The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 177 Yang Kang Pays Homage to the Mountain and Explores the Sacred Land at Night

The ten-mile-long pavilion must eventually be closed.

Zhou Yan and Huang Rong lingered on Mount Heng for three days, drinking Ling wine and discussing swordsmanship, before finally parting ways.

Liu Qingzhou saw him off at Hengshan City, and Zhou Yan clasped his hands in a salute, asking him to stay.

He and Huang Rong and the others rode away.

Zhou Yan originally intended for Liang Xiaowu and Tangzishou to rest in Hengyang, while he, Huang Rong, and Mei Chaofeng headed to Iron Palm Mountain. However, after learning from Liu Qingzhou that the Iron Palm Gang's headquarters was located in the northwest of Changde and Chenzhou, between Luxi and Chenxi along the Yuan River, the estimated distance was nearly a thousand miles, he abandoned his original plan and set off with everyone.

As Zhou Yan and the others gradually disappeared into the mountains and waters of Hengyang, Liu Qingzhou returned to the scene and used his movement technique to head straight for Hengshan. He had discussed swordsmanship with Zhou Yan and gained profound insights. If he could channel his internal energy outward and use techniques such as "entangling force" and "twisting force" to drive his swordsmanship, the Hengshan swordsmanship would become even more unpredictable and versatile, making it impossible to defend against. After a period of arduous training, he would surely be able to defeat the fisherman of Dongting Lake.

……

Suddenly, voices were heard in the empty mountains. Huang Rong and Zhou Yan rode forward. She said, "Do you remember the moves of Liu Qingzhou's 'Hengshan Five Divine Swords'?"

"Remember about 80%."

Huang Rong smiled and said, "I'll make up the 20% for you."

"Thank you."

"No need, I'll hire bodyguards. You guarantee my safety, and I'll be safe if you're strong."

"Makes sense."

Huang Rong chuckled, "You really are unconventional, just like your father. But you only have the moves, not the method of channeling energy. How can you unleash the power of the Hengshan Sword Technique? Since I went to vent my anger on Hou Tonghai, I've seen all sorts of masters and memorized many moves, but they're all just for show. They might intimidate people and deal with mediocre opponents, but they'll be exposed when they encounter a true master."

"In swordsmanship, form comes last, momentum comes first, and intention resides in momentum. By using sword momentum, one can perfect the evolution of sword moves. Just like the Quanzhen swordsmanship, where Qi flows through the Lung Meridian of Hand Taiyin and the Yangming Meridian of Hand Yangming, and internal force surges into acupoints such as Shaoshang and Yuji, one can also use the Hengshan swordsmanship by following this method of guiding Qi. However, it will lack the flexibility of the Hengshan swordsmanship, but it has more ways of variation compared to the Quanzhen swordsmanship."

Huang Rong clicked her tongue in admiration: "A truly brilliant idea! I've memorized the Qi-guiding method of the Quanzhen Swordplay. From now on, when I see you use your swordplay, I'll be able to learn it too."

"This is a good thing, you're safe and I'm safe."

Huang Rong recalled what she had said to Zhou Yan before, her bright eyes sparkling, and said, "I told you, if you and I join forces, we will be invincible."

Zhou Yan chuckled, ignoring Huang Rong's words.

Huang Rong smiled and said that she didn't necessarily need Zhou Yan to give her an answer. She had plenty of ways to get Zhou Yan to accompany her to Iron Palm Mountain.

The group rode swiftly, and five days later, following the route given by Liu Qingzhou, they entered the territory of Luxi and Chenxi. After spending some money to scout the area, by noon on the sixth day, they could already see five towering peaks reaching into the clouds in the distance.

The Iron Palm Clan's headquarters, Iron Palm Mountain, is about to open.

Over the past few days, while everyone rested, Zhou Yan took out the Hengshan Five Divine Sword techniques he had memorized one by one, practiced them diligently, comprehended their sword intent and momentum, and then repeatedly tested them with the Quanzhen Sword Technique and the "Three Steps and Eighteen Spears" method of the "Rain of Pear Blossoms Spear" to guide his qi. Gradually, he mastered them, and a pressure point sword technique based on the Hengshan Five Divine Swords gradually took shape in his hands.

Along the way, he also gave Liang Xiaowu and others some pointers on martial arts. After Zhou Yan of the Fu'an Escort Agency, the youngest escort also gained a lot.

When the group reached the foot of the mountain, Huang Rong looked up at Iron Palm Peak and sighed, "It really is just like the scene in the painting. But how did we manage to climb up to the middle two sections of the peak so silently?"

Zhou Yan knew that the "Martial Arts Manual of Yue Fei" was hidden in the sacred ground of the Iron Palm Clan, and that the clan's disciples were strictly forbidden from entering. Inside, there were the remains of the Iron Palm Clan's leaders throughout the ages, as well as the weapons they used and the rare and precious antiques they liked. It was no exaggeration to call it a treasure trove. In the Legend of the Condor Heroes world, Qiu Qianzhang thought of going to the forbidden stone cave to find some precious swords and sabers. However, he encountered Guo Jing and Huang Rong, who were chasing him and had no choice but to come to him in a panic. In the end, he fell into the valley and was left with no trace of his body.

Zhou Yan had considered all possible solutions and made preparations along the way.

When Huang Rong asked, he replied, "Let's find a place to stay first. Tonight, Xiao Wu and I will go into the mountains to scout it out."

"And me and Mei Ruohua."

"Row!"

Instead of climbing Iron Palm Peak, the group found a pine forest, settled their horses, and rested there.

Night fell, and weary birds returned to their nests.

The four of them approached the Five Peaks along Iron Palm Mountain, with Zhou Yan and Liang Xiaowu each carrying several coils of rope.

In the world of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Guo Jing and Huang Zhong escaped using two eagles.

Zhou Yan is a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), skilled in throwing ropes and tying knots.

He encountered Gongsun Zhi and Qiu Qianchi on the outskirts of Xiangyang, and escaped by using ropes to descend into Snake Valley. He was also able to climb and retreat using ropes on Iron Palm Peak.

……

There are stone villages and stone houses in the mountains.

The room was brightly lit and had more than ten people sitting inside.

Among the three people in the middle are an old man with a white beard, wearing a yellow linen short shirt and waving a large palm-leaf fan in his right hand; a man from the Western Regions with a high nose and deep-set eyes; and a handsome young nobleman with red lips and white teeth.

The seats on the left and right, going down in order, were occupied by Ouyang Ke, Nimo Xing, Yin Kexi, Helian Chuncheng, Lingzhi Shangren, and others.

Ouyang Ke appeared; the man from the Western Regions was none other than Ouyang Feng.

The identities of the wealthy young man and the white-bearded old man are obvious.

Yang Kang and Qiu Qianren, the leader of the Iron Palm Clan.

Zhou Yan traveled south to Yueyang and met Lu Beihe, the young master of Zhenwei Escort Agency, on the outskirts of Kaifeng. The two talked for a while, and Zhou Yan learned that Yang Kang was recruiting people from the martial arts world.

In fact, Yang Kang had already left the Feng family mansion and headed straight for the Iron Palm Clan at that time.

The Iron Palm Clan is the number one gang in Jiangnan. With the help of Qiu Qianren, the Iron Palm Clan can respond when the Jin Kingdom attacks the Song Dynasty.

Despite having Iron Palm Water-Walking and Western Poison, Yang Kang was not afraid of the Quanzhen Sect, the Eastern Heretic, or the Northern Beggar.

He had a well-thought-out plan. He arrived with generous gifts.

If it were just an ordinary sect, how could they have persuaded Ouyang Feng? But the Iron Palm Clan was famous throughout Jiangnan, and Qiu Qianren's reputation as "Iron Palm Water-Floating" was not much inferior to that of the Western Poison. That's why Ouyang Feng accompanied Yang Kang south.

One was the crown prince of the Jin Dynasty, and the other was the infamous Western Poison.

How could Qiu Qianren possibly refuse?

Yang Kang raised his cup and said, "With Chief Qiu's help, Father Emperor's great cause can be accomplished. At that time, the entire area within a radius of five hundred miles of Iron Palm Mountain will belong to the Iron Palm Gang."

Ouyang Feng said in a voice like the scraping of a broken cymbal, "Chief Qiu can also compete with the Beggars' Sect for the title of the number one gang in the world."

Qiu Qianren was not someone who could let go of fame and fortune; otherwise, he wouldn't have sneaked into the Dali Kingdom's palace and slapped the infant born to Consort Liu in order to deplete the Southern Emperor's power, all in his desire to become the number one in the world.

He wanted to claim the title of the number one gang in the world.

The taxes levied on the area within a radius of 500 li of Iron Palm Peak belong to the Iron Palm Gang. Wouldn't that make them richer than a small, isolated country like Dali?

Qiu Qianren was overjoyed, but said, "The Crown Prince is so kind to you. You can also exchange martial arts skills with Brother Ouyang. How could I not appreciate your kindness? After my sister gets married, I will go down the mountain to Kaifeng Prefecture."

"Thank you, Chief Qiu."

"Easy to say."

The three raised their glasses, and Ouyang Ke, Nemo Xing, and all the leaders of the Iron Palm Clan joined in, exchanging toasts and creating a lively atmosphere.

Yang Kang was in high spirits. Although Zhongdu had been lost, he had the Iron Palm Clan to help him. As long as his father could stop the Mongol army from advancing south and strengthen the military, he would surely be able to turn the tide in time.

He was a very meticulous person, and asked, "Chief Qiu says your sister is getting married, is she the famous Iron Palm Lotus Qiu Qianchi?"

"Exactly."

"When is the wedding date? I will definitely send a small gift."

Ouyang Ke laughed and said, "Why don't we join the Crown Prince for a cup of wedding wine?"

“Very good,” Yang Kang said.

The light flickers, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes wide, sometimes narrow, like the gentle fluttering of butterfly wings.

After leaving Caizhou Chaya Mountain, Qiu Qianchi went to the Iron Palm Clan. The two siblings naturally reconciled, and Qiu Qianchi also told about Gongsun Zhi from the Valley of Heartbreak.

In fact, the Valley of Heartbreak and the Iron Palm Clan had never officially interacted or reached the point of discussing marriage. However, Qiu Qianren had anticipated that Qiu Qianchi had lived in the Valley of Heartbreak for a long time, so the marriage was a natural progression and he casually mentioned it.

Little did anyone know that Yang Kang, in order to curry favor with Qiu Qianren, actually said he would attend the celebratory banquet.

Qiu Qianren also thought it was a good thing and thanked him repeatedly, creating a lively atmosphere in the hall.

……

The bright moon shines on the palm peak, its light flowing like a white silk ribbon.

Zhou Yan, Huang Rong, Liang Xiaowu, and Mei Chaofeng silently made their way up Iron Palm Mountain.

The brightly lit stone village was visible in the distance, and the four of them walked around it.

Mei Chaofeng possessed profound internal strength and exceptional hearing, easily avoiding several patrolling groups of Iron Palm Clan disciples as she made her way to the valley below the central peak.

Huang Rong looked up and saw that the valley was steep and shaped like a tailor's cut, and the sky was like a gray cloth covered with starlight.

"You want me to climb a cliff?" Huang Rong asked.

"The trees grow horizontally and the pines are gnarled and twisted, so it's not difficult to climb up. In fact, given the Iron Palm Clan's night defense capabilities, it's possible to slip up from the front of the mountain. The only concern is that things can't be planned and done perfectly."

"That makes sense. Be careful."

"It will only take some effort, don't worry."

Zhou Yan carried a giant bow with ox horns on his back and several bundles of ropes around his shoulders. He was about to unleash the "Golden Goose Skill," which resembled a goose in flight. He soared more than two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) into the air and landed on the trunk of a pine tree.

Using the force of the recoil, he rose another two zhang and stopped on a pine branch as thick as an arm that broke through the rock. He repeated this as he rose more than ten zhang. As the pine trees gradually thinned out, he used his rope-throwing skill, just like climbing the city wall of Zhongdu. He used the pine trees that were several zhang apart or the protruding rocks, like a monkey climbing a mountain, and completely blended into the night in the eyes of Huang Rong and Liang Xiaowu at the bottom of the valley.

Zhou Yan did not climb towards the summit. Based on his memory of the events in The Legend of the Condor Heroes, he knew that the cave was dozens of feet above the summit.
There were no surprises along the way.

When they were about thirty feet from the mountain peak, Zhou Yan threw the rope toward a pine tree that was growing out of the cliff. Feeling the weight, his body suddenly swung several feet forward before landing on solid ground.

Zhou Yan let out a soft breath.

Although it ended without serious injury, it still took a lot of effort.

He adjusted his breathing slightly, then tied the several ropes around his body into a tight knot.
Tie the end of the rope to the whistling arrow, draw the bow and nock the arrow. With a "thud," a deep whistling sound rang out, and the long arrow flew more than ten feet before falling down with the rope attached.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Huang Rong's figure appeared on the cliff, followed by Liang Xiaowu. Mei Chaofeng, blind, guarded the bottom of the valley.
"Xiao Wu, wait here."

"Got it."

Liang Xiaowu drew his sword, concealed himself with a hidden weapon, and hid in the woods.

Zhou Yan was about to take the opportunity to search with Huang Rong, but instead saw the other party observing the starry sky and surveying the earth.

He was taken aback. Feng shui?

(End of this chapter)