant of Han Shizhong. Did the owner of the escort agency know the whereabouts of the "Wumu Legacy"?

"Is it possible that the poem is about Yue Fei?" Zhou Yan wondered, his thoughts returning to the present.

Huang Rong asked curiously, "Why?"

The silly girl boiled tea, picked up the pot and cups, and poured tea for Zhou Yan and Huang Rong. Huang Rong casually rolled up the scroll and placed it on the iron box, listening to Zhou Yan's story.

"Yang the镖师 once said that the owner of the Niujia Village Inn was Qu San."

Huang Rong seemed to be deep in thought.

The sounds of fighting drifted through the night, and Zhou Yan's voice was slightly low and slow, adding a touch of solemnity.

"The friendship between Yang the镖师 (bodyguard), Guo Xiaotian, and Qu San stemmed from a chase by palace guards. Qu San had said that the emperor was incompetent and exploited the people, so he broke into the palace to steal. Based on this, it's reasonable to assume that these jewels and scrolls originated from within the palace. The poem on the scroll reads: 'Horse hooves urge us home under the bright moon.'"

Huang Rong had a sudden inspiration and clapped her hands, saying, "Eight thousand miles of clouds and moon."

Zhou Yan said, "That's why I made this deduction."

"While it may not be entirely correct, you are indeed very clever," Huang Rong praised, adding, "I've roughly figured it out. Silly Girl must be related to Father's disciple, Qu Lingfeng."

Mei Chaofeng sat on a chair under the eaves without saying a word. Suddenly, she heard Huang Rong say this, so she stood up and floated over to Zhou Yan and Huang Rong.

"Is that silly girl a descendant of Senior Brother Qu?"

"Pretty much. Father was fond of antiques and collectibles. It must have been Brother Qu who stole these jewels and paintings from the capital, and was then chased by the palace guards, eventually dying in Niujia Village. Mei Ruohua, you didn't see it when you were in Fu'an, but Silly Girl knows the 'Azure Wave Palm Technique'."

After pouring the tea, Sha Gu squatted down by the iron box and played with the pearls and jade. Huang Rong put the scroll back, and Sha Gu looked at the sword-wielding general on the scroll.

Upon hearing that the simple-minded girl might be Qu Lingfeng, Mei Chaofeng turned around and grabbed her arm, asking, "Is your father Qu Lingfeng?"

Iron Corpse's black hair flew wildly, his face was as white as paper, and his voice was sharp and fierce. The silly girl was frightened and shrank back. Mei Chaofeng's hand landed on the scroll, and with a "hiss", the scroll was torn open and fell to the ground.

"Mei Ruohua, you'll scare this silly girl to death," Huang Rong said irritably. "I'm here to ask, but it's a pity about this painting."

Huang Rong bent down to pick up the painting that had fallen to the ground, and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "There are words on the paper inside this painting!"

Zhou Yan sighed inwardly, amazed at the coincidence.

Huang Rong examined the ink and brushes hidden in the painting and said, "The Legacy of Yue Fei, from Iron Palm Mountain, Section Two of the Central Peak."

"The Military Manual of Yue Fei?" Huang Rong's eyes suddenly lit up. "I understand Yue Fei's military strategy and martial arts. When Ouyang Ke and his men went to the Lin'an Palace, they stole the Military Manual of Yue Fei. The painting should be in the stone box in the Water Curtain Cave, but my senior brother Qu took it out and left the empty box."

Zhou Yan sincerely admired Huang Rong. Whether the scroll was in the stone box and was stolen by Qu Lingfeng was not mentioned in the Legend of the Condor Heroes world, but Huang Rong was able to connect the dots and realize that Ouyang Feng and his nephew came to Lin'an. She was truly clever and insightful.

As he was thinking this, Huang Rong suddenly said, "How about we go to Iron Palm Mountain together?"

"We can't get away for now."

"What's so good about being a bodyguard? You're exposed to the elements and have no freedom."

"How can you know what a fish is if you are not a fish yourself?"

"Pfft," Huang Rong laughed, "You are probably the most knowledgeable and insightful bodyguard I have ever met. Alright, I won't make things difficult for you."

As Huang Rong said this, she was thinking to herself, "Do you think I have no way to get you to Iron Palm Mountain? I have plenty of ways."

Seeing Huang Rong's rather smug expression, Zhou Yan asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Huang Rong chuckled, "Guess?"

She changed the subject quickly, saying to Mei Chaofeng, "Mei Ruohua, you don't need to ask. Father asked you to find the descendants of several senior brothers. Silly Girl is a descendant of Senior Brother Qu. You are one step closer to returning to your sect."

Mei Chaofeng was delighted and said to Zhou Yan, "Thank you, Chief Escort Zhou. If you hadn't met the silly girl, I would never have been able to find her."

"polite!"

Mei Chaofeng nodded, slowly walked to the eaves, sat down in a chair, and pondered that Zhou Yan had first saved his junior sister, and now indirectly helped him find the descendant of his senior brother Qu. He wondered if he should try to get his junior sister to take him to Peach Blossom Island, and then tell his master that he had learned the true scriptures and techniques, and let his master handle it himself.

As she was thinking this, she suddenly heard Huang Rong ask, "Tomorrow, Mei Ruohua and I are leaving the capital for Kaifeng Prefecture. Where is the Great Poisonous Snake?"

"For the time being, the medicine boy will take care of him."

"Well, if you want to get snake gall, you can go to Peach Blossom Island." Huang Rong said the location of Peach Blossom Island in just a few words.

"Perhaps we'll meet again in the martial world."

"That's true." Huang Rong thought that raising a giant venomous snake was not something that could be done overnight, and she still had to find a way to get Zhou Yan to Iron Palm Mountain, so she smiled and didn't mention the matter again.

Mei Chaofeng was deeply disappointed.

As the moon shone high in the sky, the sounds of fighting within the city gradually moved towards the Zhao Prince's mansion. Huang Rong was also a little worried about the medicine boy. She bid farewell to Zhou Yan, asked Mei Chaofeng to take the iron box, coaxed the silly girl, and the three of them left.

Zhou Yan was also thinking about the escort agency, so he traveled by moonlight towards Fu'an.

Half of the city was floating in the smoke and fire. Zhou Yan witnessed the situation and felt heavy-hearted. He thought about how Ouyang Ke already knew about the ancient tomb and might even drag Ouyang Feng there. He had promised Xiaolongnu that he would help her if she was in trouble.

He let out a soft sigh, which dissipated in the cold wind, signifying that his connection with Fu'an was coming to an end.

……

When Zhou Yan returned to the escort agency, he told Zhang Wangyue, Hu Yanlei, and Mu Nianci about the silly girl. Everyone sighed in surprise, as the silly girl had such a bizarre background.

Hu Yanlei treated the simple-minded girl as his adopted daughter and took good care of her in the past. After reflecting on this, he felt gratified.

The escort agency remained on high alert. After midnight, as the sounds of fighting faded into the distance, the tense expressions of the escorts and porters finally eased.

As dawn broke, the sound of hooves thundered, and a rider came galloping like lightning.

The porters cooked porridge, and Zhou Yan, Zhang Wangyue, and the others had breakfast. A commotion arose from the entrance of the escort agency, and a bodyguard rushed over: "Chief Escort, a young man surnamed Guo requests an audience with Chief Escort Zhou." "It's the Guo brothers." Zhang Wangyue had met Guo Jing when he was with the Yang family and knew that the other party had grown up in Mongolia. He also knew from Zhou Yan about leading troops into Zhongdu.

Zhou Yan couldn't elaborate on Guo Jing's situation. Zhang Wangyue vaguely sensed that Guo Jing was of extraordinary status, but he was good at judging people and could see that Guo Jing was simple and kind-hearted. He only hoped that Guo Jing was truly of noble status and that Guo Jing could stop the Mongol soldiers from indiscriminately killing innocent people after they conquered Zhongdu.

With that thought in mind, he said to Zhou Yan, "Let's take a look together."

"okay!"

When Zhou Yan and Zhang Wangyue arrived at the entrance of the escort agency, Guo Jing shouted:
"Brother Zhou, Chief Escort."

Zhou Yan smiled slightly, and Guo Jing finally stopped referring to him as his benefactor.

"Brother Guo."

Zhou Yan stepped forward and said, "Brother Guo, please come in."

"Thank you."

When everyone arrived at the escort agency's council hall, Mu Nianci rushed over to greet Guo Jing.

Zhou Yan asked, "Back then, when the Yang family's sister kidnapped a Jin official, she learned during the interrogation that the Great Khan was in charge of the army. Has the Great Khan ever been to Zhongdu?"

"Outside the city."

Zhou Yan thought to himself that this was not a good sign.

Guo Jing said, "My sworn brother really did kill the emperor and become the crown prince of the Jin Kingdom, just as Brother Zhou said."

"You guessed right by luck. What about Master Qiu and the others?" Zhou Yan asked.

"Upon hearing that the treacherous Wanyan Honglie had ascended the throne and moved the capital, we knew it would be difficult to kill the traitor at that time. So the Taoist priests left for the time being, and my master and others went to Kaifeng Prefecture."

Zhou Yan nodded. Just as expected, the Six Heroes of Jiangnan faced off against Wanyan Honglie and Yang Kang.

"What are your plans for the future, Brother Zhou?" Zhou Yan asked.

"I will take Kaifeng Prefecture to avenge my father."

Zhou Yan sighed, saying that this should be a more normal storyline in the Legend of the Condor Heroes world if Guo Jing hadn't met Mu Nianci for a martial arts contest to choose a husband and Huang Rong.

“If the Great Khan conquers Kaifeng, Brother Zhou will be able to avenge his great grudge. But has Brother Zhou ever considered that the Great Khan’s army might search the mountains and seas like the Jurchens did?” Zhang Wangyue asked.

Guo Jing thought for a moment and said, "The Great Khan is a hero, he shouldn't."

"I hope so," Zhang Wangyue nodded.

The atmosphere wasn't heavy. For the rest of the time, Guo Jing asked Mu Nianci if they could go to Yang Miaozhen's stronghold in Caizhou and visit her together.

Mu Nianci gladly accepted the invitation. Although Zhongdu had fallen into the hands of the Mongols and she was free to travel, she anticipated that the escort agency would not be carrying out escort missions for some time, so she should go and visit her adoptive parents.

As they were talking, Liang Xiaowu walked quickly across the courtyard.

"The Mongols ordered all residents to leave the city, leaving no one behind. Escort agencies were no exception."

Zhang Wangyue asked Guo Jing, "We must check the household registers to prevent the hiding of spies."

Zhou Yan's heart skipped a beat. The Mongol army had been besieging Zhongdu for a long time, and the casualties were considerable. They were going to massacre the city to vent their anger.

Guo Jing was still puzzled and said to Zhang Wangyue, "I have no idea."

"I'm afraid a massacre is imminent," Zhou Yan suddenly said.

Guo Jing might not believe Zhang Wangyue's words, but Zhou Yan had analyzed the matter of Yang Kang's regicide and Wanyan Honglie's ascension to the throne. Upon hearing this, Guo Jing's heart tightened. He was honest and kind, and since it concerned the people of the entire city, he dared not be careless. He quickly got up and said, "I will go and find out."

"Thank you."

Guo Jing stood up and quickly left, facing the crowd.

……

Guo Jing left the escort agency and went straight to the Jin Dynasty palace to find Jebe. He asked the residents why they had left the city, and Jebe replied that the Great Khan had ordered a massacre.

Guo Jing was terrified. He left the palace and rode his little red horse at breakneck speed out of the city. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he arrived at the military camp outside the city.

Guo Jing paid his respects, and the soldiers reported that the Khan granted him an audience.

He rushed into the golden tent in a great hurry.

When the Great Khan saw Guo Jing, he was delighted and personally descended from his throne to greet him. He ordered his attendants to bring a brocade stool and asked Guo Jing to sit beside him, saying, "I heard from Tolui and Huazheng that you are the first person to breach the walls of Zhongdu. You deserve a great reward."

Guo Jing was uneasy, but he still mustered his courage and said, "My mother and I are blessed by the Great Khan and have enough to eat and wear. We have no use for servants or gold and silk."

The Khan laughed and said, "Good, that's the true nature of a hero. So what do you want? Whatever you ask for, I will grant it."

Guo Jing rose from his seat, bowed, and said, "I wish to ask the Great Khan for a favor, but please do not be angry."

The Khan laughed and said, "Speak."

"I beg you to spare the lives of the people in the city."

The Khan was astonished, never expecting that Guo Jing would plead for this.

He wasn't angry, and smiled, "Why?"

"Once the Great Khan takes Zhongdu, the people will be your subjects."

The Khan laughed: "That makes some sense. You are the Golden Knife Prince Consort, and you led the charge, capturing Zhongdu. I will reward you with the women and wealth of this city. In the future, you will be rewarded with another city for every city you capture. If you take Kaifeng and take Wanyan Honglie's head, you will marry Zheng'er and be made King of Song."

"how?"

(End of this chapter)