The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 304 A Word of Trouble, the Iron Corpse Goes Berserk

The "Jade Lion Under the Night" swept across the autumn light like lightning. Zhou Yan drew an arrow from the quiver with his left hand, and with a flick of his right elbow, an iron bow appeared in front of him in a circle.

He suddenly drew back the iron bow, tightened the reins, and released it. The arrow flew out with a whoosh, covering a distance of dozens of feet, and pierced the back of the Changfeng Escort Agency镖师 (bodyguard/escort) who was fleeing for his life on horseback.

A scream of agony rang out as the bodyguard fell from his horse and tumbled to the ground.

On this autumn afternoon, the "Night Lion" galloped for several miles, and Zhou Yan fired fourteen arrows in succession, killing all the fleeing guards and porters of Changfeng Escort Agency and Longmen Escort Agency.

When the sound of horses' hooves returned, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Zhenwei镖局 (escort agency) had already led his men to throw the body into the wilderness.

Zhou Yan dismounted and handed the iron bow to one of the镖局 (bodyguard agency)镖师 (bodyguards/escorts): "Not bad."

The bodyguard who lent the bow to Zhou Yan hurriedly said, "It's because Master Zhou's archery skills are superb."

Zhou Yan challenged the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the Longmen镖局 (escort agency) with his sword and punched Zhang Julu.

Mei Chaofeng was unstoppable, her silver whip lashing over twenty people, leaving them with torn skin, broken bones, and injured tendons. Huang Rong was not to be outdone, using spear thrusts and palm strikes to acupoints, killing or injuring seven or eight of her opponents.

The three men, along with members of the Zhenwei Escort Agency, turned the situation into a one-sided annihilation in less than half an incense stick's time.

In the end, as more than a dozen bodyguards and escorts who fled like stray dogs were shot dead one by one by Zhou Yan, nearly a hundred people from the two escort agencies who had come with great momentum were wiped out.

"Master Zhou, we got five or six hundred taels of silver from searching the body," Zhenwei's head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) said, stepping forward with the money.

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "Brothers, divide it up. The injured will get a little more."

"it is good."

"There's no time to lose, let's take these horses and head to Funiu Mountain as soon as possible."

"Working with Master Zhou is a joy. When we arrived at the Zhenyuan Escort Agency in Zhongdu, we continued to follow Master Zhou."

Zhou Yan shouted, "Go quickly!"

"Got it."

The head镖师 (镖师 is a type of镖师 in Chinese martial arts) leaped onto his horse, while the Zhenwei镖师 (镖师 is a type of镖师 in Chinese martial arts) and the 趟子手 (趟子手 is a type of镖师 in Chinese martial arts) drove the chariot, carrying the captured horses straight to Funiu Mountain.

"Alright, it's time to go to Kaifeng to find Ouyang Feng and his nephew to avenge Father." Huang Rong clapped her hands as she watched the group from the escort agency depart.

"Whether it hits or misses, we'll retreat after one strike," Zhou Yan said.

Huang Rong smiled and said, "I'll listen to you. Anyway, you're not a bodyguard anymore, so we have plenty of time and opportunities to settle accounts slowly."

Zhou Yan chuckled, feeling a pang of emotion. In the past, it was always Ouyang Feng and his nephew, or Ouyang Ke, who caused trouble everywhere, and he himself had traveled thousands of miles alone to the Ancient Tomb twice in a great hurry. Now, the tables had turned, and he was the one taking the initiative to make a move.

Zhou Yan, Huang Rong, and Mei Chaofeng rode horses leisurely to the dilapidated courtyard where Mei Chaofeng was staying on the outskirts of the city. After settling the little leopard in, Huang Rong changed into men's clothing, wearing a white dress.

The three of them entered Kaifeng Prefecture again before sunset.

……

The "Four Seasons Restaurant" in Kaifeng Prefecture was just like the "Pine and Crane Tower" in Zhongdu City.

It is the most prestigious restaurant in the city.

As the sun sets, the huge wine banner flutters in the wind, attracting attention.

Outside, the bustling traffic filled the air; inside, the noise of people filled the room. A beautiful woman played the zither and flute, drawing cheers and applause from the diners.

Two fine horses arrived outside the building. Helian Chuncheng and Yin Kexi dismounted and asked the waiter who came to greet them, "Has Mr. Ouyang arrived yet?"

"Reporting to Young Master Helian, it's in a private room on the second floor."

"it is good!"

Helian Chuncheng tossed the reins to the waiter and led the one-armed Yin Kexi into the "Four Seasons Restaurant," heading straight for a private room on the second floor.

The private room was spacious. When Helian Chuncheng pushed open the door, he saw Ouyang Ke, Gongsun Zhi, Nimo Xing, Lingzhi Shangren, Sha Tongtian, and Baoshou Monk.

Next to the wooden chair where Nemo Xing, whose left leg was cut off by Zhou Yan during the Battle of Heartbreak Valley, sat, was an iron staff.

He and Yin Kexi were both crippled, one with a missing leg and the other with a missing arm.

“Young Master Helian is late, he must be punished with a drink,” Ouyang Ke said.

"I am willing to accept the punishment." Helian Chuncheng smiled as he sat down, raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp, saying, "It's mainly because something happened at the escort agency."

"Tell me slowly what it is," Ouyang Ke said with a smile.

"Good!" Inside the private room, amidst laughter and toasts, Helian Chuncheng, completely unaware that Zhou Yan had already killed Zhang Julu, was talking about how the Longmen Escort Agency and the Changfeng Escort Agency had joined forces to plot against the Zhenwei Escort Agency.

Outside the "Four Seasons Restaurant", the waiters greeted Zhou Yan, Huang Rong, and Mei Chaofeng.

"Please come in, gentlemen."

Zhou Yan nodded and led Huang Rong and Mei Chaofeng up to the second floor, where they found a private room by the west window.

With the windows wide open, a gentle autumn breeze blows, and the setting sun casts its rays. Looking into the distance, one can see the famous Iron Pagoda of Kaifeng, built during the reign of Emperor Renzong.

A waiter dressed in a long gown and wearing a flat-topped hat stepped forward and asked solicitously, "What would you like to order, sir?"

"Four portions of dried fruit: lychee, longan, steamed dates, and ginkgo; four dishes: steamed quail, stir-fried duck feet, chicken tongue soup, and scallop stuffed with deer stomach; and a pot of aged Dukang wine for ten years."

"Alright, please wait a moment, sir."

In no time, the waiter brought out wine and dried fruit.

Zhou Yan, Huang Rong, and Mei Chaofeng enjoyed their drinks and food, while in the private room above, Helian Chuncheng succinctly explained the relocation of Zhenwei Escort Agency.

Nemo Star said, "Actually, I think this was done in a rather unrefined manner."

"What do you mean?" Helian Chuncheng asked.

Nemo Xing picked up his wine cup, downed it in one gulp, and said, "Longmen Escort Agency is in Lin'an, and now it has a branch in Kaifeng Prefecture, making its business southwards very convenient. Changfeng, backed by the Crown Prince, can monopolize all the large-scale escort business from Kaifeng Prefecture to the Jin Kingdom. Zhenwei can only get scraps and barely survive, which does not affect the growth of Longmen Escort Agency and Changfeng Escort Agency at all. But Longmen Escort Agency is forcing Zhenwei to leave, which not only allows him to revive but also makes him an enemy. Once Zhenwei goes to Zhongdu and completely joins forces with Fu'an, wouldn't that be a loss for him?"

Sha Tongtian said, "That makes sense."

Helian Chuncheng thought about it for a while and nodded, saying, "Brother Nemo is right."

Yin Kexi said, "It doesn't matter. Zhou Yan isn't in Fu'an. What trouble can Zhenwei and Fu'an cause?"

Ouyang Ke laughed: "So what if Zhou Yan is here? Once I master the techniques taught by my uncle, I will not be afraid of him. My uncle is currently in seclusion. When he comes out, he will be able to easily defeat Huang Yaoshi, Hong Qigong, and others."

Gongsun Zhi has now completely mingled with Ouyang Ke, Helian Chuncheng and others. He deliberately showed off his knowledge and said, "Actually, Senior Ouyang is the one who is in charge of Huang Yaoshi."

"What do you mean by that?" Everyone asked curiously.

Gongsun Zhi spoke eloquently: "Eastern Heretic, Western Poison, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar, Central Divine. Peach Blossom Island in the East Sea, White Camel Mountain in the Western Regions, Dali in the South, the Northern Beggar is mainly in the north, and Zhongnan Mountain is in the center. This signifies the five directions: east, west, south, north, and center. According to the Five Elements theory, these five directions represent wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Huang Yaoshi is wood, Senior Ouyang is metal, the Southern Emperor is fire, Hong Qigong is water, and the Central Divine is earth. The so-called Five Elements mutual restraint is: wood restrains earth, earth restrains water, water restrains fire, fire restrains metal, and metal restrains wood. Therefore, Senior Ouyang restrains Huang Yaoshi."

Ouyang Ke was taken aback and said, "That seems to make sense. Fire overcomes metal. What Uncle is slightly wary of is the Southern Emperor's One-Finger Divine Skill."

Sha Tongtian laughed and said, "Emperor Duan of the South has gone into seclusion. In that case, no one in the world can deal with Senior Ouyang."

“Exactly.” Gongsun Zhi nodded.

Ouyang Ke was overjoyed and raised his cup, saying, "Valley Master Gongsun is truly talented. I'd like to offer you a toast."

"Brother Ouyang, you're too kind."

Hou Tonghai, the Three-Headed Flood Dragon, cursed, "Valley Master Gongsun is absolutely right. Huang Yaoshi injected me with poison needles, but Senior Ouyang neutralized them every time. I thought Huang Yaoshi was so powerful, but it turns out he's afraid of Senior Ouyang. No wonder Huang Yaoshi avoids any place where Senior Ouyang is."

Sha Tongtian said, "Junior brother, say less."

Hou Haitong shook his head, "Could it be that Huang Yaoshi can still hear what we're saying? I hate his ancestors, and he's always picking on me."

The atmosphere was intense, and Sha Tongtian didn't think it was a big problem to say a few words behind the scenes, so he stopped interfering.

Hou Tonghai cursed Huang Yaoshi a few more times, then raised his cup and said, "Let's drink to that!"

Inside the private room, wine glasses clinked and conversation flowed freely when Mei Chaofeng outside abruptly stood up.

The three people's seats were not far from the private room. Zhou Yan circulated his internal energy, directing his lung energy to his nose, liver energy to his eyes, and kidney energy to his ears, which made his hearing more acute.

Mei Chaofeng, however, had extraordinary hearing due to her blindness, thanks to her arduous training. She could clearly hear the loud chatter of Ouyang Ke and the others in the private room as they became engrossed in their conversation.

Hearing that Gongsun Zhi and Hou Haitong had both humiliated their mentor, how could she bear it?

"Mei Ruohua, what's wrong?" Huang Rong asked in surprise, looking at Mei Chaofeng's angry face.

Mei Chaofeng was furious and didn't bother to answer. She took a step forward and arrived at the private room, striking out with her palm.

With a loud "boom," dust billowed and wooden parts flew everywhere.

Mei Chaofeng said menacingly, "Gongsun Zhi, Hou Haitong, say it again if you dare."

Startled, Hou Haitong leaped to his feet, glaring at Mei Chaofeng, and said:
"Who are you, you blind, crazy woman?"

(End of this chapter)