The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 201: A Decisive Battle, A Matter of Life and Death

The bright moon shines among the pines, and a beggar comes treading on the moonlight.

Hong Qigong floated down to the ground, ignoring Hou Tonghai on the ground, and said to Huang Yaoshi, "Brother Yao, it's been a long time."

Huang Yaoshi, who had just injected two bone-penetrating needles into Hou Tonghai's back, was surprised to see Hong Qigong appear in Zhongnan Mountain. He asked in response, "Indeed, how did you get here, Brother Qi?"

"It's that kid again."

As Hong Qigong spoke, he called out to the people in the forest, "Boy, have you killed enough?"

Zhou Yan wasn't surprised at all. It was perfectly normal for Hong Qigong to have discovered him, as he had not only arrived early but had also been in the forest where Ouyang Ke and the others were.

He sheathed his Qingfeng sword, and as he was about to reveal himself, a figure darted from the distant treetops like a falcon and suddenly landed on the ground.

Hong Qigong laughed heartily: "Old Poisoner, we meet again."

"Seventh Brother, how have you been?"

Ouyang Feng emerged from the cave leading directly to the ancient tomb, finding no trace of Huang Yaoshi. He hurried up the mountain, arriving a short distance behind the Eastern Heretic. Seeing Ouyang Ke unharmed, he felt relieved, but was surprised that the old beggar had also arrived at Zhongnan Mountain. Truly, he was like a persistent ghost, appearing everywhere he went.

Zhou Yan paused slightly when Ouyang Feng appeared, sheathed his Qingfeng sword, and landed in the arena in a few leaps.

When Ouyang Feng saw Zhou Yan, he said in a sinister tone, "Seventh Brother has taken in a good disciple."

Hong Qigong took a few gulps of wine from his gourd before saying, "This kid isn't my disciple. I wanted him to become my apprentice, but he refused, saying that old beggars have too many rules."

Ouyang Feng looked at Hong Qigong with suspicion.

"What's wrong? Don't you believe me?"

Ouyang Feng laughed heartily, "Seventh Brother's word is as good as gold, how could I not believe him?"

"The old beggar has a connection with this kid and has given him a few pointers. But Brother Feng, don't think about bullying him by suppressing him. If your nephew has the ability to take revenge, let them settle it themselves."

Ouyang Feng thought to himself, "I made a solemn vow with Huang Yaoshi that I would not tell any third party about Chongyang's legacy, but I did not say that I could not teach martial arts to Ke'er. If I do not mention the name of the technique and let Ke'er practice the Nine Yin Manual, it does not count as breaking the contract. Given time, it will be easy for Ke'er to take his life."

Thinking this through, he laughed and said, "Of course, it was just a misunderstanding before."

Huang Yaoshi thought to himself, "So this kid just received some pointers from the old beggar and even considers himself his disciple. But his ability to refuse the old beggar shows a character that no one can match. The Beggars' Sect has so many ridiculous rules."

After the others finished speaking, Zhou Yan cupped his hands and said, "This junior greets Chief Hong and Island Master Huang."

This kid calls Old Beggar Hong Gang Leader, so he's definitely not his disciple, Ouyang Feng thought to himself.

"Don't stand on ceremony," Hong Qigong waved his hand.

Huang Yaoshi had already learned from Huang Rong that Zhou Yan had met the silly girl in Niujia Village, brought her to Zhongdu, and retrieved the "Martial Arts Manual" from Iron Palm Peak. Feeling that he owed Zhou Yan a favor, he nodded gently and said, "No need for such formalities, Chief Escort."

He Lianchuncheng had already suspected something when he heard Zhou Yan's voice. When Huang Yaoshi addressed Zhou Yan as the head镖师 (镖头, a term for a镖师 in Chinese martial arts), he exclaimed, "Zhou Yan!"

Zhou Yan clashed with Ouyang Ke, Helian Chuncheng, Nimo Xing, and others multiple times in Zhongdu, Lin'an, and Zhongnan Mountain. During the battle in Zhongdu, he never displayed his archery skills, and in the two battles at Zhongnan Mountain, he fought the enemy masked.

Hou Tonghai and Sha Tongtian had seen Zhou Yan at the mountain god temple outside Datong Prefecture, but had never seen him in person on any other occasion, so neither of them had ever imagined that Zhou Yan was the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Fu'an.

Zhou Yan finally revealed himself. He took off his bamboo hat and said, "Young Master Helian, we meet again."

"It was that scoundrel; I should have known better," Yin Kexi muttered to himself.

Nemo, whose shoulder socket was pierced by a bullet, had a fierce look in his eyes.

Helian Chuncheng was so surprised and shocked. A year ago, he had fought with the other party and had a slight advantage. How could the other party's martial arts have improved so much in just a few hundred days?

Ouyang Ke glared angrily: "Uncle, it was this kid who threw the lime and then ambushed me with the poisoned iron ring."

Hong Qigong laughed heartily, "Kid, you've really stirred up quite a bit of trouble."

"What should a Beggars' Sect disciple do if he is bitten by a vicious dog while begging?"

Hong Qigong's eyes widened: "Of course we must beat the dog."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "The same goes for me."

With Ouyang Feng's arrival, Hou Tonghai seemed much more energetic. As soon as Zhou Yan finished speaking, he glared at him angrily: "Boy, what do you mean by that? Aren't you saying that we..." Suddenly, Sha Tongtian's arm appeared behind him, tightly covering his mouth. He used his left hand to press down on his acupoints several times, sealing them. He then glared at him fiercely, his eyes clearly conveying the message that loose tongues would bring him more trouble than that kid.

Upon hearing these words, Huang Yaoshi smiled slightly beneath his mask and looked at Hong Qigong, "Brother Qi, what exactly happened?"

"It's a long story. A young girl encountered some thugs from the Yellow River Gang, and this kid rescued her. The old beggar happened to be there too. The two had a prior arrangement in Zhongnan Mountain, and the old beggar was their witness, which is why they came here." "I see. Seventh Brother, you have a pleasant interest."

"Luckily we arrived early, otherwise this kid and that girl would have been bullied."

Ouyang Feng chuckled dryly, "Seventh Brother, this young friend of yours is quite skilled in martial arts."

Ouyang Ke: "Uncle Hong, you misunderstand. We were all tricked by him."

“Brother Feng, I only taught him a few palm techniques. This kid’s other martial arts have nothing to do with the old beggar,” Hong Qigong replied to Ouyang Feng, and then said to Ouyang Ke, “Then go and beat him up.”

Ouyang Ke thought to himself, "In a one-on-one fight, why should I fear him?"

"Right on my mind."

Helian Chuncheng immediately said, "Zhou, you killed my Changfeng镖师 (bodyguard/escort), how do you plan to settle this score? Aren't you worried that Changfeng will come to Fu'an to demand an explanation?"

Zhou Yan chuckled in a low voice, "Changfeng hired someone to kill me and Fu'an. This debt hasn't been settled yet."

"Young Master Helian led his men to attack Zhongnan Mountain. How do you explain this? Was it the action of Changfeng Escort Agency, or purely his personal will?" Zhou Yan asked rhetorically.

Seeing that Zhou Yan had Hong Qigong backing him up, and although Huang Yaoshi's stance was unclear, Hou Tonghai and the others had indeed provoked him. Fearing that this would implicate the Changfeng Escort Agency, Helian Chuncheng hurriedly said, "He is a person of his own."

"I feel the same way. For me, what matters is my personal conscience, and what I advocate is the way of righteousness. I am only discussing what I believe should be discussed. The ancient tomb has a connection with me, so I cannot stand idly by. My relationship with Fu'an has ended, and everything I have been involved in has nothing to do with Fu'an. If Fu'an is implicated because of this, I will fight to the death as long as I have a breath left."

This young man's temperament suits me, Huang Yaoshi thought to himself, praising Zhou Yan's words: "I am only discussing what I believe should be discussed."
Helian Chuncheng pondered: Zhou Yan has left Fu'an; can Zhang Wangyue alone defeat Changfeng? This is a good thing. The bad thing is that he is ruthless and cunning, prone to stabbing people in the back, making him difficult to guard against. However, he is unaware of my hiring of the Vajra Sect to ambush and kill Fu'an at the Tongguan Wharf on the Yellow River, so I expect he won't act recklessly.

"Alright, since that's the case, from now on, our feuds will be settled according to the rules of the martial world. Life and death will depend on our own abilities."

Zhou Yan chuckled softly, "Alright!"

A noisy commotion spread through the woods as Li Mochou and Lin Chaoying's maid emerged from the ancient tomb.

Li Mochou glanced at the large red gourd in Hong Qigong's hand for a moment, then exclaimed with delight. She quickly said a few words to her master and used her movement technique to rush over. Her maid, Lin Chaoying, followed closely behind. The two approached one after the other. Li Mochou did not slow down, while Lin Chaoying leaped onto a large tree and stopped moving forward, observing from a distance.

"Senior Hong."

"Oh, the girl is here."

"Yeah, I miss you, senior."

Upon seeing Hong Qigong, Li Mochou felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders. She spoke softly and gently, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Zhou Yan. In the firelight, her cheeks glowed with a rosy hue.

Ouyang Ke saw this and was furious.

All his anger was directed at Zhou Yan.

"Chief Escort Zhou, how shall we settle our score?"

"If you're going to draw a line, I'll gladly oblige."

Ouyang Ke looked at Hong Qigong.

"You little rascal, trying to test me with your tricks. I told you long ago, don't use your power to bully the weak. If you're so capable, go ahead and settle the score with him." Hong Qigong had tested Zhou Yan's martial arts when the Mongol army was about to besiege Zhongdu. Although he didn't know Ouyang Ke's specific skill level, he was certain that Zhou Yan, with his "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms," could at least hold his own.

Ouyang Ke was overjoyed upon hearing this and looked at Zhou Yan: "Our contest will determine victory or defeat, and life or death. Do you dare?"

"If I win, I will not kill you. But you must not harass the tomb again."

Ouyang Ke hesitated.

“Ke’er, okay,” Ouyang Feng suddenly said.

Having obtained the Nine Yin Manual, Ouyang Feng wanted to transcribe it as soon as possible to practice it. Although Ouyang Ke was fond of Li Mochou, Ouyang Feng believed that beauty could not compare to martial arts.

Victory, nephew, you can visit Zhongnan Mountain another day.

If he fails, he can follow me to cultivate the Nine Yin Manual. Once the skill is mastered, I can kill that brat, and then he won't be able to escape.

With my nephew's martial arts skills, even if he is no match for Zhou Yan, he can at least be defeated in a few hundred moves. He can also take a look at Zhou Yan's martial arts.

Ouyang Feng was full of clever schemes.

(End of this chapter)