The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 213 Beggars' Sect and Demonic Cult: A Battle of Dragons and Tigers

The lake water and the pale moonlight reflected each other, like a jade field and a mirror, just as the poem says, "Looking at the green mountains and waters of Dongting, it is like a green snail in a silver plate."

Under the moonlight, the three toasted each other, and Zhou Yan mediated between them, gradually reducing the tense standoff between Liu Qingzhou and the Fisherman of Misty Waves.

"Brother Zhou and I hit it off immediately, and since I happen to have some free time right now, I'll go with you on a trip to Poyang Lake."

"How does this make."

“That is not true. I regret not being able to accompany you to Iron Palm Mountain that day. Now that I see Brother Zhou going to venture into the Demon Cave, how can I stand idly by?”

Liu Qingzhou changed the subject and said to the Fisherman of Misty Waves, "You can recuperate at Dongting Lake. I will come to find you after I have fought with the demonic cultists."

The old fisherman was furious. "You can go to Poyang Lake, but I can't? I'll accompany you."

"Wait and see."

Zhou Yan scoffed inwardly. With the help of the old fisherman of the misty waves, things would indeed be much easier on their journey to Poyang Lake. The key was to rescue the Indian monk and also ask him to catch a few golden baby fish.

Liu Qingzhou then asked Zhou Yan, "Brother Zhou, is there any danger on Iron Palm Mountain?"

"No, but I did discover something."

"tell me the story."

The stars and moon shone brightly, the Milky Way stretched across the sky, and the three men drank together, their voices echoing.

"The Crown Prince of Jin visited Qiu Qianren, the leader of the Iron Palm Clan, and they had a very pleasant conversation."

"That scoundrel has defected to the Jin Dynasty?" Liu Qingzhou asked in surprise.

"Ah."

"The Iron Palm Clan is powerful and has many connections with local officials. Once the Jin Kingdom moves south, it would be better to take Xiang than to pick up a piece of land. The Jin Kingdom is full of wolfish ambitions. Qiu Qianren has truly been blinded by greed and has done such a despicable thing."

The old fisherman said, "You lad still have a heart full of passion."

"If the Jin dogs attack Hunan, I'll bet you who can cut off more heads. You dare?"

"Why not."

"Let's drink." Zhou Yan picked up his wine bowl, and the three of them drank it all in one gulp. He said, "The Iron Palm Clan will definitely make a move. Brother Liu, you should also take more precautions with the Hengshan Sect."

"I understand, thank you for telling me this, Brother Zhou."

"We hit it off immediately, no need to be so polite."

"Brother Zhou, saving lives should not be delayed. Why don't we head to Poyang Lake now, drink wine, and admire the moon over the Yangtze River? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Very good."

"You old scoundrel, what about you?"

"How could I possibly lose to you?"

"Courageous."

"Many thanks to Brother Liu and Brother Fisherman for their help."

"No problem," they both replied in unison.

The boatman was delighted and ordered the boatman to turn the boat around and head straight for Poyang in Jiangxi Province.

The journey became extremely interesting. Zhou Yan continued to discuss swordsmanship with Liu Qingzhou. Because of his practice of the "Jade Maiden Sword Technique" and "Falling Flower Divine Sword Palm," his perspective was now far beyond what he had during his trip to Hengshan. He discussed sword intent, sword momentum, and the exertion of force. Liu Qingzhou gained a lot from this discussion. Liu Qingzhou also talked about Hengshan sword techniques. Unbeknownst to him, Zhou Yan also learned the essence of several moves of the "Returning Wind and Falling Wild Goose Sword."

The two were discussing swordsmanship, but the old fisherman avoided the topic. His fishing skills were also quite superb; he was able to catch Yangtze River fish from a large boat with its sails billowing fast, and he wouldn't let the boatman or the porter cook the fish, insisting on doing it himself.

Zhou Yan enjoyed the delicious food and realized that the other person actually shared similar interests with Huang Rong.

The old fisherman often used his fishing rod as a spear, so Zhou Yan exchanged some spear techniques with him. At first, the old fisherman didn't take it seriously, but as the conversation deepened, he was secretly surprised. He didn't expect that the other party's swordsmanship was outstanding, and his spear technique was not inferior either.

Once this thought took hold, the old fisherman, who had previously been unconvinced by Zhou Yan, began to admire him.

Upon arriving at Poyang Lake, it snowed late in the evening. Fine, fluffy snowflakes drifted down from the overcast sky. Zhou Yan, Liu Qingzhou, Yanbo Diaosou, and Tangzishou went ashore.

Only then did the old fisherman notice that a large, jet-black spear was hanging on Zhou Yan's "Jade Lion Under the Night".

He understood. No wonder Zhou Yan had such superior insights into marksmanship; just looking at that big spear, he knew it was no ordinary weapon.

The group found an inn at the dock and checked in. Taking advantage of settling the horses, the porters slipped money to the innkeeper and inquired about any mountain strongholds or gangs in the vicinity.

Money can make the world go round.

The inn was bustling with people, and through hearsay, I learned that there was a water fortress in the northern part of Poyang Lake.

The boatman reported the news: Zhou Yan, Liu Qingzhou, Yanbo Diaosou, and others hired a light boat, had the boatman disembark, and Yanbo Diaosou rowed the boat. The group disappeared into the vast, snow-covered Poyang Lake.

……

Night quietly fell on Poyang Lake, snowflakes fluttered and painted the lake silver, and a light boat passed through the snow mist and reached the north.

The northern part of Dahu is surrounded by rolling, lush low hills, with many rocky cliffs along the banks.

In the dim night, a few scattered lights floated in the darkness.

Zhou Yan said, "I'll go take a look."

The old fisherman of the misty waves spoke up: "Let's do it together, lest I and that brat from Hengshan fall for each other and start fighting, ruining your important plans."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Okay!"

Both men were masters no less skilled than Ouyang Ke, and were also adept at lightness skills. Zhou Yan's ability to resolve the conflict at Dongting Lake with a single move from the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms"—"Double Dragons Taking Water"—was due to his skillful use of force and precise timing. It was also related to the clash of their internal strength and the resulting depletion of their energy.

Therefore, Zhou Yan was not worried at all that the three of them would expose their presence.

The light boat approached the cliff, and the boatmen waited on the boat. Zhou Yan took a bundle of ropes, and the three of them jumped ashore.

The cliff was about six zhang high. Zhou Yan tied a knot at one end of the rope and was about to find a suitable tree or jagged rock to throw the rope when Yanbo Fisherman said, "There's no need for such trouble."

He took the rope from Zhou Yan, coiled it around his shoulder, and lunged forward, his toes barely touching the ground as he leaped more than two zhang high. While in the air, he waved his fishing rod, and the golden hook, along with the fishing line, flew up to the top of the cliff and hooked onto the trunk of a large tree.

As Zhou Yan watched, the old fisherman in the misty waves lightly touched the cliff face with his feet, and he swung upwards like a fish being hoisted up.

“This weapon has a great use,” he said to Liu Qingzhou.

“Indeed, climbing the cliff is as easy as walking on flat ground.” The old fisherman landed, threw down the rope, and Zhou Yan climbed up the cliff face effortlessly, followed by Liu Qingzhou.

Amidst the wind and snow, three figures flitted about, appearing and disappearing intermittently, their gray and white trails stretching towards a watchtower not far away.

Zhou Yan's idea was very simple: arrest someone and interrogate them.

If this is just an ordinary water fortress, leave immediately.

Liang Xiaowu and the Indian monk were imprisoned here, and they broke into the stronghold to rescue them.

……

A strong wind whips up flying snow, and breath turns into cold frost.

The men holding large spears on the two towering watchtowers were rubbing their hands together in the cold.

A soft sound of snow being crushed came from behind him. Before he could react, he felt a numbness in his body and collapsed.

Zhou Yan picked up the man and leaped down from the arrow tower, disappearing into the woods in a few bounds. He joined Liu Qingzhou and Yanbo Diaosou, and said to the man who had been acupunctured, "Ask a few questions, cooperate, and that's all."

The man nodded in alarm, fully understanding Zhou Yan's meaning.

He released the pressure point and asked, "Is there ever an Indian monk in the water village?"

“Yes,” the man replied immediately.

"And those who were with the Indian monks?"

"Four or five people were imprisoned in the village."

Zhou Yan's expression turned cold; some people had been lost.

"Which group are you from?"

The man hesitated.

The old fisherman in the misty waters smiled sinisterly, shook his hook and line, and said, "Believe it or not, I'll sew your mouth shut with this hook, so you'll never be able to speak again."

"The Poyang Lake Branch of the Holy Religion".

"Who is the leader?" Yanbo Fisherman asked, not knowing Zhang Sanqiang.

"Master Yu".

Zhou Yan was taken aback. Master Yu? Not Zhang Sanqiang?
"Be specific."

"It is Master Yu, but I have never met you before," the man hurriedly explained.

"How many people are in the stronghold, and who is in charge?"

"More than seven hundred people, including Master Cheng Hu."

Having gathered most of the information, the next step was to investigate how the Ming Cult leader became the Yu Cult leader and where Zhang Sanqiang had gone, which required interrogating the head of this branch.

Zhou Yan brought his sword down, knocking the opponent unconscious, and led Liu Qingzhou and Yanbo Diaosou straight to the water fortress council hall they had learned about from the man.

……

The simple council chamber was brightly lit, with a brazier in the center where charcoal burned vigorously.

The man in the center was burly, wearing a fur-lined jacket. Six other men were around a brazier, drinking and eating meat.

Cheng Hu was overjoyed. The day before yesterday, he had robbed a caravan. He could sell the medicinal herbs and furs and earn at least tens of thousands of taels of silver, which would also allow him to recruit soldiers and buy horses.

A burly man picked up a wine bowl and said, "That Indian monk's medical skills are truly superb. In the past, at least half of the brothers injured during this robbery would have been lost, but now he has managed to save them all."

Cheng Hu laughed: "He has the ability to bring the dead back to life, but he's stubborn, unwilling to submit, and even wants us to release him."

"Master, what should we do with those people?"

Cheng Hu smiled coldly, "Of course we'll kill them. Would we let them go back and let word get out?"

"What would the monk ask?"

"Then they said the people had been released and left the water village."

"Master is brilliant."

"Let's drink!" Cheng Hu picked up his bowl and drank heartily, wiping the wine stains from the corner of his mouth. He said, "The weather is getting colder and colder. Many people who are starving due to the war will flee south. We can take the opportunity to gather some people and then settle accounts with the Beggars' Gang later."

"Absolutely right! We suffered a loss last time, and we cannot let this grudge go unavenged. With the Holy Sect, there is no need for the Beggars' Sect!" a burly man shouted.

Fine snowflakes drifted in through the window cracks, and on the other side of the snowflakes, Zhou Yanming, hidden in the shadows under the eaves, understood. The messenger said that when Liang Xiaowu and the Indian monk encountered their adversaries, most of them were injured. Xiaowu's accident happened right after the Beggars' Sect gathering in Yueyang. The Ming Cult and the Beggars' Sect had a conflict; Cheng Hu and his group had been defeated by the Beggars' Sect.

Zhou Yan's thoughts expanded, and he thought of the world of "Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" from the Condor Trilogy.

The Beggars' Sect and the Ming Cult were indeed in conflict and fought each other, and it seems that the loss of the Ming Cult's Sacred Flame Token was related to the Beggars' Sect.

The conflict between the one-on-one mentoring and teaching system has a long history.

The only thing that puzzles him now is why the leader of the Ming Cult has become someone with the surname Yu.

But it doesn't matter, we'll know after tonight.

Zhou Yan's figure floated out, leaving the eaves, with Liu Qingzhou and Yanbo Diaosou following closely behind.

Once they reached a secluded spot, Zhou Yan said, "Brother Liu and I will rescue the people first, while Brother Fisherman will keep watch."

"it is good!"

They divided the tasks and Zhou Yan and Liu Qingzhou disappeared into the wind and snow.

……

The night was pitch black, and two large ships were sailing on the Yangtze River in Jiangxi.

The Six Eccentrics of Jiangnan were drinking in a brightly lit room.

Guo Jing, who was heading south to Lin'an to negotiate with the imperial court and join forces to attack the Jin Dynasty, was discussing matters with Tolui, Jebe, Borhu, Huazheng, and others.

The waves surged, and several fast boats sped closer. On those boats were burly men in black, each wielding a steel hook. Hou Haitong and Sha Tongtian were among them.

(End of this chapter)