The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 259 The King and the Little Demons Make Their Appearance

The sky meets the blue pool, and the sunset glows red.

The sun had not yet set, and the sunlight was not very strong. At first glance, the teahouses along the roadside by Biyun Pool at the foot of Tongbai Mountain were all white.

An elderly man with white hair, white beard, and white eyebrows; a middle-aged man in a white robe; and a beautiful woman in a white dress.

Eight women sat around two wooden tables.

The old man and the young man were seated at another table.

The old man sipped his tea and said in a solemn tone, “In the present Song Dynasty, the court is corrupt, treacherous officials hold power, and greedy officials commit evil deeds. The gentry and powerful families are despicable and oppress the good. Furthermore, the Jin Dynasty is burning, killing, and looting. The people of the land have long harbored resentment. Let us unite with heroes and act on behalf of Heaven.”

The man said, "Your Excellency is truly insightful."

"If we can persuade Tongbai Mountain and Funiu Mountain to join us this time, it will be considered that 'when the time is right, heaven and earth will work together'."

"With the leader's personal presence, the mission will surely be accomplished. From now on, our sect will be no less than the Ming Cult."

"A message came from the Xiangyang branch that Zhang Sanqiang had appeared in the city in early spring. Later, he appeared at Shaoshi Mountain, introduced himself, fought Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, and became famous in one battle. He went north, which must also be to spread his religion and expand his power. How can we underestimate the Ming Cult?"

"Colorless and clear."

The man called himself colorless and addressed the old man as the leader of the religion.

The old man and the young man were none other than Yu Huacheng, the leader of the White Lotus Sect, and Wuse, the Holy Son of the White Lotus Sect.

As the two talked, the sounds of carriages and horses filled the air. Soon after, a grand caravan arrived, led by a valiant and imposing镖师 (bodyguard/escort). The carts, which left tire tracks on the dusty road, took a full meal's time to pass before they all made their way through.

The waiter outside the teahouse looked at the caravan with greed in his eyes.

Wuse, inside the teahouse, said, "This caravan is unusually large. Since it's passing through here, it must be heading south across the Yangtze River. Should we arrange for someone to follow them?"

"Look at those镖头 (bodyguards/escorts), each one is imposing and has an extraordinary bearing. Important matters are at stake; we shouldn't get involved in this. Let's go."

"it is good!"

Wu Se nodded, reaffirming his stance on no longer robbing the caravan. The two stood up, followed by eight women.

"Shopkeeper, bring me some good tea."

Just as Yu Huacheng and Wuse were about to leave the teahouse, a voice suddenly rang out, and a group of people walked in through the light curtain under the eaves.

Coincidentally, the other party also included both men and women, all dressed in white.

Wuse looked at the man, who was about her age. He was dressed in a long white satin robe embroidered with gold thread, holding a folding fan. He was handsome, with a dashing and elegant demeanor. Behind him were eight women, each with a beauty that could rival that of a legendary beauty. Behind the beautiful women were several servants in white.

Yu Huacheng's gaze fell on the older man, who was tall with a high nose and deep-set eyes. His face was tanned and his eyes were sharp and piercing.

"Old man, have you seen enough?" Suddenly, the man in front of Yu Huacheng asked, his voice ringing like metal.

His colorless face flushed with anger.

The eight women all cried out in unison, "Stop being so rude!"

With a whoosh, the man in front of the colorless figure opened his folding fan, and the women behind him laughed and said, "So what if you're rude?"

……

The wind whistled through the trees and around the eaves, and the atmosphere inside and outside the teahouse suddenly became tense. From the lush forest, a defiant murmur rang out, "White Lotus Saint Son Wu Se, White Camel Mountain Young Master Ouyang Ke, Western Poison, Demon Sect Leader, if they could fight, it would be a feast for the eyes."

Zhou Yan chuckled.

After the Battle of Shaoshi Mountain ended, Zhou Yan, Yanbo Diaosou, Zhang Wangyue, Lu Beihe and others went to Chaya Mountain. The group mentioned the matter of eliminating the bandits in Tongbai Mountain and Funiu Mountain. Zhenwei's young master arranged for people to investigate first.

Zhenwei Escort Agency had thoroughly investigated all the shady shops along the official road in both villages.

Tea houses are one of them.

Merchants would stop at the teahouse to rest and drink tea. If the shopkeeper or waiter saw that the merchants were carrying gold and silver and saw an opportunity to make money, they would send out carrier pigeons. Within the time it takes to eat a meal, bandits from the mountain stronghold would receive the message and rush out to kill and rob them.

Zhou Yan and Yanbo Diaosou, who were following the caravan, had been lying in wait in the woods outside the teahouse, waiting for the caravan to release a carrier pigeon so they could catch the bird in the back and kill them cleanly, so that the caravan would not discover that the Chaya Mountain team was following closely behind the caravan.

What was originally a simple assassination attempt turned into a series of unexpected events, with the appearance of Yu Huacheng, the leader of the White Lotus Sect, Wuse, the White Lotus Saint, and Ouyang Feng and his nephew.

In this vast world, there are countless people with the same name and surname. Zhou Yan dared not at the moment determine whether the White Lotus Saint Son Wuse was the Shaolin Temple Zen Master Wuse from The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Looking at the scene before him, he found it somewhat amusing that even Ouyang Ke had a rival.

The two were about the same age, both dressed in white, each accompanied by a woman of varying shapes and sizes. However, in terms of martial arts, Ouyang Ke's beautiful concubine was far inferior to the colorless female disciple of the White Lotus Sect.

On that day at Longhu Mountain, eight women used white silk ribbons as weapons and worked together to unleash a "White Silk Ribbon Formation." Liu Qingzhou was caught off guard and nearly torn apart by five horses.

"Why are Ouyang Feng and his nephew here? Could they also be heading to Tongbai Mountain?" Zhou Yan asked suddenly, his eyes fixed on the scene.

Zhou Yan said, "It's unlikely. It's more possible if Qiu Qianren shows up, since Ouyang Feng is at least a martial arts master."

"That's true. Where is the leader of the Demonic Sect?"

In the eyes of the old fisherman, Manichaeism and the White Lotus Sect were both evil sects. Zhang Sanqiang was a decent person, but his followers were of mixed quality. The White Lotus Sect was even more despicable than Manichaeism.

"Yu Huacheng is a possibility."

"Why?" asked the old fisherman on the misty waves.

"You didn't say that the White Lotus Sect, the Ming Cult, and the Beggars' Sect were constantly in conflict in western Hunan. As long as there was conflict, they would expand their strength to survive."

“That makes sense.” The old fisherman nodded, his gaze turning toward the teahouse.

……

Ouyang Ke's beautiful concubine said, "What if you're rude?"

The woman behind the colorless woman glared angrily, "How dare you!" With a whoosh, two white ribbons shot into the air, striking directly at the beautiful woman who had spoken.

Seeing the white silk ribbon coming at him, Ouyang Ke knew that Mei Ji was far inferior to her opponent. He was quite envious. If Mei Ji knew this move, wouldn't it be magnificent when she fought against her opponent?

"Not bad skills." Ouyang Ke thought to himself, smiled slightly, and suddenly grabbed a white silk ribbon in each hand. "Come here."

The two female disciples of the White Lotus Sect were no match for Ouyang Ke, who had already mastered the Nine Yin Manual. They felt an overwhelming force pulling on the white silk, and before they could resist, they were dragged forward.

"Let me spar with you, young master." Wu Se suddenly grabbed Ouyang Ke's arms with both hands. Ouyang Ke's arms sank and he pulled away, releasing the white silk and grabbing it back. At the same time, he secretly kicked out from below.

Wuse was furious, thinking that this meant he would be childless. He retaliated with a kick, and the two legs collided in mid-air. Ouyang Ke's figure swayed, and his fist enveloped Wuse.

"Well done!" Wuse shouted, his palms flashing like lightning, forming several arcs as they surged toward Ouyang Ke with a slight whooshing sound.

Upon their first exchange, both Ouyang Ke and Wuse were eager to cripple each other's prestige, launching a head-on assault. Thunderous roars filled the air, and dust billowed and swirled.

Two white figures spun around and moved from the entrance of the teahouse to the pavilion by the green pool.

After dozens of moves, Ouyang Ke grew impatient as the battle dragged on without a clear winner. He was already frustrated that he couldn't defeat Zhou Yan, but even a random kid like him was proving so difficult to deal with. He was forced to use his ultimate technique to gain the upper hand.

As he thought this, he suddenly threw a punch. Wuse raised his hand to block, but Ouyang Ke's arm seemed to have suddenly lost its bones, turning smoothly and striking Wuse in the neck with a loud thud.

Wuse let out a muffled groan and staggered back. Ouyang Ke launched another attack, but Wuse dodged to the side. Ouyang Ke's arm seemed to transform into a soft whip, bending at will in the air. With a thud, Wuse was punched in the left shoulder again.

Seeing that Wuse was no match for Ouyang Ke's strange fist technique, Yu Huacheng suddenly pounced on Ouyang Ke.

Ouyang Feng smiled coldly, his figure suddenly advancing to block the White Lotus Sect Leader. His palms opened and closed rapidly, and a sudden gust of wind, carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks, attacked out abruptly.

The two were moving too fast; several loud booms echoed, and the bluestone on the ground shattered. Ouyang Feng advanced unstoppably, while Yu Huacheng's figure was elusive, like a supple white python swimming around. In the blink of an eye, after a hundred moves, Yu Huacheng retreated to the outside of the pavilion.

The pavilion was small, with four wooden pillars. Yu Huacheng grabbed the pillars with both hands, suddenly exerted his strength to dismantle them, and swept them towards Ouyang Feng.

Ouyang Feng's figure floated several feet away and landed on the ground.

Yu Huacheng pushed the pillar and charged wildly, while Ouyang Feng crouched slightly, made a "ge" sound, and pushed forward with both palms.

Ouyang Feng's internal strength greatly increased after practicing the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian" (a manual for strengthening tendons and bones). His "Toad Stance" power was now far greater than when he fought Zhang Sanqiang at the "Zui Xian Lou" (a restaurant) in Xiangyang.

With a loud crash, the wooden pillar in Yu Huacheng's hand shattered into pieces. He staggered back several steps and crashed into another bead in the pavilion. With a crack, the pavilion collapsed with a rumble.

Yu Huacheng leaped into the air, bursting through the top and landing on the canopy of a large, leafy tree by the pool.

Ouyang Feng smiled sternly, "You old man, your martial arts are not bad either. State your name."

Yu Huacheng asked in a deep voice, "How shall I address you?"

"Ouyang Feng!"

Upon hearing this, the White Lotus Sect Leader exclaimed in surprise, "So you are Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison who fought Zhang Sanqiang at Shaoshi Mountain."

"That's right, who are you, old man?"

"Yu Huacheng, leader of the White Lotus Sect, was misunderstood earlier and has offended you greatly."

Ouyang Feng learned from Qiu Qianren that the White Lotus Sect and the Manichaeism were in conflict, and that Zhang Sanqiang was their opponent. He saw no need to make an enemy of Yu Huacheng over such a trivial matter. Perhaps they would have a chance to join forces against the Manichaeism in the future and seize the wondrous teleportation technique.

"So it's you, Master Yu. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Does Mr. Ouyang know me?" Yu Huacheng took a step to the side and fell to the ground.

"I've heard of his reputation."

"My name is not worth mentioning. I have important matters to attend to, so I must take my leave now. I will apologize to Mr. Ouyang another day."

"Sure, please!"

"Farewell!"

Yu Huacheng bowed and walked towards the official road. Wuse and the others, who had stopped fighting long ago, hurriedly followed. After walking a little further away, Wuse said, "I didn't expect to encounter Ouyang Feng just after we were talking about him at the teahouse. Zhang Sanqiang and Ouyang Feng have fought before and are now enemies. I thought you would have a talk with him."

Yu Huacheng said, "During the Battle of Shaoshi Mountain, Ouyang Feng was with the Crown Prince of Jin. He has dealings with Jin. How could I become close to him just because I was dealing with Zhang Sanqiang?"

“The leader is right.”

After the two walked away, Ouyang Feng had no desire to stay in the messy teahouse, so he took Ouyang Ke to find another place to rest.

The expressions on the faces of the teahouse owner and waiters, who had been terrified by the fight, became quite interesting.

"Boss, so these two are the famous Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, and Yu Huacheng, the leader of the White Lotus Sect."

"No!"

"This is quite an eye-opener. I don't know how we ended up in Tongbai Mountain at the same time," the waiter said.

"Mind your own business and don't meddle in other people's affairs. The important thing is to focus on the important matters. That caravan was a fat sheep just now."

"Exactly, exactly."

The shopkeeper took out a pen and ink, wrote a message on a piece of paper, the waiter took a carrier pigeon from the pigeon coop in the cupboard, the shopkeeper put the paper into the letterbox, and went out of the teahouse to release the carrier pigeon.

He walked back to the teahouse and said with anticipation, "If I get this haul, I should be able to get a lot of money."

The waiter, trying to curry favor, poured tea for the shopkeeper.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, earth and rocks shot out from the wall, and a long sword pierced through the earthen wall and embedded itself in the shopkeeper's neck.

"what!"

The waiter yelled and darted out of the teahouse. A fishing rod swung across, the hook piercing the back of his neck. The waiter was hoisted high and flung into the pond beside the pavilion.

(End of this chapter)