The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 231 A Novice Gets Beaten Up

Spring breezes swept across the fields, and peach blossoms began to bloom in the mountain temple. It should have been a beautiful scene of blooming flowers, but an ominous atmosphere permeated the air.

Zhou Yan slowly moved forward with his gun in hand. With each step he took, he did not show any killing intent, but Gongsun Zhi inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine.

Zhou Yan's incursion into the Valley of Heartbreak happened a year ago. At that time, his martial arts were slightly inferior to Nemo Xing's. Now, he has undergone a complete transformation and has experienced countless battles, including fights with Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren. His accumulated power from numerous battles has made him far superior to Gongsun Zhi at present.

His imposing presence instantly overshadowed that of the Valley Master of Heartless Valley.

Helian Chuncheng, spear in hand, charged forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Gongsun Zhi on either side.

"Make your move!" Helian Chuncheng said.

Before Zhou Yan could finish his "Good!", amidst a clamor and shouts, the sound of hooves thundered as two men rode up the mountain like a whirlwind. The man on horseback wore a thin black felt cloak over a black cloth robe; he was as swift as a tiger and as powerful as a dragon.

"Brother Zhou!"

"Brother Zhou."

Zhou Yan looked in the direction of the sound and saw the black horse and the chestnut horse neigh and steady themselves. Lu Beihe and Zhang Wangyue, carrying two guns on their backs, landed on the field.

"Brother Lu? Chief Escort?" Zhou Yan, who came forward to greet him, was quite surprised. "What brings you here?"

Lu Beihe said in a low voice, "I saw Helian Chuncheng and his group of more than a hundred monks and laypeople leaving the city in Kaifeng. Fearing that it would be detrimental to Brother Zhou, I rushed to Zhongdu. Coincidentally, the escorts you sent also arrived at the escort agency. The head escort said that those people were going to Shaoshi Mountain, so I rushed over."

Zhang Wangyue said with a smile, "It's been a long time, Brother Zhou."

Zhou Yan's eyes welled up slightly, and he smiled, "Indeed."

Lu Beihe's appearance greatly surprised Helian Chuncheng, who said, "Young Master Lu, are you also going to get involved in this mess?"

"I am merely here as a close friend of Brother Zhou. Does Young Master Helian have any objections?"

"Haha, very good, how could that be?" Helian Chuncheng chuckled deeply. "So, Young Master Lu is going to lend a hand?"

"Brother Lu and the chief镖头 will watch the battle for me," Zhou Yan said.

“Alright!” Zhang Wangyue nodded. “Young Master Lu, let us observe the battle first.”

“Alright!” Lu Beihe was not a reckless man; he stepped back and stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhang Wangyue.

Helian Chuncheng brandished his spear, creating a huge flourish. "Zhou Yan, please show me your moves."

No sooner had he said this than the sound of galloping horses came from the mountainside. The sound of hooves grew louder and louder. Zhou Yan exclaimed, "Who are these people?"
Dozens of riders approached in an instant, and the extremely conspicuous cassock came into Zhou Yan's view.

"The Golden Wheel Monk? Huo Du."

The thunderous sound of hooves approached, and Huo Du leaped off his horse. Behind him, the Western Xia "Springy Leg" Ma Xiuping, the Shu "Wind and Thunder Hand" Ran Tianshi, the Guanzhong swordsman Han Wugou, the Xiangxi Xiaoxiangzi, and others, recruited from the Heroes' Banquet, dismounted and surrounded Huo Du as he walked forward.

How Huo Du knew that the Vajra Sect had gone south to Shaolin Temple is a strange matter. Zhou Yan is familiar with the world of The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes, but many stories in this martial arts world have long deviated from their original course. Xiao Xiangzi becoming Yang Kang's spy is beyond Zhou Yan's understanding.

Huo Du accurately located Yang Kang in the crowd. He lightly waved his folding fan and said, "Crown Prince Wanyan, I held a grand banquet for heroes in Zhongdu, and you sent people to cause trouble. This time I went to Shaoshi Mountain to observe, surely the Crown Prince wouldn't need to mobilize troops to surround and kill me?"

Yang Kang bowed respectfully and said, "How could that be? Matters of the martial world should be settled within the martial world."

"Your Highness is magnanimous; I admire you."

"polite!"

Huo Du looked at Zhou Yan, found his face unfamiliar, and smiled, "It seems I haven't missed the chance to watch a good show."

“That’s true,” Nemo said sinisterly.

Huo Du laughed heartily and turned to walk towards the Shaolin Temple group. "Junior Huo Du, may I ask if that person is the abbot of Shaolin Temple?"

“Excellent, excellent, this old monk is it.”

The Mongols and the Jin Dynasty were predominantly Buddhist, so Huo Du was quite respectful, bowing deeply and saying, "Greetings, Abbot Master."

"The Buddha's teachings are boundless, and all beings are one. This old monk practices asceticism; please, Benefactor Huo, do not stand on ceremony."

"Master, you are a man of noble character and integrity. I admire you. I will go to the hospital later to burn incense and pay homage to Buddha."

"Good, good!"

“This humble monk greets the Abbot.” The Golden Wheel Dharma King stepped forward, his hands clasped together. He spoke kindly and humbly, with impeccable manners. “Suffering is the root of Bodhi. To attain Bodhi is to escape the suffering of the six realms, to guide sentient beings, to contemplate the impurity of the body, to contemplate the suffering of feelings, to contemplate the impermanence of the mind, and to contemplate the non-self of phenomena. To know suffering, to contemplate suffering, and to be free from suffering.”

Ku Cheng was surprised, thinking to himself that the other party could actually interpret the two characters "Ku Cheng".

“Your Majesty is learned and profound, and has come from afar. I have not been able to greet you properly.” The Golden Wheel Dharma King said, “I have long admired the reputation of Shaolin Temple. I am very happy to see your majestic appearance today. I will ask you to teach me about Buddhism when the abbot has time.”

"This old monk also listened to the Dharma King's teachings."

One was a Tibetan Tantric Buddhist leader, and the other was a Chinese Chan Buddhist abbot; they respected and got along well with each other.

The more Zhou Yan looked at it, the more he felt that after this, the world of Legend of the Condor Heroes would likely undergo earth-shattering changes.

Watching the battle from the forest, Huang Yaoshi felt his trip was worthwhile. Judging from the Golden Wheel Monk's attire, he must be from Tibetan Tantric Buddhism. Shaolin Temple is a Central Plains Chan sect, while the Western Region Vajra Sect clearly originated from Shaolin Temple but also established its own sect. More or less, it was probably influenced by Tibetan and Indian Buddhism. This seemingly ordinary feud in the martial arts world could very well turn into a three-way battle, no less exciting than the Mount Hua Sword Tournament. If Seventh Brother delays any longer, he will miss such a grand event.

As Huang Yaoshi thought this, he suddenly heard a faint rustling of clothes through the branches and leaves in the forest. A thought struck him, and without turning around, he exclaimed, "Seventh Brother has just arrived!"

Hong Qigong was quite surprised, thinking to himself that Huang Yaoshi's skills seemed to have improved. Could it be that the old beggar had become addicted to drinking and neglected his cultivation, and was about to be overtaken?

"Brother Yao has excellent hearing."

As soon as the voice arrived, Hong Qigong landed beside Huang Yaoshi, took a few gulps of wine from his gourd, and said, "Old beggar, you're not late, are you?"

"Coincidentally, people from the Vajra Sect of the Western Regions and the Tibetan Tantric School have come. That kid who refused to become your disciple is going to take on four of you at once."

Hong Qigong laughed and said, "When I first met this kid, he was still wet behind the ears, but he spoke with maturity and composure. The old beggar said he had the arrogance of the Eastern Heretic and the ruthlessness of the Western Poison. Look at him, taking on four people at once, how arrogant!"

"Martial arts are a person's courage, that's normal."

"This old man is suddenly seized by a youthful passion."

Huang Yaoshi smiled slightly and looked at Zhou Yan.

Yin Kexi had been waiting impatiently for a long time. Seeing that Jinlun and Kucheng were talking incessantly, he said, "Zhou Yan, the master and the Dharma King are discussing the Dao, which has nothing to do with you and me. Make your move."

Upon hearing this, both Master Kucheng and the Golden Wheel Dharma King turned their gazes toward him. Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Alright, I will guide you."

"It's shameless to talk big."

Yin Kexi roared, and his long whip, like a motionless python, coiled around Zhou Yan's legs at a height of three feet off the ground.

Helian Chuncheng, cooperating with Yin Kexi's offensive, charged forward with his spear, his figure as swift as an arrow, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. The iron spear in his hand was like a serpent, its tip trembling wildly as if a serpent were spitting its tongue, unleashing an arc of spear in front of Zhou Yan, enveloping his upper body.

One team attacks the lower part of the map, while the other goes down the middle.

A clear, resonant buzzing sound lingered for a long time, as the black sword and golden saber of Master Gongsun clashed. With a flick of his wrist, he thrust the saber and sword toward Zhou Yan's head, aiming for his left neck.

This attack is targeting the upper body again.

It has all three routes: upper, middle, and lower.

Nemo Xing appeared swiftly behind Zhou Yan, his short serpent whip striking the "Tian Tu" acupoint on his back.

The four attacked simultaneously, their coordination flawless. Huang Rong put herself in their shoes and thought about it; if it were her, she would surely die in that combined attack.

Zhang Wangyue shared Huang Rong's thoughts, fearing that if he accepted this combined attack, it would result in mutual destruction.

Zhou Yan unleashed his "Ancient Tomb Lightness Skill," his body suddenly darting backward, as if crashing straight into Nemo Star's serpent whip. The closeness between him and the whip seemed like an illusion. He held his gun in his left hand, swung his right arm, and slashed horizontally with his backhand, delivering a "Divine Dragon Tail Swing" move behind him.

Knowing Zhou Yan's strength, Nemo Xing dared not take the blow head-on. He leaped up and flipped backward. While in the air, fearing that Zhou Yan would take the opportunity to pursue and kill him, he trembled and twisted his short whip like a serpent, unleashing a shower of cold light to protect his lower body with a powerful force.

Zhou Yan's figure created a piercing, turbulent sound like a red-hot iron being plunged into ice water. The heavy iron spear in his hand vibrated wildly like a raging dragon, unleashing eighteen strikes in three steps, each strike faster than the last, aimed at Gongsun Zhi.

His retreat broke the offensive of Gongsun Zhi, Yin Kexi, and Helian Chuncheng, and also averted the danger from behind.

Among the four, Gongsun Zhi was undoubtedly the least skilled in martial arts, but Zhou Yan had practiced this technique and knew the weakness of the "Golden Knife, Black Sword, Yin-Yang Double Blades".

A knife is a knife, and a sword is a sword; using a knife as a sword technique or a sword as a knife technique is ultimately a feint.

So, I'm sorry, Master Gongsun, you're new to the game and need to be taught a lesson.

Huang Yaoshi, who was watching the battle in the forest, said to Hong Qigong: "The saber technique is mainly about being fierce and powerful, while the sword technique is mainly about being light and agile. The two weapons have completely opposite characteristics, so it is almost impossible for one person to use both saber and sword. It is quite strange that this person can use them so skillfully. Zhou Yan is in a bad situation."

Hong Qigong was also worried about Zhou Yan, and said, "Let's take a look first!"

"it is good!"

The two looked towards the arena.

(End of this chapter)