The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 265 The Phantom of Shaolin Temple
The true measure of a person's strength lies in the combination of their martial arts prowess and combat experience.

Zhang Wangyue was undoubtedly such a person, capable of fully demonstrating his strength.

Zhou Yan is no exception. With hundreds of battles, large and small, he has accumulated rich combat experience. He can seize fleeting opportunities and, in a flash of inspiration, execute a divine move as swift as a gazelle's horns, leaving no trace.

Therefore, the chief镖头 of Fu'an killed Ba Rui, the leader of Funiu Mountain, and Zhou Yan seriously injured Yu Huacheng, the leader of the White Lotus Cult, whose strength was above his own.

Ouyang Ke, Yang Kang, and Huo Du are the opposite. They each possess unique skills, but when faced with fierce opponents, they can only unleash about 70% or 80% of their strength at most.

Looking at the famous and righteous sects in the martial arts world, when disciples have mastered their skills, they go down the mountain to travel, punish evil and eliminate wickedness. In fact, this is to accumulate experience and improve their skills. Those with exceptional talent accumulate knowledge day by day, simplifying their skills and eliminating the dross. Some even create their own unique skills.

Zhang Wangyue's step-back kick with a stick was actually learned from Zhou Yan. In the past, when Zhou Yan was instructing Mu Nianci on spear techniques at the镖局 (bodyguard agency), he used the kicking spear technique he had learned from Zhang Sanqiang. The chief镖头 (bodyguard head) of Fu'an saw this and carried it forward.

After killing Ba Rui, Zhang Wangyue reached for his staff and looked around. He saw Yu Huacheng's former body stained with blood. Suddenly, Yu Huacheng landed on the side of the Fisherman of Misty Waves. A flurry of palm shadows forced the Fisherman back, and Zhang Wangyue retreated quickly with the White Lotus Saint.

"Brother Zhou!"

Zhang Wangyue leaped towards the spot where Zhou Yan and Yu Huacheng had previously fought.

……

Zhou Yan fell to the ground, rolled several times, used his hands to help him get up on one knee, and then slowly stood up.

In an instant, he felt the gentle warmth emanating from the Jade Guanyin, seeping into his skin, relaxing his muscles and tendons, and repairing his internal injuries. He used the Quanzhen Sect's internal energy cultivation method to intercept and transport the energy, circulating it along his meridians. In just over ten breaths, he spat out a mouthful of dark purple, almost black, foul blood. The stagnation in his qi instantly dissipated, and the sound of his blood surging resounded in his ears, like a long-frozen river melting and flowing freely under the warm spring sun.

The blow Yu Huacheng delivered actually caused far more damage than the fight against Qiu Qianren at Xiangyang Wharf. So, he was still far from fully recovered, but his blood was flowing smoothly and his internal energy was circulating freely. He could move around without any hindrance and was able to recover on his own.

The dust was cleared away by several figures, and Zhang Wangyue, Wang Kui, and Yanbo Diaosou appeared beside Zhou Yan.

The three of them were truly startled when they saw Zhou Yan, whose mouth still had traces of blood on it.

Zhang Wangyue hurriedly took the porcelain bottle containing only a few "Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pills" left.

Zhou Yan smiled and stopped him, "It's alright, I have the pills, I can continue fighting."

Knowing Zhou Yan's personality, Zhang Wangyue breathed a sigh of relief, "The White Lotus Sect Leader seems to be seriously injured."

"He stabbed me with a sword."

The old fisherman sighed, "That old man is truly formidable. With a single palm strike, he created an inescapable net, as powerful as a raging storm. It's remarkable that Brother Zhou Yan was able to injure him."

Zhou Yan scoffed and said to Zhang Wangyue, "That's the same 'reverse spear' used by the bandit leader of Tongbai Mountain."

Zhang Wangyue realized what was happening, smiled knowingly, and looked at Zhang with admiration.

"Let's take the stronghold in one fell swoop," Zhou Yan said.

"okay!"

The group of people moved swiftly and joined the battle.

Yu Huacheng and Wuse fled, Ba Rui was killed, and the mountain stronghold had no experts. Zhou Yan's injuries were not affected by ordinary attacks. He was still the biggest threat to the bandits in the stronghold. He used the lightness skill of the ancient tomb to come and go in an instant, moving like a ghost. He used his sword to strike acupoints. Wherever he passed, the bandits lying on the ground had no wounds, but they all died with blood flowing from their mouths and noses.

As dusk fell, the setting sun shone like blood. The battle that had lasted for half a day gradually came to an end. Of the ten thousand bandits in the Funiu Mountain stronghold, several thousand scattered like birds and beasts and fled. The rest were either killed or captured.

The only drawback was that the second-in-command of Tongbai Mountain, who had fled to the mountain stronghold, saw the situation was not good and made a quick getaway, thus avoiding being killed.

As night fell, Liang Xiaowu rushed over from the main stronghold in Tongbai Mountain to report that Lu Beihe, Hu Yanlei, Qiu Qianchi, Mu Nianci, and others had captured the stronghold.

Zhang Wangyue and Yang Miaozhen breathed a sigh of relief—a great victory!
……

The moon was bright and the stars were few; silvery dust was scattered on the ground, and the air was filled with the fragrance of ginseng.

Dazhai has many century-old ginseng that Ba Rui obtained by hijacking caravans and merchants.

After Liang Xiaowu caught a hazel grouse in the mountains that could strengthen the waist and knees and benefit the bones and marrow, he added ginseng to make a soup to nourish Zhou Yan's blood and qi. He followed Zhou Yan on several escort missions, two of which were for Huang Rong.

Now, he is not only a master chef, but also has a medical understanding that far surpasses that of ordinary bodyguards.

Lu Beihe, Hu Yanlei, and Qiu Qianchi are still in Dazhai, Tongbai Mountain.

Inside the courtyard hall were Zhou Yan, Yang Miaozhen, Zhang Wangyue, and others.

Yang Miaozhen ladled out soup and handed the porcelain bowl to Zhou Yan.

"Brother Zhou, you've worked hard. Take good care of yourself and replenish your energy. This soup promotes yang energy and invigorates blood circulation."

People from the martial arts world speak frankly about yang energy, without a trace of romantic sentimentality.

Zhou Yan, not wanting to disappoint her, smiled and accepted the porcelain bowl, saying, "Thank you, sister."

In his heart, he thought that since he began practicing the first volume of the Nine Yang Manual, the one thing he had never lacked was yang energy.

"Why are you being so polite? If anything happens to you, how can I be at ease?"

The old fisherman chuckled, "As long as Brother Zhou doesn't die on the spot, he won't die later. He also vomited blood when he fought Qiu Qianren at Xiangyang Wharf, but he recovered completely in an hour or two."

"A naturally indestructible physique," Zhou Yan joked.

“I’m relieved to hear what you say, Senior Fisherman.” Yang Miaozhen changed the subject. “We’ve already captured over a hundred fine horses in Funiu Mountain alone. Weapons and gold and silver are plentiful, and there should be even more in Tongbai Mountain. Brother Zhang and Brother Zhou, please give me some advice on how to proceed.”

"Brother, you're an expert." Zhou Yan said this as he drank the soup to boost his virility.

Zhang Wangyue pondered for a moment and said, "Chief Yang has already grasped the essence of the training method, so I won't say more. The villagers are settled and can choose to stay or leave. Those who want to leave the village will be given a sum of money, since these villagers were all captured."

"Well, that's no problem."

"My suggestion is that Chief Yang can develop in the Tongbai Mountains and Funiu Mountains in the future."

"Why?" Zhang Wangyue said, "Chaya Mountain is also an ideal place for training and hiding troops, but it is flat all around. Once surrounded by a large army, it will be isolated and helpless, with no way to retreat. Tongbai Mountain and Funiu Mountain are different. The two camps are mutually supportive, and they are surrounded by majestic mountains. They can retreat or advance at will, and it is not a problem to raise tens of thousands of troops. We can leave a small number of people in Chaya Mountain and move the rest to the two camps."

Zhou Yan sighed inwardly. He had never studied the "Wumu's Legacy," but he had knowledge from two lifetimes. He knew that beyond the Tongbai and Funiu Mountains lay Nanyang, and Jingxiang was the gateway to the world, while Nanyang was the gateway to Jingxiang.

Zhang Wangyue truly lived up to his reputation as the son of a military family.

"Okay, I'll do as Brother Zhang says."

“From now on, when escorting goods from Fu’an to Jiangnan, there will be no need to detour via the Huai River.” Wang Kui said happily, “Both the escort agencies in the north and south should be grateful to Chief Yang.”

"We should thank Fu'an. Without Fu'an, there would be no armored cavalry. Brother Zhang, Brother Zhou, please stay here for a while."

"Once Brother Zhou has fully recovered from his injuries, I will go with him to Dongting Lake and then to Hengshan Mountain," said the Fisherman of the Misty Waves with a chuckle.

"Ah."

"Once the two villages are settled, I will return to Zhongdu."

"That's fine too. Anyway, whether it's Fu'an escorting goods or Brother Zhou going north or south, they'll mostly pass through here. I'll congratulate you anytime."

“Okay!” Zhang Wangyue and Zhou Yan said in unison.

After filling his stomach, Zhou Yan no longer worried about the affairs of the mountain stronghold. He found a secluded valley to practice his skills and heal his injuries.

……

I entered the ancient temple at dawn, where the first rays of the sun shone on the tall trees.

After the morning meal, the sound of strong winds echoed in the martial arts arena of Shaolin Temple, and Ku Cheng and Ku Hui emerged from under the lush trees.

Ku Hui's broken fingers and palms have healed after applying "Black Jade Fracture and Regeneration Ointment".

The Fire-Worker Monk fled to Shaoshi Mountain and set fire to the Shaolin Temple in the Western Regions.

Everyone in the temple knew that the Vajra Sect would make a comeback, so all the martial monks trained diligently from midnight to dawn, especially the head monk of the Arhat Hall, Master Tianxin, and the head monk of the Bodhidharma Hall, Master Tianming.

Ku Hui and his companions arrived at Shaolin Temple, and the two temples merged in a tragic manner. The martial arts atmosphere at Shaolin Temple became even more intense, especially among Zen Masters Tianxin and Tianming, who humbly sought instruction from Tianlong and Tianxiang, exchanging skills and making significant progress. Based on their entry into the temple and their apprenticeship, Tianlong and Tianxiang of the Western Region Shaolin should address the heads of the Arhat Hall and Bodhidharma Hall of the Central Plains Shaolin as their senior brothers.

Ku Hui and Ku Cheng walked over and saw the monks forming a circle. In the middle of the martial arts arena, the celestial phenomenon was practicing martial arts. They saw that when the opponent struck out with his palm, his footwork coordinated with his body and spine, leaping and exerting force. His palm technique was grand, long, and ancient.

After he finished performing a set of palm techniques, he was greeted with thunderous cheers.

Zen Master Tianming stepped forward and said, “Back in Shaoshi Mountain, Baoxiang of the Vajra Sect was about to unleash the ‘Vajra Prajna Palm,’ but I think his skill is far inferior to that of my junior brother.”

“That’s natural. My senior brother is proficient in the Vajra Prajna Palm, the Great Vajra Fist, and the Maha Finger. He is an expert in all three arts.” The speaker was a young novice monk from the Western Regions of Salin who followed Ku Hui. His words drew a burst of good-natured laughter.

Tianxiang said, "If you keep practicing the Prajna Palm, it will never end. The palm power will become stronger and stronger, and the moves will become more and more refined. It can be said that there is no limit to learning. I have only mastered it. If we really want to compare levels, I am still no match for the Vajra Sect's Treasure Tree."

"That precious tree didn't make a move at Shaoshi Mountain, is it very powerful?" Tianxin asked.

"Yes, in the Western Regions Shaolin Temple, only the abbot and my senior brother Tianlong can spar with him."

Upon hearing this, Tianlong said, "The abbot should be able to obtain the precious tree."

The implication is that he is no match for Baoshu.

Tianming, Tianxin, and the others felt a heavy weight in their hearts. In that case, apart from the abbot, no one in the Shaolin Temple of the Central Plains could defeat their opponent.

Seeing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, Tianlong said, "Fellow disciples, there's no need to overthink it. The Vajra Sect's foundation is not as strong as Shaolin Temple's. If we work hard and practice diligently, we will surely surpass them one day."

“Junior Brother Tianlong is right,” Tianming said.

Tianxiang took over the conversation and said to a martial monk of the "Tian" generation, "Junior brother, you also practice the Vajra Prajna Palm. Let me share some of my insights from practicing this palm technique."

"Thank you, senior brother."

“We’ll start with ‘Seamless’. This move is called ‘Avaqiye’ in Sanskrit, which means ‘indescribable’. The key is that the right palm has a light but solid force, while the left palm has a heavy but empty force. The real and the empty are used interchangeably. If the enemy is not careful, they will be very easy to be fooled…”

Ku Cheng stood there for a long time, then said to Ku Hui, "Time flies like an arrow; it's as if I'm seeing you and me, my fellow disciples, practicing martial arts back then."

"Me too."

The two men simultaneously clasped their hands together, uttered a Buddhist chant, and slowly departed. On the martial arts field, after Tianxiang finished explaining the "Diamond Prajna Palm," Zen Master Tianlong shared his insights on the "Dragon Claw Hand." The martial monks from the Western Regions and the Shaolin Temple martial monks from the Central Plains exchanged and verified their martial arts skills, and the setting sun fell in this rhythm.

……

In the moonlight, something crept through the woods, moving silently and slowly. When it reached the courtyard wall, a figure suddenly leaped out of the darkness, passing through the bright moonlight, and landed in a grove of trees outside the Shaolin Temple.

Soon after, a voice rang out from the forest: "Let me tell you about the 'Kasaya Subduing Demon Skill,' 'Shadow Following Leg,' and 'Crossing the River on a Reed' light-body skills."

"Great!" came the overjoyed reply.

The first person to speak recounted the three techniques of the Seventy-Two Arts of Shaolin Temple in great detail several times, and then asked, "Have you memorized them?"

"Not a single word was missed."

"What else do you want to say?"

"Try every means to obtain the Yi Jin Jing"

"know."

"Okay, stay safe."

The forest quieted down, and a figure emerged from the woods like a giant owl, sometimes moving forward, sometimes hiding, disappearing into the Shaolin Temple and among the rows of buildings.

(End of this chapter)