The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 188 The Divine Monk of India, Shaolin Temple in the Western Regions

Hibiscus flowers bloom at the treetops, their red buds bursting forth in the mountains.

Li Mochou's face was as beautiful as a peach blossom, her silhouette was hazy, and her skirt cascaded down like a waterfall as she gazed intently at the flowers that were as radiant as rosy clouds.

"sister!"

"Scared me."

Li Mochou turned around and pretended to pinch Xiaolongnu's cheek.

The white skirt billowed like a blooming water lily, and Little Dragon Girl ran away laughing.
“Sister, you’ve been spacing out like this for the past few days. Master is looking for you.”

"Ah!" Li Mochou stood up in a panic. "What did Master say?"

"no."

She was uneasy, as she kept thinking about Zhou Yan lately, and even saw pairs of butterflies and birds. She was distracted while practicing her skills, wondering if her master had seen her.

"I'm going now. You focus on your training."

"Ah."

Li Mochou strode towards the ancient tomb, while Xiaolongnu squatted in front of the hibiscus flowers, watching the butterflies fluttering among them.

……

The sunlight faded behind Li Mochou, and the lamplight emitted an orange-red hue as she entered the stone chamber.

"Master, did you call me?"

"Ah."

Lin Chaoying's maidservant had a rather imposing look in her eyes and her personality was also influenced by Lin Chaoying, making her quite assertive. Li Mochou was afraid of her master.

"Don't worry, sit down and let's talk."

"Thank you, Master."

Li Mochou lifted her skirt and sat on the stone bench. Lin Chaoying, her maid, said, "Your skills have improved recently, and I am very pleased with you."

"It's because I practiced the martial arts taught by the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort)," Li Mochou thought to herself.

As she was thinking this, she suddenly heard her master say, "I am getting old. Your martial arts talent is outstanding and your cultivation is improving day by day. It is time for you to take over the mantle of your grandmaster."

Li Mochou said in a panic, "Master, may you stay young forever, I dare not."

"Nonsense. If that were true, how could your grandmaster have ascended to immortality?"

How could Li Mochou possibly respond to such a remark?

"My mind is made up."

"Master..."

"Listen to me, and give your junior sister proper guidance so that the martial arts of the Ancient Tomb can be carried forward."

"The disciple understands."

"Furthermore, you must swear an oath before your master's portrait that you will never leave the ancient tomb for the rest of your life."

"what!"

Lin Chaoying's maidservant's face turned cold: "What's wrong?"

"disciple……"

"Could it be that you're eyeing that镖人 (bodyguard/escort)?"

"Disciple, disciple..."

"explain."

"There are some."

"Foolish! All men are heartless and fickle, especially a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) who travels all over the country."

"Zhou Biaotou is a man of his word, and he has done a great service to the ancient tomb."

"Are you saying I'm old and blind?"

Li Mochou quickly stood up, "This disciple dares not."

Lin Chaoying's maid's expression softened slightly, and she said earnestly, "If you hadn't gone down the mountain for training, you wouldn't have encountered Zhou the镖人 (bodyguard), and you wouldn't have been bewitched by his sweet words."

"This disciple has not."

"Hmph, you've been distracted a lot lately while practicing. Do you think I didn't notice?"

Li Mochou secretly groaned in despair.

"No man is any good, especially those who appear honest and loyal. From this day forward, you shall not leave the ancient tomb for a single moment, and reflect on your actions."

Lin Chaoying's maidservant stood up, her face cold and her eyes icy, and walked out of the stone chamber.

The stone gate rotated, fitting perfectly.

Li Mochou's body went limp, and she sat down on the stone bench.

A single lamp burns, its candlelight flickering.

Past events gradually surfaced.

"Meet me at the Mountain God Temple outside Datong Prefecture one year from now."

"it is good!"

What if I beat you?

"I'll take you to Zhongdu for sightseeing."

"It's a word."

All the images of Zhou Yan in Li Mochou's mind finally settled on their second meeting outside Datong Prefecture, the scene where Zhou Yan arrived to keep his promise and spat out blood. "He risked his life to keep his promise; how could he be a man of empty words? If it weren't for him, my junior sister and I would have fallen into the hands of that villain Ouyang Ke. How could I forget such a loyal and righteous person? But I cannot disobey my master's orders."

Li Mochou looked distressed. Her name was Mochou (meaning "no sorrow"), but at this moment, the small boat on the lake of her heart could not bear the weight of her many sorrows.

……

The setting sun hangs round over the long river, and a lone plume of smoke rises straight from the vast desert.

A wine flag lay askew on a wooden stake outside the inn's wall. The tattered flag swayed weakly in the wind, and the words on it were illegible due to the tattered holes.

This is the only inn within a radius of hundreds of miles.

Having traveled from Zhongdu, by the time of the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhou Yan and his group had crossed the Yellow River from the Western Xia Kingdom and followed the trade route leading directly to the Western Regions, finally arriving at a place hundreds of miles away from Wuwei.

Along the way, they encountered many bandits who wanted to kill and rob them.

The twelve troop carriers were all highly skilled, including three who had accompanied Zhou Yan to Yueyang.

Most of the time, Zhou Yan could solve the problem with a giant ox-horn bow and fifteen long arrows.

If something is even slightly difficult, Mu Nianci and Liang Xiaowu can easily resolve it.

In the past, when Zhou Yan was escorting goods, the caravan would camp in forests and along rivers, without stopping at inns. Zhou Yan could use his bow to hunt prey to improve his meals. But things were different when escorting goods in the Western Regions.

The sky was vast and the wilderness boundless, with endless Gobi and desert stretching as far as the eye could see. After passing a water source, Zhou Yan had no idea where to resupply in this world.

Therefore, when an inn came into view, he did not hesitate to let people stay and rest.

Duan Huai'an was unconscious for most of the time and did not get off the carriage.

The carriage stopped, and Liang Xiaowu led eight guards to protect it. Zhou Yan and Mu Nianci led Madam Duan, Duan Chaoxi, and the maids into the inn.

"Sir, what would you like?"

The shopkeeper, with his sharp eyes, immediately recognized Zhou Yan's outstanding demeanor as the leader of the group and greeted him warmly.

"Send four pots of tea outside first."

"Got it."

The innkeeper instructed his staff to serve tea to Liang Xiaowu and the others, and then led Zhou Yan and the others into the inn to sit down.

Zhou Yan's habitual observation.

The inn's lobby was spacious and brightly lit, but there weren't many diners. A monk and a Buddhist monk were seated at a table by the window on the west side. The monk was about thirty years old, while the Buddhist monk was a bit taller, with a high nose and deep-set eyes, and his head was wrapped with a hair ornament.

Zhou Yan glanced at him briefly and then looked away, making a judgment in his mind: the monk's attire and appearance were of Indian origin, but the monk's appearance was that of a genuine Chinese.

There were eight or nine other men in the inn who looked like江湖人士 (jianghu figures), with rough appearances, eating with their heads down.

Zhou Yan, Mu Nianci, Duan Chaoxi and others took their seats at several wooden tables on the east side.

A table set with a pot of tea, several side dishes, and rice served by the waiter. Zhou Yan then buried his head in his food and began to eat.

He kept his eyes straight ahead, but his ears clearly heard every slightest sound inside and outside the inn.

The monk and the monk must have first met at the inn. The monk said, "Master, your journey to western Hunan is long and arduous. Since you don't know martial arts, why don't you come with me to Shaolin Temple first? After I've taken care of my important business, I'll escort you there."

The Indian monk said, “Thank you for your kindness, Master. However, a kind of extremely poisonous insect has appeared in India, harming people and livestock. There is no good way to eradicate it. I am helpless even though I have medical skills. I must go to China to find the Golden Baby to breed and then use as medicine to control it. This concerns the lives of countless people, and I dare not delay.”

What is the Golden Baby?

"In layman's terms, it is a special type of fish, found only in the Central Plains."

"The master is kind and benevolent." The monk put his hands together in prayer.

Zhou Yan's pupils contracted slightly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly remembered someone.

In the world of Condor Heroes, Yang Guo was the junior brother of Master Yideng, and the Indian monk who cured Yang Guo of the Love Flower poison.

In the world of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Guo Jing takes Huang Rong to seek medical treatment and encounters Master Yideng, who has four disciples. Diancang Yuyin is fishing for the Golden Baby.

As he was thinking this, he suddenly heard the Indian monk say, "Master, you practiced asceticism at Shaolin Temple in the Western Regions, so why did you come to Shaolin Temple in the Central Plains?"

"It's a long story."

"Then let's go to the King of Hell and talk to him."

Suddenly, a burly man wearing a felt hat at a table next to the monks grinned maliciously, swept up the hot tea on the table, and threw it at them. The monk, with a flick of his sleeve, sent the tea, cups, and pot flying into the air.

The burly man suddenly appeared with the force of wind and thunder the moment the monk swept away the tea. His gray robe billowed like waves, and he placed his left hand on top of his right hand, pressing it against the monk's chest.

The dull whistling of wind echoed through the inn, and the dust in front of the monk suddenly caved inward, sending him flying backward. His body crashed through the window behind him, slamming onto the ground and rolling around. He then used his hands for leverage, staggered to his feet, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

One of the men sitting at the same table as the big man pulled a steel knife from his bundle.

"No need for the master to take action, I will go and take the heads."

As the man finished speaking, his figure swelled up as he stood up, and the light from the long sword in his hand spread out the window.

At the same moment, Zhou Yan used only 20-30% of his "Finger Flicking Divine Skill" to flick the teacup in his hand. The porcelain cup spun and whistled as it flew away, exploding with a bang the instant it touched the big man's cheek.

The burly man groaned, blood spurting from his face. He staggered, regained his balance, and continued to lunge at the monk.

Outside the inn, Liang Xiaowu and the others threw down their teacups, drew their swords, and stood guard around the carved cart.

"Xiao Wu, stop that thug."

Under the blazing sun, Liang Xiaowu lowered his body, his long sword flashing like flowing water as he slashed forward with fierce and violent force, blocking the burly man's decapitating blade aimed at the monk. The weapons clashed, creating a thunderous explosion in the air, sparks flying everywhere.

"Protect the lady, sir."

Zhou Yan's voice echoed in Mu Nianci's ears as he charged toward the burly man wearing a felt hat like a hawk.

Mu Nianci grabbed her spear and, her red clothes flashing, headed towards Zhou Yan.

Four guards drew their swords to protect Madam Duan and Duan Chaoxi.

In an instant, all the men in the inn who had been engrossed in eating suddenly sprang to their feet.

(End of this chapter)