The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 274 Bamboo and Sword, Chaos in the Beggars' Sect

Hong Qigong knew that Zhou Yan practiced the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" and had independently comprehended the use of "Ten Forces". He had a superior understanding of "forces", so he did not talk about moves first, but about the eight techniques of tripping, chopping, entangling, stabbing, picking, leading, sealing and turning. These eight techniques are also the skills of using "forces".

The "tripping" technique is like the Yangtze River, flowing continuously and never giving the opponent a moment to breathe. If one tripping fails, a second tripping will follow, creating a series of hooks and traps. Although it is only a single word "tripping", it contains a thousand variations.

Although the name "Dog-Beating Stick Technique" is vulgar, its variations are subtle and its moves are wondrous, truly making it a first-rate martial art throughout history. The Herb Immortal rushed over from the bamboo forest, his figure flashing as he entered the bamboo hut, where Hong Qigong was still reciting the "Trip" mantra.

Before treating Hong Qigong's injuries, Zhou Yan had instructed Yanbo Diaosou and Baicao Xianweng not to be disturbed too much and not to speak to any third party. Hearing Hong Qigong's words, he felt they were profound and subtle, and without thinking too much about them, he hurriedly said, "The Five Poisons Sect has sent people. I will risk my life to protect you and Chief Hong. The Five Poisons Sect is skilled in using poison, so just in case, please give Chief Hong some antidote and detoxifying pills."

Knowing that Zhou Yan was immune to all poisons, the Herbalist first took Zhou Yan's Qingfeng sword and the cloth bag containing more than ten pebbles. He drew the sword from its sheath and placed it beside him. Then he took a porcelain bottle from his bosom, uncorked it, and placed the medicine bottle on the ground.

The Herbalist dared not say much, hoping to glean some information from Zhou Yan's expression and see if he had any other needs.

Zhou Yan's gaze swept past Hong Qigong and landed directly on the bamboo branches outside the window.

The Herb Immortal suddenly realized that when Zhou Yan, Huang Rong, Mei Chaofeng, and others came to Herb Valley, he carried a sword and a spear, but this time he only carried the Green Edge Sword.

An inch longer, an inch stronger. Zhou Yan was unable to move, and the Immortal of Treasure Grass thought he was looking for a long weapon like a spear.

He took the Qingfeng sword, and in a flash, he was outside. With a few swift strokes, he chopped down a thirteen-foot-long bamboo and brought it in, then placed the bamboo and the sword within Zhou Yan's reach.

Zhou Yan kept his eyes straight ahead, while Hong Qigong, who had taken the elixir, continued to explain the "tripping" technique.

Knowing that his guess was correct, the Herb Immortal was quite pleased with himself and turned to fly out of the bamboo hut.

His strategy was simple: to lure the enemy away from their stronghold and draw the Five Poisons Sect members away.

……

The old fisherman on the misty waves had already stopped the leader of the Five Poisons Sect.

Since meeting Zhou Yan, the Fisherman of the Misty Waves has had countless experiences fighting against formidable opponents. He has also witnessed the Battle of Shaoshi Mountain, where Zhou Yan faced off against Qiu Qianren, Jiang Kui, Ouyang Feng, and others. For someone of his profound cultivation, observing any contest between high-level martial artists is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to broaden his horizons and inspire his creativity.

Therefore, Yanbo Diaosou's skills have been steadily improving.

One man, one pole, suddenly stood before the leader of the Five Poisons Sect, his arrogant aura surging dramatically, making him impossible to underestimate.

The leader of the Five Poisons Sect stopped in his tracks. "Who are you, old man?"

"So you are the old fisherman on the misty waves of Dongting Lake. Who are you?"

The Five Poisons Sect resides in Yunnan and Guizhou, and its knowledge of martial arts masters in the world is limited to a handful of people, such as the Southern Emperor and the Northern Beggar. However, heroes often emerge from humble backgrounds, so the leader of the Five Poisons Sect does not dare to be careless.

"I am Yuan Foshou, the leader of the Five Immortals Sect."

The two introduced themselves, and Yuan Foshou said, "This is a feud between the Immortal Sect and the Hundred Medicines Sect. Don't meddle in other people's business."

The old fisherman on the misty waters chuckled, "What if I want to interfere?"

Yuan Foshou chuckled in a low voice, "There's no gate to hell, yet you insist on barging in."

"Then let's give it a try." As soon as the old fisherman finished speaking, he held the fishing rod with both hands and thrust it out as if he were holding a spear. The fishing rod was like a snake spitting its tongue, constantly dancing in a small circle in front of him, and in the blink of an eye it was in front of Yuan Foshou.

This tactic of using a fishing rod as a weapon was truly beyond the Five Poisons Sect leader's expectations. He flapped his sleeves, creating a gust of wind, and swept back several feet. The old fisherman advanced, and when he got close to Yuan Foshou again, the fishing rod suddenly swung diagonally and horizontally, trembling like a strange snake. Several "bang bang bang" sounds were heard, and several Five Poisons Sect members fell out with screams.

Seeing that the poison powder he had scattered with a flick of his sleeve had no effect on Yanbo Fisherman, Yuan Foshou was shocked. Seeing that the other party had used a feint to injure his disciples, he roared in anger and drew a soft whip from his waist. In the sunlight, one could see that the whip was covered with fine barbs and hooks, and the hooks gleamed with a bluish light, clearly indicating that it had been poisoned.

With a flick of his wrist, the poisoned whip, carrying a powerful gust of wind, hurtled towards the old fisherman. The fisherman somersaulted to avoid the whip, but his fishing rod came crashing down, using a staff technique instead.

A long whip and a fishing rod clashed fiercely in the blink of an eye. At this moment, the Immortal of Herbs also arrived, his palms suddenly rising up, his sharp palm force striking the Five Poisons Sect members.

……

The fierce fighting was sometimes near and sometimes far. When Hong Qigong finished explaining the eight techniques of tripping, chopping, entangling, stabbing, picking, leading, sealing, and turning, and the thirty-six moves of the "Dog-Beating Stick Technique," and got to the eighteenth move, "Mad Dog Strikes the Leg," the sound of chaotic footsteps approached.

Zhou Yan said, "Seventh Master, I will take care of the rest. You just need to focus on healing your injuries. No matter what, do not move."

“The old beggar can stay calm.” After saying this, Hong Qigong stopped talking, closed his eyes, and became like an old monk in meditation.

"Search every room, see what kind of miraculous medicines and martial arts manuals that old man has stored up."

"Alright!" Commands and responses rang out. A few dozen breaths later, footsteps sounded outside the bamboo hut, and two burly men appeared at the door.

"Someone!"

Two members of the Five Poisons Sect jumped back. Seeing that Zhou Yan and Hong Qigong were not moving, the mature and steady member watched for a while and then said with relief, "You scared me. They were just healing their wounds."

The cultist walked straight towards the bamboo hut, saying, "No matter how capable they are, these two are useless at this moment. Those two old men fought to the death just to protect these two." As the other party approached, Zhou Yan suddenly grabbed his sword with his right hand and thrust it out. This sword strike was not very powerful, and the move was simple and unsophisticated. It was the Quanzhen Sword Technique "Flat Boat and Leaf," which was originally a move to stab straight at the chest. However, Zhou Yan was now stabbing at the "Xiyang" acupoint on the outside of the opponent's knee.

With a single strike to the pressure point, the man's knees buckled, and he collapsed to one knee with a thud. Zhou Yan then thrust his long sword upwards and then stabbed again, sealing him with a single stroke.

The man's eyes bulged, his throat made a hoarse sound, and he swayed and fell to the ground.

The change happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that the big man behind him couldn't react in time. Zhou Yan abandoned his sword and picked up a long bamboo pole. The bamboo pole whistled towards the man who was ten feet away. The man shouted and hurriedly dodged to the left. The bamboo pole had already changed its move and swept to the right. The man jumped to the left, and the bamboo pole swept to the right. With a slight trip, the man fell to the ground.

The bamboo stick retracted like a phantom, then thrust and stabbed, striking the opponent's vital acupoint with a "bang." The force of the energy and blood clashed through the vital acupoint, causing the man's head to tremble and his spirit to collapse. He landed and convulsed a few times before his life force rapidly dissipated.

Bamboo and sword, killed two people.

If Zhou Yan was alright, he continued to use his internal energy to heal Hong Qigong's injuries.

The sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets came from a bamboo hut not far away. A moment later, a member of the Five Poisons Sect asked Zhou Yan if he had found anything in his vicinity. When no one answered, the three of them headed towards the bamboo hut.
The sunlight under the eaves was broken by the figures of different heights.

The three entered the house. The first one saw Zhou Yan, Hong Qigong, and the two corpses on the ground. He was shocked and drew his long sword with a "clang".

"Chichi!"

Zhou Yan flicked two pebbles, hitting the pressure points of two men a short distance away. Then, he took a long bamboo stick and used the move "A Vicious Dog Blocks the Way" to block the path of the man who had drawn his sword. As the man swung his sword, Zhou Yan flicked the bamboo stick to the side and swung it outwards. This "Dog-Beating Stick Technique" was truly exquisite. Although the force was weak, it used the momentum to deflect the opponent's sword to the side.

Zhou Yan's long bamboo stick slid down smoothly, tripping his opponent's legs.

The man with the knife lost his balance and fell to the ground. Zhou Yan retracted the long bamboo in his hand and thrust it three times, hitting the "Yutang", "Tiantu", and "Zhongwan" acupoints on the three men respectively.

Zhou Yan could hear the sound of blood vessels bursting when the energy and blood clashed. In an instant, fresh blood gushed from the mouths, noses, and eyes of the three burly men.

A faint smell of blood lingered in the air, yet all around was quiet.

The Five Poisons Sect had a large and powerful force. The Herb Immortal and the Fisherman of Misty Waves first intercepted them and caused casualties, intending to provoke them before luring them away. However, some of the sect members rushed over to search for elixirs and cultivation techniques, but they all died on the bamboo and sword in Zhou Yan's hands.

The wind rustled through the forest, the bamboo leaves whispered, a ray of the setting sun pierced the western window, and night fell.

……

Houses stand like a forest, their eaves overlapping. The lights in the houses of Yuezhou City gather into a blazing inferno, outlining the bustling cityscape on a summer night.

Inside the brightly lit room, two Beggar Clan elders, whose clothes were patched but clean, sat together. The wind blew through the eaves, and their voices rang out.

"Still no news from the guild leader?"

"without."
"It's been ten days already, could the gang leader have passed away?"

"Elder Peng, you mustn't talk nonsense," the fair-skinned Beggar Clan elder immediately said.

The old beggar, referred to as Elder Peng, said, "But if he really is alive, why is the search fruitless? Rumors from the Manichaeism and White Lotus Sect say that our leader fought with the Vajra Sect leader and Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, and was seriously injured."

"Didn't they say they were rescued?"

"But Elder Liang, think about it. If he were alive, he should have shown himself long ago. There are also rumors that even if he were rescued, he would have lost one-tenth of his power."

"That makes some sense."

“If the old leader passes away, and Elder Lu happens to be in Zhongdu, wouldn’t this be the best time for our Clean Clothes Sect to take control of the Beggars’ Sect?” Elder Peng said.

"But what if the gang leader is still alive, and the rumors are false?" Elder Liang asked.

Elder Peng didn't want to give a direct reply. As he pondered, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from inside the courtyard.

The two stopped talking, and a disciple of the Beggars' Sect's Clean Clothes Faction walked in, bowed, and said, "Disciple greets Elder."

Elder Liang recognized the newcomer; he was a sixth-bag disciple of the gang, highly regarded by Elder Peng.

After the disciple finished his greetings, he hurriedly said, "Elder, something big has happened."

"tell me the story."

"The old man's dog-beating stick has appeared in the hands of Manichaeans."

Elder Peng and Elder Liang asked in unison, "Is it true?"

(End of this chapter)