The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 267 Testing the Sword in Jiangnan
"Young man, you have a rather strong murderous aura about you."

A gentle voice fell, and Jiang Kui appeared at the bow of the ship at some unknown time. He held an ancient-looking longsword, and with a flick of his wrist, he thrust it forward. The sword light was as bright as lightning, and then condensed into a crystal fan shape.

Suddenly the sword light disappeared, and Zhou Yan saw the old man on the bow of the boat holding his long sword horizontally. The three long arrows that he had shot out with the "Finger Flicking Divine Skill" landed neatly on the sword.

His pupils contracted slightly; this technique of using the sword to neutralize force was truly masterful.

Hong Qigong clicked his tongue in admiration, "Not bad."

"Please excuse my rudeness, Chief Hong."

"You recognize the old beggar?"

"The name of Chief Hong is renowned, how could I not recognize him?" As Jiang Kui finished speaking, figures appeared one by one at the bow of the ship, including Qiu Qianren, Helian Chuncheng, Nimo Xing, and Yin Kexi.

Helian Chuncheng chuckled softly, "Zhou Yan, we meet again."

The old fisherman in the misty waters smiled coldly and whispered to Zhou Yan, "What did you just say?"

"The road to the enemy is narrow."

"It's not just narrow, it's like a single-plank bridge."

Zhou Yan chuckled. With the Iron Palm Clan, White Lotus Sect, and Ming Cult vying for power, it was reasonable for Hong Qigong to appear in Yuezhou and for Qiu Qianren to emerge. Perhaps Zhang Sanqiang and Yu Huacheng were also here.

Thinking this through, he said to Helian Chuncheng, "It's true, we meet again."

As he finished speaking, his gaze fell on the young镖头 (bodyguard/escort) at the bow of the ship, whose face was still pale.

The other person was dressed casually, and after so long, Zhou Yan felt unfamiliar with them.

Before he could ask a question, the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) who had regained his senses suddenly turned ferocious. "Do you remember that time in the countryside of Xiangyang, when you shot an arrow at the flag of my Longmen镖局 (escort agency)?"

Zhou Yan remembered.

It turned out to be that arrogant and domineering head镖师 (bodyguard/escort).

Thinking about it this way, he wasn't too surprised.

When I returned from Lin'an, I told Zhang Wangyue that if Changfeng Escort Agency and Longmen Escort Agency joined forces, and Fu'an and Zhenwei supported each other, it seems that my words have come true.

"Young brother, you're no longer in Fu'an?" Jiang Kui suddenly asked.

"you are?"

"Jiang Kui, Chief Escort of Longmen Escort Agency".

"So you are Chief Escort Jiang, my apologies. My name is Zhou Yan."

Jiang Kui smiled and said, "You're too kind!"

The young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Longmen镖局 (escort agency) gritted his teeth, "How will this be settled for insulting the agency's reputation?"

Zhou Yan did not mention that Zhang Wangyue had gone to Lin'an to apologize to the Longmen Escort Agency for shooting the escort flag with an arrow in the suburbs of Xiangyang, but Jiang Kui was not there and the two parted on bad terms.

He said, "Go on, I'll continue."

Jiang Kui said, "Young Master Zhou is straightforward. You shot down the escort flag with three arrows. As the head镖师 (chief镖师) of Longmen镖局 (Longmen Escort Agency), I must demand an explanation. How about this? Take three of my sword strikes, and this matter will be settled."

"it is good!"

"Kid, have you thought this through? After you finish fighting with Chief Jiang, those who are eyeing you with hostility will still come after you relentlessly."

"Let's resolve the feud between Fu'an and Longmen Escort Agency first, and then adapt to the situation," Zhou Yan said, but in his heart he thought that one day he would kill them all and be done with it.

Zhou Yan agreed readily, and Jiang Kui showed an appreciative expression on his face. "Good, as long as you can withstand three of my sword strikes, the feud between Longmen, Fu'an, and Young Hero Zhou will be wiped clean."

Large ships and light boats approached the lake shore, the lake surface was sparkling with blue water, and not far away was Yueyang Tower with the bright moon hanging over its eaves.

Jiang Kui took a step to the side, seemingly floating in mid-air, and landed on a bamboo raft by the lake.

"please!"

"Seventh Master, I'm going."

"Go on, ever since I met you, you've been in so many fights that you've probably been in a lifetime as many as this old beggar has ever been in."

Zhou Yan chuckled, took the Qingfeng sword in his hand, and leaped onto the bamboo raft.

"Chief镖师 Jiang, please make your move."

……

On a small bamboo raft, tensions are high; inside Yueyang Tower, guests fill the hall.

Upstairs, by the window, sat a man and a woman. The man was older, with a lean and refined appearance, and a handsome and elegant demeanor; he was none other than Huang Yaoshi. The woman was sixteen or seventeen years old, with skin as white as snow and incomparably beautiful; she was none other than Huang Rong.

Whenever a guest came upstairs, the waiter serving drinks couldn't help but glance at them, mainly at Huang Rong, of course.

Huang Rong, however, was admiring the scenery of Dongting Lake. The vast expanse of water, a boundless expanse of blue, misty and majestic, was a truly magnificent sight, a completely different scene from the misty waves of Taihu Lake.

After watching for a while, the food and wine arrived. The Hunan cuisine was very spicy, and Huang Rong stuck out her tongue and said, "Does this food and wine suit Father's taste?"

Huang Yaoshi smiled slightly, "Of course."

"When we were on Peach Blossom Island, Father's diet was mainly simple and plain."

"Back then, your mother and I traveled all over the country, seeing all the beautiful scenery and eating all the delicacies wherever we went."

"How about Father accompanies me to Luxi again? Rong'er knows a remarkable person whose culinary skills are unparalleled. I guarantee Father will have a truly delicious meal."

On that day in Zhongdu, Huang Yaoshi searched for Huang Rong and left, while Zhou Yan accompanied Master Ku Hui and others to Shaolin Temple, and then went to Tongbai Mountain to suppress the bandits.

Huang Yaoshi and Huang Rong traveled south from Xiangyang, enjoying the scenery along the way. For the learned Huang Yaoshi, a visit to Yueyang Tower to admire the moon and the poems inscribed on its walls was a must. Although Peach Blossom Island was a paradise, it was still just an island. Huang Rong had seen the changing seasons for over ten years, and it held no appeal for her anymore. She desperately wanted Huang Yaoshi to accompany her on more adventures in the martial world.

Huang Rong said this, and Huang Yaoshi replied, "Isn't it because you don't want to go back to the island?"

"Rong'er just loves to enjoy the scenery with her father. If her father doesn't keep her company, who will?"

Huang Yaoshi's heart softened. "Alright, when we get to Luxi, you can meet your extraordinary person, and I'll go for a walk on Iron Palm Peak."

Huang Rong pouted, "How boring?"

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the stairs. Huang Rong looked in the direction of the sound and exclaimed, "Ah!"

A monk and two laypeople went upstairs.

The monk had a white beard and a wrinkled face; he was none other than the Fire-Worker Monk.

The two are Ouyang Ke and his son.

Ouyang Feng never expected to see Huang Yaoshi at Yueyang Tower.

He laughed and said, "Brother Yao, what a coincidence."

The Fire-Worker Monk, ignorant of matters between men and women, unlike Ouyang Ke with his sharp eyes, failed to recognize Huang Rong, who had changed back into women's clothing. His gaze didn't even linger on Huang Rong for a moment before he directly addressed Huang Yaoshi, saying, "Island Master Huang, we meet again."

Ouyang Feng explained, "Master was going to Peach Blossom Island to visit Brother Yao, and so was I. We happened to meet and traveled together."

On that day at Shaoshi Mountain, Huogong Toutuo was beaten to the point of vomiting blood by Huang Yaoshi. The leader of the Vajra Sect left a harsh statement, saying that he would definitely learn from Huang Yaoshi one day. Huang Yaoshi thought that the other party was seeking revenge and just snorted coldly.

Ouyang Ke looked at Huang Rong's beautiful face and felt his heart flutter, unable to take his eyes off her for even a moment.

"Ke'er, you haven't met your Uncle Huang yet."

Ouyang Ke snapped out of his daze, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Uncle Huang."

"Nephew, there's no need for such formalities."

Ouyang Feng and Huogong Toutuo took their seats and ordered tea, wine, and dishes. Footsteps sounded again as four or five people went upstairs, glanced around, and headed straight for a table not far from Huang Yaoshi, Ouyang Feng, and the others.

Several people were eating at the table. When they saw the man coming upstairs, the man in the middle suddenly changed his expression, grabbed the hot tea on the table and threw it away, cursing, "The Manichaeism is really a persistent ghost."

Suddenly, flashes of light erupted from the crowd, and some people rushed to the windows, launching communication fireworks into the night sky.

At the same time, a bright sword light also appeared from the bamboo rafts on the lake above Yueyang Tower, like the rising moon.

……

Zhou Yan was unaware that Huang Yaoshi and his daughter, Ouyang Feng and his nephew, and the Fire-Worker Monk were inside Yueyang Tower, and even less aware that the conflict between the Manichaeism and the White Lotus Sect in western Hunan would erupt from Yueyang Tower.

He landed on the bamboo raft, and Jiang Kui drew his sword.

With the bright moon in the sky and a gentle breeze blowing, the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort) of the Longmen镖局 (escort agency) recited:
"The wild geese, afraid of the heavy clouds, refuse to cry; the painted boat sadly passes the west of the stone pond, braving the fierce winds and waves..."

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Kui unleashed more than ten sword strikes with his ancient-looking longsword, its sharpness whistling and its light crisscrossing, as if encompassing heaven and earth as it fell upon Zhou Yan.

"Old man, you've done far more than three sword strikes; you've done thirty!" the old fisherman sneered.
Jiang Kui said, "My sword style is found in poetry. This is 'Huanxi Sha,' but this move contains more than ten essential techniques."

Zhou Yan heard it clearly and thought to himself that it was similar to the "Five Divine Swords of Hengshan," which was clearly a single move but contained the entire set of sword techniques.

"Well done!" Zhou Yan exclaimed softly, unleashing his "Heavenly Pillar Cloud Qi".

The "Hengshan Five Divine Swords" move mainly originates from the clouds and mist, exhibiting extreme strangeness and unpredictability.

A sword light, as clear and icy as ice, shot out from Zhou Yan's body, like a shattered pearl of light, streaking and scattering with stray flames.

In the blink of an eye, a dense barrage of metallic clangs, like fireworks, spread out like a storm.

"Spring is gradually growing in the riverbank, green leaves welcome you to row; plum blossoms should be growing on the branches by the gate; the lights of the year beckon people to return." As Jiang Kui uttered the last word of this poem "Huanxi Sha," the two figures suddenly separated.

Zhou Yan and Jiang Kui stood at opposite ends of the bamboo raft.

"Good swordsmanship!"

Jiang Kui praised him.

Zhou Yan was secretly amazed. He thought of Zhu Ziliu, the disciple of Master Yideng in The Return of the Condor Heroes. When the other party made a move, he used a pen to write horizontally and diagonally, as if he were writing, but the pen pointed to acupoints on the body.

Zhu Ziliu incorporated martial arts into calligraphy, while Jiang Kui used poetry as a sword style, which was truly eye-opening.

"Chief镖头 Jiang is too kind. There are two more moves to make."

"This move comes from 'A Moonlit Night on the Spring River'," Jiang Kui said gently. "The spring river rises with the tide, level with the sea; the bright moon rises with the tide. Rippling waves stretch for thousands of miles; where on the spring river is there no moonlight..."

As Jiang Kui recited poetry, he flicked his longsword, and like ink splashed on a great river, waves of sword light surged toward Zhou Yan.

……

On the Yueyang Tower side, a Manichaean disciple and a White Lotus disciple exchanged blows and were pushed to the side of the Fire-Worker Monk. The Vajra Sect Master's sleeves fluttered, and his left palm flew up, carrying the disciple around towards Huang Yaoshi with the powerful force of the palm.

Huang Yaoshi snorted coldly and pushed the disciple back with his palm.

The Fire-Worker Monk struck again, sending the disciple flying towards Huang Yaoshi. The disciple swayed left and right like a small boat in a stormy sea.

Huang Rong's gaze was fixed on the lake outside the building. Suddenly, a look of joy appeared on her face, and she leaped out.

Ouyang Feng said coldly, "I've come to entertain Brother Yao and Master. Ke'er, bring the zither."

"Okay, Uncle!" Ouyang Ke turned his gaze away from Huang Rong, who had flown away, and went downstairs to take an iron zither from Mei Ji and give it to Ouyang Feng.

Ouyang Feng closed his eyes and circulated his energy for a moment, then flicked his right hand, producing a series of resounding sounds.

(End of this chapter)