The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 280 Ambitious Plans and Hegemonic Ambitions Discussed in Laughter

The sunlight was like water, and the wind carried the sound of arrows.

Chaos and fighting continued to spread through the streets and alleys of the ancient city of Jingzhou.

The Vajra Sect monks and more than ten martial artists from the Western Regions were fleeing like stray dogs. Upon seeing the message sent by the fireworks, Manichaean disciples active in the city rushed over from all directions.

As soon as the Manichaeism made its move, the White Lotus Sect followers naturally followed, followed by the Iron Palm Clan disciples, and then the Imperial City Guard was also alerted.

The Imperial City Guard was in charge of the palace guards and was responsible for espionage and surveillance. Jingzhou and Xiangyang were the gateways to the Lin'an court and had their own offices.

Ouyang Feng's abdomen was pierced by Zhou Yan's spear, causing bleeding in his abdominal cavity. The acupoints were not very effective in stopping the bleeding. The once dignified Western Poison was now covered in blood. Even so, he used his "Instant Thousand Miles" lightness skill to run, and neither Zhou Yan nor Zhang Sanqiang had any chance of catching up with him.

The Fire-Worker Monk was the same; with his "Crossing the River on a Reed" light-footed skill, he moved like a wisp of smoke. Those with slightly lower skill levels could only see a blurry, bright yellow light.

Ouyang Feng silently descended from between the houses and sped along the street. Suddenly, several Imperial Guards appeared at the street corner.

With his curly hair, high nose, and deep-set eyes, and covered in blood, he instantly caught Kuai Xing's attention.

"Capture him." Without another word, the leader of the group led his men to surround and kill him.

"what……"

Ouyang Feng roared, and the metallic clang, like the scraping of broken cymbals, echoed in the sky above Jingzhou. He lowered his body slightly, like a tiger charging and devouring its prey, and in the blink of an eye, he rushed to the street corner.

The leader's heart skipped a beat, and he slashed down with his long sword like lightning.

Ouyang Feng reached out and snatched the knife, slicing open the opponent's shoulder. On the rooftop on one side of the street, Kuai Xing, who had originally intended to surround them, leaped down. Ouyang Feng swung his knife, unleashing a devastating burst of blood that exploded in mid-air.

The red and white figure continued to push forward, and as it moved, the walls on both sides were splashed with scarlet color.

"I curse your ancestors!" Kuai Xing saw his companions dead and wounded, and knowing he was unlikely to survive, he cursed fiercely. Ouyang Feng slapped him, and in that instant, the bones and teeth on the man's face flew into the sky.

He rushed out of the street corner, and more fast-moving soldiers, constables from the yamen, and soldiers from the city surrounded him.

"Zhou Yan, you brat, I will take your life!" Thinking that all of this was caused by Zhou Yan, Ouyang Feng gritted his teeth and made a silent vow.

Zhou Yan watched Ouyang Feng's departing figure and chuckled softly. Ahead of him, Bao Xiang, who had assassinated his patron, was using his Iron Sleeves and Vajra Finger to unleash a storm of attacks, forcing back the Manichaean Dharma King.

With a clang, the Qingfeng sword was sheathed, and Zhou Yan went to meet it.

"You little thief, I'll fight you to the death!"

"You need to have the ability first," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"what!"

Bao Xiang's joints crackled as he opened and closed his palms, unleashing the "Vajra Prajna Palm" technique like a storm.

Zhou Yan met the attack with his "Yue Family Fist" style. The two fought like a storm, the clash of fists and arms sounding like the booming of a bullskin drum.

Suddenly, Bao Xiang's body slumped and rose, his right hand clenching tightly with five fingers. Zhou Yan's arm also seemed to grow longer in an instant, directly grasping two of the other's fingers and pressing down sharply.

"Crushing Divine Claw" and "Mighty Vajra Finger" clashed once again.

These two martial arts were originally evenly matched, but the difference in their levels was now obvious. He reached out to grab Zhou Yan with his left hand, but Zhou Yan grabbed him back. The five fingers of both hands were twisted backward by Zhou Yan's pressure. The burly Bao Xiang clenched his teeth, but his body only held on for a moment before his knees buckled and he knelt on the ground.

With a "crack," Zhou Yan broke off five of Bao Xiang's fingers. Since the ten fingers are connected to the heart, Bao Xiang opened his mouth to scream, but Zhou Yan released his grip and used the "Red Jade Drumming" move from the "Beauty Fist Technique" to smash the monk's head with both hands.

Zhou Yan squatted down, and after a moment of searching the kneeling Bao Xiang with his right hand, he took out a small medicine box.

He opened the medicine box, and what came into view was a dark-colored plaster that smelled of musk.

It was the "Black Jade Broken Ointment," which Zhou Yan had not found on Bao Lei, but Bao Xiang did not disappoint him.

Zhou Yan, having accepted the plaster, stood up and followed a sense of direction, where Zhang Sanqiang stood at the alley entrance, gun in hand, staring intently.

He smiled and strode forward.

"The Imperial City Guard and city soldiers have surrounded us. I'll take you away."

"okay."

Zhou Yan had no need to worry about Liu Qingzhou, Yanbo Diaosou, and the others; he followed Zhang Sanqiang.

……

Amidst the swaying of the trees and the leisurely chirping of insects, the teacher's voice could be heard lecturing in the academy's classrooms.

"A gentleman of noble character is like jade being cut and polished, like stone being carved and refined..."

Zhou Yan listened for a moment; it was the Book of Songs.

The fact that the academy was a stronghold of Manichaeism was beyond Zhou Yan's expectations.

After Huo Zuoshi served the tea and left, Zhang Sanqiang, with his rugged appearance and weathered face, said, "I originally planned to go to Zhongdu to find you."

"Are you asking about Chief Hong?"

"You guessed it?"

"It's not hard to guess."

“That’s true.” Zhang Sanqiang smiled. “Outside Yuezhou City, the Beggars’ Gang besieged my disciples at the entrance of the church. After that, conflicts broke out in several other branches. I wanted to ask Chief Hong about this matter, but the Beggars’ Gang disciples in Yuezhou have disappeared without a trace.”

“I took Chief Hong away from outside Yueyang Tower, so the leader has this idea.”

"Exactly!"

Zhou Yan frowned. "Why the conflict?"

"I've inquired. It started because my disciple accidentally obtained Chief Hong's personal weapon. However, it has already been taken away by the Beggars' Clan, but the resulting conflict has not stopped." "The Jade Bamboo Staff."

"Ah."

Zhou Yan suddenly realized, "That's the token of the Beggars' Sect leader."

"No wonder that's the case."

"Chief Hong left long ago after recovering from his injuries, and I don't know his whereabouts. However, Elder Lu of the Beggars' Sect is in Zhongdu and I know him. I can pass on the leader's words to him then." Zhou Yan had vaguely guessed that there was internal strife in the Beggars' Sect, but it was inconvenient to tell Zhang Sanqiang, so he told him his thoughts.

“Alright, you can tell Elder Lu the address of this academy. If Chief Hong wants to see me, he can come here.”

"it is good."

Why are Ouyang Feng and the Vajra Sect hunting down their leader?

"It must be for 'The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth'"

"How did they know about the Manichaean religious practices?"

"I learned this from Yu Huacheng. It's really impressive that you were able to injure him; your skills have improved again."

“It was pure luck.” Zhou Yan smiled. “I met Yu Huacheng in the Funiu Mountains. He was probably trying to win over the bandits in the mountain stronghold. It was just a coincidence.”

"I underestimated you a bit; you actually managed to capture the major strongholds in the Funiu and Tongbai Mountains."

"How strong is the White Lotus Sect, helping a friend out?"

"Mainly in Jiangnan, the followers number in the tens of thousands. Besides Yu Huacheng, there are two other protectors, one of whom is quite powerful, and the other is unknown."

"Tell me more details." Zhang Sanqiang acknowledged that the White Lotus Sect's protector was naturally exceptionally skilled. Knowing both himself and his enemy was crucial to preventing unforeseen circumstances, so Zhou Yan pressed for details.

"One is named Jiu Sisheng, and the other is Zhuang Shiyi."

Zhou Yan scoffed inwardly, recognizing Jiu Sisheng as one of the two elders who celebrated Guo Xiang's birthday alongside Baicao Xianweng in the Condor Heroes world, possessing exceptional lightness skills.

"That's quite a strange name," he chuckled.

“Indeed.” Zhang Sanqiang nodded. “Jiushisheng is a descendant of Master Cizhao, the founder of the White Lotus Sect. He is skilled in lightness skills and his iron fists are not to be underestimated, though he is slightly inferior to Yu Huacheng. Zhuang Shiyi is mostly responsible for the internal affairs of the White Lotus Sect. His cultivation level is unknown, but as a protector, he is certainly not bad.”

“That’s true,” Zhou Yan nodded.

"Brother Zhou, how did you end up in Jingzhou?"

The topic was brought back, and Zhou Yan laughed, "Actually, just like the cult leader, we're all looking for Chief Hong."

"In that case, we will not delay Brother Zhou's journey. Please ask him to convey the message to Elder Lu when the time comes."

"must."

Zhang Sanqiang hosted Zhou Yan and his group at the academy. After a simple vegetarian meal, everyone took their leave.

……

Laughter mingled with the sound of horses' hooves, echoing from the outskirts of Jingzhou.

"I never imagined Ouyang Feng would have a moment of such desperate flight, like someone fleeing a lost home. It's truly gratifying," Liu Qingzhou said.

The old fisherman sighed, "Back in Shaoshi Mountain, I overheard Zhang Sanqiang telling you, young friend, that if you practice diligently and without ceasing, you might one day be a match for Ouyang Feng. Now you have already injured Ouyang Feng."

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "It was a good opportunity. Who knew that Master Zhang's spear would fall from the sky? If it were a longsword, there would be no way to stab through the wall."

The old fisherman on the misty waves laughed heartily, "That's right, young friend. I'll need to bring your big gun and horn bow with me in the future. The more the merrier."

"Good advice," Zhou Yan replied with a smile, taking out a medicine box and handing it to the Immortal Herbs. "This is the Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment from the Vajra Sect. It has the effects of restoring bone injuries, rebuilding bone strength, and connecting damaged meridians. Immortal, please take a look and see if you can prepare it?"

The Herbalist opened the container and sniffed it for more than ten breaths, then said, "The ingredients are not difficult to identify. The main problem is the dosage of each herb. I will try slowly and at least be able to formulate a similar ointment."

"Thank you, sir. Even if the effect is similar, it is at least a miraculous medicine for treating sprains and bruises."

"Yes, we'll study it carefully once we get to Funiu Mountain."

“Very good.” Zhou Yan nodded.

Liu Qingzhou suddenly asked, "To put it simply, the Manichaeism and the White Lotus Sect are rebels. They are not like the leader of the Chaya Mountain, who resisted the Jin, nor like the Iron Palm Clan, who surrendered to the Jin to expand their power. Brother Zhou, do you think they might succeed?"

"Disaster."

"Why?"

The old fisherman asked, "Grandma Yu and Fang La were both leaders of Manichaeism. Did they succeed?"

"No, they were all wiped out by the imperial court," Liu Qingzhou said.

Zhou Yan analyzed the situation simply, from the surface to the core: "Take Fang La as an example. When he rebelled, he claimed that 'all laws are equal and there is no high or low,' but he himself could not do it. How could he succeed? The White Lotus Sect was a den of iniquity in order to expand its power. Who would believe that Yu Huacheng would say that he would 'create peace for all generations'?"

Where is Zhang Sanqiang?

“The meal at the academy was simple.” Zhou Yan smiled. “He is an upright man who lives a simple life. He has his own principles, but he is obviously still seeking them out. Perhaps he can find a different path from Yu Wupo, Fang La and others, or perhaps he will repeat their mistakes. But he is a man worthy of admiration.”

“Great ambitions and hegemonic achievements can be discussed in jest; my young friend speaks well,” said the Immortal Herbs.

"Life is short, but a good drink is the best way to live."

Zhou Yan joked, "I'll ride my horse at full gallop."

(End of this chapter)