The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 291 Build walls high and store grain widely

Rain ponchos and woolen hats are hanging on the ridge, and copper ceremonials are hung on the treetops in the early morning.

This is what Huang Rong looked like after she regained consciousness.

The warmth of the campfire still lingered in the air. Huang Rong stretched and yawned. Although she had spent the night at the mountain god's temple, she had slept soundly last night.

Huang Yaoshi was not in the temple.

Huang Rong got up and went outside, where she saw her father walking with the Bagua and Liuhe steps, leisurely performing a set of "Falling Flower Divine Sword Palm".

"Father, your injuries haven't healed yet?" Huang Rong pouted, dissatisfied, as she watched Huang Yaoshi practice his martial arts.

Huang Yaoshi, without stopping, replied, "Perfect understanding and wisdom, cultivating both body and function, being still while in motion, tranquil while experiencing hardship. To recover from injuries as quickly as possible, one cannot simply rely on circulating qi for healing; one must also get the body moving."

"Why didn't Father teach Rong'er such a method before?" Huang Rong asked in surprise.

Huang Yaoshi smiled slightly. What he was referring to was actually the "Healing Chapter" of the Nine Yin Manual.

"Rong'er, would you like to learn?"

Huang Rong chuckled, "Let Rong'er perfect her hidden weapon skills first."

"can."

Huang Rong picked up a silver needle dropped by Yuan Foshou, the leader of the Five Poisons Sect, in Baicao Valley. She liked its shape very much and said that she would find a craftsman to make it and ask Huang Yaoshi to teach her a hidden weapon skill.

During their journey north, the two sought out skilled craftsmen in Jingzhou to forge intricately patterned silver needles, and Huang Yaoshi taught Huang Rong the hidden weapon technique of "Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers."

"Where is Chief Escort Zhou?"

"I left the mountain god temple while I was meditating."

"Is that so?" Huang Rong nodded. The forest was damp, and the broad leaves of the ferns were filled with clear, bright rainwater. Huang Rong gathered some herbs, tied them to a willow branch, and used them to brush her teeth and rinse her mouth. Then she began practicing her hidden weapon techniques. Huang Rong thought of Ouyang Feng's scheme against her father and decided to go to Snake Valley again on the way back to have her father catch a few large poisonous snakes and extract their venom to apply to her silver needles. She would use their own methods against them; even if she couldn't outwit Ouyang Feng, she would make Ouyang Ke suffer greatly.

As she was thinking this, Huang Yaoshi suddenly asked, "Rong'er, didn't you ever consider that Chief Escort Zhou would leave without saying goodbye?"

Huang Rong chuckled and said, "He wouldn't do that. He's a person who adheres to principles and has his own set of values ​​regarding right and wrong."

"Rong'er knows Chief Escort Zhou very well?"

"Of course, besides my father, he is the person I have the most contact with, and he even saved Rong'er's life."

Huang Yaoshi nodded, reflecting on his thoughts.

The father and daughter, one continued their cultivation, the other practiced hidden weapon techniques.

After a short while, Zhou Yan brought over two cleaned pheasants and a wild rabbit.

Huang Rong was delighted and ran over to take the prey from Zhou Yan's hand, then took Zhou Yan back to the mountain god temple to roast it.

When Huang Yaoshi arrived at the Mountain God Temple, he said to Zhou Yan, "I am fine now, Chief Escort, don't worry, it won't delay your business."

When Zhou Yan returned, he saw the other party practicing martial arts and knew that the other party was using the "Healing Chapter" of the Nine Yin Manual to recover his strength. There was no need to worry about the subsequent recovery. He nodded and said, "Okay."

After having eaten his fill, Zhou Yan bid farewell to Master Huang Yaoshi and his daughter, and rode away.

Huang Rong muttered to herself, "Father, I suddenly miss Little Leopard a little."

"Then go have a look."

Huang Rong was overjoyed, "Father is going too?"

"Once I recover from my injuries, I must make a trip to the Valley of Heartbreak." Huang Yaoshi kept thinking about transplanting a love flower tree to Peach Blossom Island.

Huang Rong held Huang Yaoshi's hand and said, "Then Rong'er will wait for Father to recover from his injuries, go to the Valley of Heartbreak, catch a big poisonous snake in the Snake Valley to extract its venom, and then go to Kaifeng Prefecture to see the little leopard."

Huang Yaoshi recalled the scene when Huang Rong left Peach Blossom Island because of his scolding, and then looked at his daughter in front of him with a bright expression and concern for his injuries. He sighed and suddenly felt that "my daughter has grown up."

……

Zhou Yan rode the "Night-Shining Jade Lion" all the way, and arrived at Snake Valley at dusk. He mustered his inner strength and called out to the giant eagle. In less than a hundred breaths, the giant eagle's imposing figure appeared on the hillside bathed in the setting sun.

The great eagle cried out and ran away at top speed.

Zhou Yan leaped up, hugged the eagle's neck, and cuddled it affectionately.

Before sunset, he and the Divine Eagle went to Snake Valley to hunt more than ten Golden-Scaled Bodhi Snakes. That night, the two of them camped out in the mountains outside Snake Valley.

The eagle possessed a spirit, and Zhou Yan succinctly recounted the recent events that had occurred in Xiangyang and the Valley of Heartbreak, instructing the eagle to know how to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune.

The eagle responded with a majestic cry.

As night deepened, the giant eagle lay prone beside Zhou Yan, who had ingested snake gall.

One purple snake gall no longer had the immediate effect of the first one. After taking five, the snake gall nurtured a thick layer of qi and blood, which, guided by the meridian qi, surged like the waves of a great river. Zhou Yan practiced for half a night using the method of circulating qi and blood to stimulate internal strength, increasing his internal strength by about ten days' worth of arduous training.

In the morning, Zhou Yan, full of energy, practiced the "Finger Flicking Divine Power" four-way Qi-guiding method.

By the time Zhou Yan bid farewell to the Divine Condor and traveled from Xiangyang to Funiu Mountain, he had mastered the unique skill of Peach Blossom Island. He could launch stones from seven or eight zhang away without missing a single shot, and taking the lives of ordinary martial artists was as easy as turning his hand.

……

Traveling north from Xiangyang to Nanyang, Zhou Yan's most direct impression was the increase in caravans and镖队 (bodyguard teams), clearly due to the annihilation of the remnants of the Great Qi regime in the Funiu and Tongbai Mountains. In early autumn, there were still few signs of decay in the mountains and fields when Zhou Yan arrived at the Funiu Mountains.

From afar, a caravan could be seen resting in the woods on one side of the road.

Before they even got close, a joyful voice rang out, "It's Master Zhou!"

Liang Xiaowu leaped forward.

"Xiao Wu."

"The caravan arrived in Jingzhou, escorted by Huyan and Wang, and they went up the mountain to visit Chief Yang," Liang Xiaowu said, stroking the "Night-Shining Jade Lion."

"What a coincidence," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Still mules and horses? Merchant Lü?"

"Ah."

"When did you go up the mountain?"

"We've only been up there a short time."

Zhou Yan patted Liang Xiaowu on the shoulder, "I'll go up the mountain and take a look. When you return to Zhongdu, we'll go to Songhelou for drinks together."

"okay."

As the two rode on, familiar faces greeted them one after another. Zhou Yan responded with a smile, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then spurred his horse straight towards the main stronghold. Along the way, they encountered a patrol leader of the stronghold, who had released a carrier pigeon. When he arrived outside the main stronghold of Funiu Mountain, Yang Miaozhen, Li Mochou, Huyan Lei, Yanbo Diaosou, and others were already waiting outside. Zhou Botong was not there.

……

The bright autumn sunlight spilled into the courtyard of the mountain village, illuminating the ginkgo trees inside with a golden hue.

Several tables were pieced together and placed in the courtyard.

Zhou Yan, Wang Kui, Yang Miaozhen, Hu Yanlei, Liu Qingzhou and others sat around the table.

The leader poured soup from the jug, and everyone toasted each other.

The Fisherman of Misty Waves said, "A thousand mountains wind through the bird paths, and ten miles away one hears the cries of monkeys. The grass and trees exude a unique fragrance, and the clouds and mist guide one's light steps. The Funiu Mountains and Tongbai Mountains are crisscrossed by streams, with waterfalls cascading down, shrouded in mist and vast expanses of water. They are truly a land of spiritual energy."

"How long will you fish this time, senior angler? There are hundreds of lakes and thousands of streams in these two mountains."

"You can fish regularly."

"It's better to fish long-term than to fish frequently," Hu Yanlei laughed.

Both men had participated in the battle between the two villages and knew each other well. Yanbo Diaosou said, "If Brother Zhou settles down in Funiu Mountain or Tongbai Mountain, I will fish there often."

Yang Miaozhen had already tested Zhou Yan at Chaya Mountain, but was politely refused. She changed her approach and said to Zhou Yan, "Sister Qiu agreed to stay and is now in charge of the Tongbai Mountain stronghold. I am in Funiu Mountain."

"I respect Miss Qiu."

Qiu Qianchi felt completely relieved. She picked up her wine bowl and said heartily, "Thank you, Chief Escort Zhou. If it weren't for you, I would have gone astray. From now on, I will do my best to manage the stronghold."

"Brother Zhou, could you give me some advice on making a living?" Yang Miaozhen asked.

"How many people are there in the two villages now?" Zhou Yan asked.

"Of the more than 8,000 people who were skilled in wielding knives and guns, most of the villagers stayed behind, numbering over 10,000. However, the grain reserves in the two villages were enough to last a whole year."

"Brother Liu, during the heyday of the Hengshan Sect, there must have been several hundred people, right?" Zhou Yan asked.

“There are nearly a thousand people inside and outside the gate.” Liu Qingzhou understood immediately. He said, “The Hengshan Sect is not like the Qingcheng Sect, which has a considerable amount of incense money, nor is it like Shaolin, which has both incense money and land.”

"How did you manage to feed over a thousand people?" Yang Miaozhen asked.

"Inner disciples focus their energy on cultivation, while outer disciples often manage affairs, such as several docks, escort agencies, and martial arts schools. It is not difficult to support more than a thousand people."

Zhou Yan then said, "By combining the models of Hengshan Sect and Shaoshi Mountain, the two strongholds can actually support more people. I read in the classics that the Funiu Mountains are 800 li from north to south. Now that the Jin and Mongol kingdoms are at war, many places are deserted, and there are even dozens of miles without a single person. Since there are villagers, it is not difficult to cultivate some land. People live off the mountains and rivers. The Funiu and Tongbai Mountains have plenty of mountain products. If we select capable people, we can open trading posts in Kaifeng, Luoyang, Nanyang, Xiangyang, Jingzhou, and Zhongdu. This will not only earn us some money, but also make it easier to gather information. If we can spare some manpower to run a security escort agency, that would also be possible. The Changfeng Security Escort Agency supports more than 200 escorts and porters."

Hu Yanlei interjected, "More than that. Eighty percent of them rely on the bodyguards and porters working for the escort agency to make a living. If you calculate it that way, they support nearly a thousand mouths."

"Good idea." Yang Miaozhen clapped her hands. "Setting up a security escort agency means the stronghold has no shortage of manpower. If necessary, we can also sell some horses that the stronghold needs."

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "The 500 sets of armor and weapons for the 'Iron Falcons' were delivered by the Fu'an Escort Agency using a caravan. So there's something special inside the caravan."

Yang Miaozhen suddenly understood, "Little sister, I get it now! You really are my good older brother."

Zhou Yan raised his wine bowl and drank heartily. The two strongholds were training; with the *Wumu's Legacy*, there was no need to worry. Making a living was a problem, but they would steadfastly implement the plan, taking advantage of the conflict between the Jin and Mongol empires, building high walls, stockpiling grain, and raising a strong and well-equipped army would be a given. The stronghold now lacked someone to oversee the overall situation. Huang Yaoshi was out of the question; he could only offer assistance in crucial moments. Zhang Wangyue was the most suitable candidate. What was lacking was a catalyst, and that catalyst lay with the Golden Saber Prince Consort, Guo Jing.

Zhou Yan's mind wandered.

Due to the conflict between the Beggars' Sect and the Ming Cult, Zhou Yan dared not waste any more time. He spent some time cultivating in Funiu Mountain, and his idea of ​​integrating the eight secrets of the "Dog-Beating Stick Technique" and the sword qi technique he had learned from the "Blue Sea Tide Song" into the sword techniques he had learned could only be postponed.

He stayed in Dazhai, Funiu Mountain for a day, then took Li Mochou down the mountain and left.

The appearance of Li Mochou was a significant variable, so Yanbo Diaosou and Liu Qingzhou did not accompany Zhou Yan to Zhongdu, but instead accompanied Baicao Xianweng, who had settled in Funiu Mountain, to enjoy the carefree life amidst the mountains and rivers.

Zhou Yan and Li Mochou traveled north from Nanyang.

(End of this chapter)