The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 221 A gentleman would not leave a humiliation unpunished.

The river wind howled like a tiger, and an ominous atmosphere filled the air.

Zhou Yan whispered to Qiu Qianchi, "Have Wanyan Kang and Ouyang Feng arrived yet?"

"No, I ran away after arguing with my second brother on my way to the Valley of Heartbreak."

"Let's go, I'll cover the rear. We'll talk about everything once we get to Yang's sister's place."

Qiu Qianchi hesitated, unaware that Zhou Yan's strength was now vastly different from before, and worried that she wouldn't be able to handle the situation.

“I will be fine. Your presence will not help the situation. Either leave or go back.”

"Take care of yourself."

Qiu Qianchi's personality is similar to Zhou Yan's; she rarely hesitates in her actions. She turned around and followed Liang Xiaowu.

Zhou Yan and Liu Qingzhou, Yanbo Diaosou and the others were quite a distance apart, and Qiu Qianren did not notice them. On the other side of the long street, Tangzi, who had extremely rich experience in the martial arts world, led his horse, accompanied by the Indian monk and Mutong. They separated from Liu Qingzhou and Diaosou, entered an alley, and took a detour to reunite with Liang Xiaowu.

Zhou Yan watched the high monk leave, now free from all worries.

In the dim moonlight, Qiu Qianren, the Iron Palm Water-Walking Master, saw Qiu Qianchi running towards the dock and had already started moving. His lightness skill was unparalleled in the world. The moment his body turned from stillness, it stirred up a roar like wind and thunder. In just an instant, his Iron Palm skill reached its peak with unparalleled momentum. Then, his entire body suddenly expanded in front of Zhou Yan like flowing clouds and water.

Qiu Qianren's left arm shot forward like a snake's tongue, striking Zhou Yan's "Zhongfu" acupoint on the Taiyin Lung Meridian, while his right palm swiftly cleaved down towards his throat. The speed of his attacks was like a rainbow soaring through the sky; the two moves were executed almost simultaneously.

Zhou Yan let out a low shout, his limbs gathering strength from the outside in, his external force and internal energy converging simultaneously, and he used the "Riding the Six Dragons" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms to push towards his opponent.

"boom"

Like a giant airbag exploding, a low, cracking sound echoed in the air, ripples spread, and smoke and dust shook in all directions.

Qiu Qianren felt as if his palms had struck cold, hard rocks; his arms went numb, and his body swayed involuntarily, taking a half-step back.

Zhou Yan felt as if he had been hit by a massive, earth-shattering tide, the endless, ever-growing force pushing him backward.

He took three large steps back.

Two completely different expressions suddenly appeared on their faces.

Qiu Qianren was shocked and incredulous. Compared to their fight at Iron Palm Mountain, how could this kid's skill have improved so much?

Zhou Yan was secretly delighted.

Ouyang Ke and Qiu Qianren are the touchstones.

If one can defeat the young master of White Camel Mountain, one's skill level should be among the top-tier masters in the world of Legend of the Condor Heroes.

To be able to overcome Qiu Qianren's pair of iron palms is to reach the level of a near-Five Greats.

Although his powerful palm strikes were still no match for Qiu Qianren's, it was no longer possible for Qiu Qianren to force him to retreat as he had done at Iron Palm Mountain, leaving him no choice but to use lime to escape.

With a "snap," Zhou Yan used the weight of a thousand pounds in his legs to stabilize himself. He exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling refreshed and the discomfort of his boiling blood and qi completely disappeared.

"Again!" Zhou Yan swung forward, unleashing a barrage of attacks: "The Dragon Regrets," "Shocking the Hundred Miles," "Sudden Arrival," "Flying Dragon in the Sky"... one palm after another.

Enraged by the fierce attack from Zhou Yan, who was not yet twenty, Qiu Qianren unleashed his Iron Palm, which surged down like an inverted Milky Way, its power dense and overwhelming.

Liu Qingzhou of Hengshan was trembling. Qiu Qianren and the Iron Palm Clan were the Hengshan Sect's mortal enemies.

The hundred or so people chasing Qiu Qianchi outside Snake Valley on the outskirts of Xiangyang were scattered. Only seven or eight people followed Qiu Qianren. Liu Qingzhou withdrew his cold, lightning-like gaze from Qiu the Iron Palm Gang leader and looked at a Iron Palm Gang leader who was holding a hidden weapon and looking at Zhou Yan.

A clear sound of a sword being drawn rang out instantly, and a hazy sword light bloomed at his waist like moonlight. Liu Qingzhou's hand did not move, and the sword remained in its sheath, but the narrow sword had already attacked the Iron Palm Gang leader with the killing move of "Returning Wind and Falling Wild Geese Sword".

With a single sword strike, the old fisherman's fishing rod suddenly slammed to the ground, bending sharply. Using the rod's elasticity, he leaped more than two zhang high, swinging the rod diagonally and sweeping fiercely, his attack completely engulfing a leader of the Iron Palm Gang.

The gang leader had no way to avoid it. He tumbled along with the rod's momentum, and the old fisherman in the misty waves suddenly flicked his rod, the tip of which struck the gang leader, sending him tumbling and falling.

Amidst the thunderous explosions along the long street, Zhou Yan and Qiu Qianren had already exchanged more than twenty blows.

Qiu Qianren's Iron Palm technique is exquisite. His light-body skill of walking on water is so graceful that his swaying steps resemble lotus leaves in the wind. It may seem chaotic, but each palm strike is actually extremely exquisite. The power, technique, and footwork are all seamless and perfectly even.

Zhou Yan's powerful internal energy flowed smoothly through his meridians along the Qi-guiding method of the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms," palm strike after palm strike, one after another, with a powerful energy like a storm, sometimes swirling and sometimes receding, meeting and resisting Qiu Qianren's ever-changing and exquisite palm techniques.

Qiu Qianchi had already arrived at the dock. While Liang Xiaowu was hiring a boat, she glanced back and saw lanterns on the long street exploding one by one. Zhou Yan and Qiu Qianren crashed into an inn on the side of the street like a millstone.

"Miss Qiu, the boat has been hired," Liang Xiaowu said as he ran over. She recognized Liang Xiaowu and asked in a shocked tone, "When did your head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) become so capable?"

Liang Xiaowu said admiringly, "In just over ten days, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) has improved his skills by one point. I have never seen such a diligent and hardworking person as the head镖师."

Qiu Qianchi nodded, "Heaven rewards diligence, and he is exceptionally talented, so he should have achieved such accomplishments. I underestimated him before."

Liang Xiaowu found it amusing and chuckled.

"Master Liang!" With that shout, several bodyguards arrived with an Indian monk. "What should we do?"

Liang Xiaowu said, "The head镖师 (escort leader) just said he would meet Miss Qiu at Chaya Mountain. You should go directly there with Miss Qiu. I'll wait for the head镖师."

"okay!"

Liang Xiaowu made the right decision. The escort led the horse onto the ship, with the Indian monk accompanying them, and the large ship quickly left the shore. The young bodyguard took Zhou Yan's heavy iron spear and approached the long street. Then he heard a thunderous roar coming from inside the inn.

……

Zhou Yan and Qiu Qianren clashed with each other, each palm strike containing distinct types of energy such as coiling force, collapsing force, and shattering force. The two figures spun around in the inn, and the tables and chairs they touched either suddenly spun away or shattered into pieces. In an instant, benches, plates, and bowls flew everywhere, smashing against the walls and exploding with a series of bangs.

"Ah!" After failing to defeat Zhou Yan in dozens of moves, Qiu Qianren roared, slightly shifted his body, and struck Zhou Yan's abdomen with his right palm while his left palm struck his right palm. This was one of his Iron Palm techniques, "Yin Yang Returns to One," which was extremely fierce and vicious.

Zhou Yan responded with "The dragon soars too high and will regret it," and with a loud "bang," he slid backward and crashed into the wall. The violent impact caused the wall to crack and deform, and the wall against which his back was pressed even more cracked like a spider web.

Qiu Qianren exhaled a breath of turbid air. This kid seems to have such skill even before he's reached adulthood. Given time, how powerful will he become? How can I possibly compete for the title of number one in the world then? While he's still no match for me, I must kill him no matter what.

He read it aloud, then said fiercely, "Boy, you escaped last time, but today I will take your life."

Zhou Yan chuckled softly, his gums glistening with blood and foam. "Come on."

"Good!" Qiu Qianren's body was like a ferocious beast, and his palms and feet were like a net enveloping Zhou Yan. Amidst the swirling dust, the镖人 (bodyguard/escort) smiled sinisterly. The martial arts of "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" had been transformed into "Yue Family Fist" for close-quarters combat. He supplemented his fierce attacks with grappling, elbow strikes, and leg kicks.

Smoke and dust billowed in the inn's lobby. Suddenly, Qiu Qianren's Iron Palms moved with dazzling speed and skill, changing several feints like butterflies flitting among flowers. His palms then slammed down on Zhou Yan's shoulders. This move was truly exquisite and unavoidable.

Zhou Yan flipped over and landed on the ground, rolling and spinning rapidly. Qiu Qianren grinned maliciously, his palm strikes were like axe cleaving and knife cutting, and his kicks could shatter stone tablets and break rocks. However, Zhou Yan rolled around on the ground with extreme agility, and Qiu Qianren could not touch him at all.

Zhou Yan used exactly the "snake-like movement and fox-like flip" technique from the true scriptures.

In a flash, Zhou Yan, who was rolling around, took a kick to the calf, wrapped his legs around Qiu Qianren, and with a scissor and twist, the Iron Palm Gang leader lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud.

Qiu Qianren swung his left palm swiftly, and Zhou Yan rolled behind him. Suddenly, Qiu Qianren leaped up, and with the same "Flying Hawk Turn," Zhou Yan was already close to the Iron Palm Clan leader's body. His left hand passed through the leader's left armpit, circled around to the back of his neck, and forcefully pulled him down.

Qiu Qianren was terrified and grabbed Zhou Yan's left hand with his right.

Zhou Yan's right hand then reached up from under his right rib, grabbed the back of his neck, crossed his hands, and pressed down hard at the same time.

Qiu Qianren suddenly felt suffocated, as if he could hear the cracking of his knuckles. He had never seen such a treatment before, a street brawl like this, and he was unable to effectively fight back.

Zhou Yan's move was one he had observed and memorized during the grand banquet of heroes in Zhongdu, when Shi Bowei faced off against Xiao Xiangzi.

Qiu Qianren's attempt to restrain Zhou Yan with a reverse grip proved futile. In a moment of inspiration, he suddenly twisted his arms outward, causing his not-so-robust body to shrink abruptly, and he slithered between Zhou Yan's legs like a snake.

Zhou Yan braced himself with his left foot and swept his right foot horizontally, using the Peach Blossom Island's signature move, "Whirlwind Sweeping Leaves Back."

With a "bang," Qiu Qianren flew horizontally, smashed through the window, landed on the long street, rolled several times, and used his hands to help him kneel up.

Zhou Yan leaped out of the inn from the opposite direction, landing abruptly on the two-story rooftop.

While he was in mid-air, he held the feathered arrow in his quiver with his left hand, and with a flick of his right elbow, he took out the bow. The giant ox-horn bow circled around and appeared in front of him.

Nearby, several burly men in black lay on the ground, locked in a fierce battle with Liu Qingzhou, the Fisherman of the Misty Waves, and several others.

The bright moon shone on the great river. Under the moonlight, Zhou Yan drew his bow and nocked an arrow. Eight long arrows shot towards Qiu Qianren and his men in quick succession.

"go!"

Taking advantage of the moment when Qiu Qianren and several leaders of the Iron Palm Gang were dodging the arrows, Liu Qingzhou and Yanbo Diaosou leaped onto the roof, and the three figures disappeared into the night behind the inn.

Qiu Qianren smashed away the incoming arrow with his iron sleeve. He first recalled whether anyone had seen him crawl between someone's legs to save his life. Then he gritted his teeth and thought, "This humiliation of crawling between someone's legs must be avenged; otherwise, I am no gentleman."

(End of this chapter)