The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 222 I am Ouyang Feng

"The镖头 (镖头 is a term used in Chinese martial arts)!"

Liang Xiaowu's voice rang out in the night, and Zhou Yan and his two companions rushed over in the direction of the sound.

"Miss Qiu, the Master, and others have already gone to Chaya Mountain."

Zhou Yan said, "The arrangements are good."

"Is the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) injured?" Liang Xiaowu asked hurriedly when he saw the blood at the corner of Zhou Yan's mouth.

"It's alright, let's find a place to talk."

"it is good."

Four figures appeared and disappeared among the different streets of Xiangyang Wharf, and after about the time it takes to eat a meal, they arrived at a secluded forest.

Zhou Yan sat on the ground as if he had collapsed, leaning against the tree trunk.

The reason he was able to kick Qiu Qianren all the way down the street was ultimately because he learned the techniques and the "snake-like flip" skill from Spearman during close combat, which caught his opponent off guard.

However, the difference in their levels was still quite obvious, and internal injuries were inevitable after such a fierce battle.

The gentle energy of the jade Guanyin pendant hanging on his body continuously seeped into his body, relaxing his muscles and tendons, and repairing his internal injuries. After more than ten breaths, Zhou Yan felt his strength slowly recovering little by little.

Liu Qingzhou was still shocked by what he had seen on the long street: "You defeated Qiu Qianren, and I saw him fly out of the inn and land on the ground."

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "The takedown lock caught Qiu Qianren off guard. If you want to defeat him in a fair and square manner, you will still have to train hard for many years."

The old fisherman grinned, “Compared to when we fought on the Yuan River, your skill has improved remarkably in the past six months. I don’t think it will take many years. A few years will suffice.”

Zhou Yan chuckled, "Then I'll try my best."

"That girl is Qiu Qianchi, the Iron Palm Lotus," Liu Qingzhou asked.

"Yes, she was originally going to marry into the Valley of Heartbreak. When she learned that Qiu Qianren had defected to the Jin Kingdom, the Jin Crown Prince held a banquet to congratulate him and tried to persuade Qiu Qianren. The two siblings turned against each other, and Qiu Qianchi ran away to Caizhou."

"The dragon has nine sons, each different from the other. I never imagined that the siblings would be so different." Liu Qingzhou had already said that Qiu Qianchi was a heroine among women. He sighed and asked, "Has Qiu Qianchi returned to the Valley of Heartbreak?"

The old fisherman rolled his eyes. "Why go back? Why not just join the bandits in the mountain stronghold and live a carefree life?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan sighed. The storyline of Li Mochou, fresh out of the gate, had undergone a complete transformation, and so had that of Qiu Qianchi, now adventuring in the martial world. After this upheaval, it was highly unlikely that Qiu Qianchi would be able to return to the Valley of Heartbreak.

In the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes, Gongsun Zhi initially maintained the image of a virtuous gentleman, but after failing to marry Xiaolongnü and having his Valley of Heartbreak reclaimed by Qiu Qianchi, his true colors were completely exposed. He even resorted to shameless acts such as kidnapping Wanyan Ping and Guo Fu and professing his love for Li Mochou. Perhaps Gongsun Zhi in the present day will soon take the same path.

He pondered further, since Qiu Qianchi had broken ties with Qiu Qianren and ran away from the wedding procession on the way to the Valley of Heartbreak, and Ouyang Feng and the others had not arrived, then the giant eagle was safe, and Snake Valley had not been exposed.

Zhou Yan's thoughts returned, and he said, "Qiu Qianchi's marriage has ended, so there's no need for us to go to the Valley of Heartbreak. Brother Liu and Brother Fisherman, what are your plans?"

After thinking it over, Liu Qingzhou said, "The Iron Palm Clan members might be able to recognize the Hengshan Sword Technique through its sword style. I'll go back to Hengshan so that the sect can make preparations."

The old fisherman said, "I'm free now, so I'll go to the Chaya Mountain stronghold to see what kind of heroine Iron Palm Lotus is, and also see the leader Yang who Brother Zhou said is no less than a man. Then I'll go to Hengshan to find this kid to fight."

Zhou Yan scoffed inwardly. Although it was called a martial arts competition, the real reason was to worry about the Iron Palm Clan retaliating against the Hengshan Sect. Whenever they had the chance, the two would engage in endless verbal battles, but in fact, they had already developed a friendship.

Liu Qingzhou knew perfectly well what Yanbo Diaosou was planning, and said, "I await your arrival. Do not forget to diligently practice your martial arts, lest you lose face under my sword."

"We'll see," the Fisherman of Misty Waves said proudly.

"I'll make a trip to Caizhou, and after I finish taking care of some things in Zhongdu, I'll come and visit Brother Diaosou and Brother Liu."

The old fisherman was overjoyed. "It's a deal! We'll enjoy the moon over Dongting Lake together and feast on fresh aquatic delicacies."

"My friend Zhou and I revisited the Five Gods Peaks."

"Okay, it's a deal."

Having considered this, and without wasting any time, Liu Qingzhou took his leave and headed south.

Zhou Yan asked Liang Xiaowu to deliver a silver ingot to the inn. He wasn't in a hurry to cross the river. Instead, he used his internal energy in the forest to absorb the gentle energy of the Jade Guanyin to heal his injuries, and also to observe the Iron Palm Clan's next move.

Zhou Yan was treated for his injuries, while the old fisherman of Yanbo protected him.

As midnight approached, Zhou Yan's body turned red, enveloped in a misty white aura.

Seeing this, the old fisherman was secretly surprised. This was a sign that the internal injuries were healing. He had thought that Zhou Yan would need at least half a day or longer to fully recover, but it had only been an hour or so. The old fisherman was quite astonished that Zhou Yan was healing his injuries with the gentle energy of the Jade Guanyin.

They underestimated Brother Zhou's current cultivation level.

……

After the deepest night, dawn broke.

An eerie atmosphere permeated the wedding procession in the outskirts of Xiangyang.

Fan Yiweng's long beard danced wildly in the morning breeze.

Qiu Qianren was unaware that Qiu Qianchi was going to Chaya Mountain in Caizhou. Once someone crossed the Yangtze River, how could he find her in such a short time? His immediate priority was to appease Gongsun Zhi and his party and receive Yang Kang and his entourage.

Therefore, after Zhou Yan and the others escaped, he hurriedly returned to the camp. There he saw the grand wedding procession coming from the Valley of Heartbreak.

As spring approached, Qiu Qianren recounted with immense difficulty and bitterness the events of the previous night to Gongsun Zhi.

The handsome Valley Master of Heartless Valley felt as if his heart had been gripped and torn apart by an invisible hand, making it hard for him to breathe.

Qiu Qianren was fond of Gongsun Zhi, who was handsome and elegant, and whose martial arts from the Valley of Heartbreak were also unique. Looking at Gongsun Zhi, who was trembling slightly, he did not reveal the inside story of the dispute caused by his investment of gold, but quickly comforted him: "Gongsun Valley Master, rest assured. After the Crown Prince and the others arrive and explain the situation, I will definitely find Qianchi to come back and complete the marriage."

Qiu Qianren did not reveal the truth, only saying that the brother and sister had a quarrel, followed each other to the dock, encountered their enemies and fought, and Qiu Qianchi took the opportunity to leave.

He wouldn't go into detail about Zhou Yan's weapons and techniques, so Gongsun Zhi wouldn't have guessed that the obstacle was Zhou Yan. Upon hearing Qiu Qianren's words, Gongsun Zhi took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and said, "I am loyal to Miss Qiu. Chief Qing has agreed to accompany me in the search."

Qiu Qianren was quite moved. "Alright, Valley Master, rest assured. The Iron Palm Clan has thousands of disciples, and the Crown Prince can also mobilize manpower to assist in the search. It won't be long before we can gather information."

"Thank you for your trouble, Chief!" Gongsun Zhi bowed.

Qiu Qianren helped him up, thinking to himself that Master Gongsun was knowledgeable and reasonable, yet his sister, with her stubborn temper, was so virtuous and talented, and he did not cherish her. Thinking this, he felt even more resentful towards Zhou Yan.

"Next time I encounter this, I will kill him without mercy," he thought bitterly.

……

The city of Xiangyang was bustling with merchants and pedestrians, a scene of great prosperity.

Zhou Yan and the Fisherman of Yanbo walked side by side. The fisherman said, "The setting sun is about to sink behind Mount Xian, and I'm lost in the beauty of the reeds. The children of Xiangyang clap their hands and sing 'White Copper Shoes' in the street. A passerby asks what's going on, and the fisherman laughs at the old man who's drunk as a log, with his cormorant ladle and parrot cup. In a hundred years, there are 36,000 days, and he must drink 300 cups a day. Brother Zhou, do you know what kind of wine we'll drink when we get to Xiangyang?"

"The immortal on the river has gone and will not return; we are all happily drunk with chrysanthemum wine."

The old fisherman laughed heartily: "Brother Zhou is truly a wonderful man. Come on, I'll take you to the 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion' in Xiangyang City to drink chrysanthemum wine."

“Very good.” Zhou Yan recalled the scene of meeting Zhang Sanqiang in Xiangyang on his first mission as a bodyguard in Jingzhou, and smiled slightly before following the other party.

The horses ridden by the three men were transported across the river by the boatman with Qiu Qianchi. Zhou Yan and Yanbo Diaosou crossed the river in the morning to buy horses in Xiangyang. Yanbo Diaosou was actually a gourmand just like Hong Qigong. Once in Xiangyang, he naturally wanted to go to "Zui Xian Lou".

Wandering through the streets and alleys, the three approached this top-notch restaurant in the city. Inside the building, with its upturned eaves and lanterns hanging high, a middle-aged man with a white beard like a halberd was drinking "chrysanthemum wine" while glancing at several people eating not far away.

The young master, surrounded by admirers, had a ruddy complexion and white teeth, and was handsome. The man beside him had a high nose and deep-set eyes, a cold and stern face, and a profound gaze that gave people a feeling of immense pressure and unyielding strength.

Who is this man from the Western Regions? He seems to be someone of considerable importance. As the man thought this, he suddenly caught the man's sharp gaze fixed on him out of the corner of his eye. He casually looked away and turned his gaze back to the long street. Slowly, a smile appeared on the man's face.

It seems as if an old friend has come.

……

Zhou Yan, Liang Xiaowu, and Yanbo Diaosou arrived downstairs, handed their horses to the waiter who had come to greet them, and the three of them entered the bustling "Zui Xian Lou" and went up the stairs to the second floor.

"Please have a seat here, gentlemen." The waiter led Zhou Yan and his companions to a private room with great enthusiasm. After a few steps, Zhou Yan stopped.

In his field of vision, Ouyang Feng grinned menacingly, revealing his white teeth. "Kid, long time no see!"

As soon as Ouyang Feng spoke, Yang Kang, Ouyang Ke, Helian Chuncheng, Nimo Xing, Yin Kexi and others all turned around.

The old fisherman on the misty waves smiled coldly and said to Zhou Yan, "This group of people have menacing looks on their faces, they are clearly enemies, not friends. You certainly have a lot of enemies. This old man is very arrogant, who is he?"

"I am Ouyang Feng!" the Western Poison said sinisterly.

(End of this chapter)