The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 315: Life is full of regrets

As Zhou Yan approached the tomb keeper, he sensed a somber, indescribable aura of decay, as if the person before him were a dead man, his internal organs rotten and his intestines decaying.

Hearing Zhou Yan's footsteps, the tomb keeper turned around. What came into Zhou Yan's view was a face devoid of color, withered like old tree bark, suggesting he was about eighty years old.

Huang Rong exclaimed "Ah!" and stepped back a little, not daring to get any closer.

"Is the old man guarding the tomb here?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at the tomb in front of him. He paused for a moment, noticing that it was a stele without inscription.

"Yes." The tomb keeper glanced at Zhou Yan with a chaotic look in his eyes, then turned back to continue sweeping the fallen leaves.

"How should I address you, sir?"

"His surname is Deng."

Zhou Yan realized that he must be a descendant of Deng Baichuan.

"Is this cemetery a memorial for the Murong clan?" Zhou Yan asked, observing Old Man Deng. He noticed that Old Man Deng's skin was loose, his breathing was heavy, and his hands and feet were slow and clumsy when sweeping. It was clear that the man had no cultivation.

"Yes, where are you from, young master? Dali Kingdom or Western Xia Kingdom?"

Zhou Yan let out a soft sigh. "What do you mean by that, sir?"

“A long time ago, I don’t remember how many years ago, people from the Dali Kingdom came, and people from the Western Xia Kingdom also came, all to inquire about the Murong family.”

It's understandable that the Dali Kingdom is inquiring about the Murong lineage of Gusu, but why are there also people from Western Xia? Zhou Yan wondered.

"Could you please elaborate, sir?"

“Why can’t I say it? Once it’s clear, the young master probably won’t come again.” Old Man Deng stopped sweeping and walked unsteadily to the stone bench under the pine and cypress trees not far away. Zhou Yan reached out to help him, and when his fingers touched it, the muscles immediately sank in, indicating that he indeed had no cultivation.

"Thank you, sir."

The two reached the stone bench, and Old Man Deng sat down. His hazy eyes looked at the vast Taihu Lake, and he slowly said, "When I was young, I heard my father say that the Murong family was still on Taihu Lake. However, later the Jurchens marched south and attacked Jiangning. Their army swept through like a comb, and the Murong family was burned down. Since then, the Murong lineage has disappeared without a trace."

"So that's how it is. Then why is Old Man Deng guarding this cemetery?"

“It was my father who instructed me that after the Jurchens left, he moved the graves from the burned-down Murong family manor to this place, and found the bones in the ashes to bury them on this sacred mountain.”

Zhou Yan sighed. Murong was ruthless, but his loyal retainers were devoted. The Jurchens searched high and low, and the Murong lineage was scattered throughout the land. It seemed that Old Man Deng might not even know Murong Yan.

How did the Dali Kingdom and the Western Xia Kingdom find the descendants of the Murong family?

As night fell, weary birds returned to their nests, and dim, deep yellow lights spread from the simple buildings in the cemetery. A gentle night breeze caressed the trees, and a white mist seemed to hang in the air.

Old Deng withdrew his gaze from Taihu Lake. In the cool evening air, his previously clouded eyes cleared, as if a scroll of decades had been unfurled, and the bluebird of memory had returned.

"The first to arrive were people from the Dali Kingdom, monks. They came here and asked the descendants of the Murong family. I asked the monks why they were looking for me, and they said they were entrusted by an old friend. I told the monks this today, and they left. A few years later, several strong and powerful men came. They were not like the monks from the Dali Kingdom. They did not believe my story, so they imprisoned and beat me, and searched the place thoroughly."

"Does the old man not know martial arts?" Zhou Yan asked again.

Old Man Deng coughed lightly, forcing a smile onto his face, "The people of Xixia Kingdom also asked me the same question as you, young master, why I don't know martial arts? My father doesn't know martial arts, so how could I answer?"

"I was presumptuous."

“Young master, there’s no need to worry.” Old Man Deng took a breath and continued, “After searching me, those people didn’t take my life. In the following years, several groups of people from the Western Xia Kingdom came one after another. They asked the same questions as before, but they were much more friendly and offered me gold and silver. I refused to accept them, and they left after looking around for a while.”

"How did you know he was from the Western Xia Kingdom?" Huang Rong asked.
"They introduced themselves as old friends of the Murong family."

"Is that so?" Huang Rong nodded gently, then asked, "Doesn't your father know the background of the Murong family?"

Old Man Deng slowly said, "My father forbade us to inquire. The fact that the Dali Kingdom and the Western Xia Kingdom have come from thousands of miles away to inquire and search for them suggests that they may be extraordinary heroes."

"Old man, do you not regret guarding this mausoleum for the rest of your life because of a promise from our ancestor?" Huang Rong asked.

Old Man Deng was silent for a moment, then said, "No matter who you are, regardless of your status or what you've been through, in the end you're all just a pile of dust. What's there to regret?"

"What about the old man's descendants? Do they still guard the tomb?" Huang Rong asked.

"They all died in the war between the Great Qi Kingdom and the imperial court."

Zhou Yan understood that the Great Qi that Old Man Deng mentioned was the pseudo-Great Qi of Liu Yu, which was supported by the Jin Dynasty to deal with the Lin'an court. Liu Yu's descendant, Liu Qianfeng, died in the Battle of Funiu Mountain.

Zhou Yan had no further questions. The people from Dali were undoubtedly monks from Tianlong Temple. The people from Xixia were a bit more suspicious; they might be from the Lingjiu Palace lineage, descendants of the Xixia princess. The possibility of Yipintang searching for martial arts techniques couldn't be ruled out either. "Drawing the bow to shoot the eagle, let's see the heroes of today," he thought, "the world of eagle-shooting is truly vast." With this in mind, he asked one last question, "Old man, do you know if your ancestors had any connection with the Murong family?"

Old Master Deng slowly said, "My father never mentioned it."

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir."

"Young master, please don't be so polite."

"Farewell!"

Old Man Deng nodded, got up and walked to the blank stele, picked up a broom and continued sweeping. "Let's go," Zhou Yan said to Huang Rong.

The two walked side by side, the dim yellow light behind them gradually fading into the distance. Huang Rong said, "I'm a little curious about the Murong family. Why did Old Master Deng willingly guard their tomb for two generations?"

More than two generations, Zhou Yan thought to himself. He recalled his thoughts and said, "I only heard it from others. The head of the Murong family is a descendant of the Yan Kingdom. He is determined to restore the Yan Kingdom and has several heroes under his command."

"Is this the ancestor of Old Man Deng?" Huang Rong asked, recalling Zhou Yan's earlier question to Old Man Deng.

"Yes, it's a pity that the head of the Murong family resorted to any means to restore his country and couldn't distinguish right from wrong, ultimately ending up being betrayed and abandoned by everyone."

"Did Old Man Deng's ancestors also leave?"

"Yes."

"And what about the head of the Murong family?"

"They say he's gone mad."

"Ah!" Huang Rong exclaimed in surprise. After realizing what had happened, she said, "Because of her madness, and because the Murong family was destroyed in the war, the Deng family, remembering their old friendship, moved the mausoleum to guard it."

That should be the case.

Huang Rong said, "Old Man Deng said that the head of the Murong family might be a great hero, but I think his ancestor was."

"Yes!"

"Life is full of regrets, like water flowing eastward forever." Huang Rong sighed.

When Zhou Yan heard Huang Rong say this, he thought it was really suitable to describe those influential figures in the world of Tianlong.

Everyone harbors regrets!

"You said that Li Yan might be a disciple or descendant of the Murong lineage who wandered the world after the Jurchens burned down the Murong family estate in the south."

"Ok!"

Huang Rong frowned and pondered as she walked forward. After a while, she suddenly said, "Yan Kingdom, Li Yan, Murong family. Have you ever considered that he might be a descendant of the Murong family, named Murong Yan, hiding his identity, joining the Imperial City Guard, and still dreaming of restoring his kingdom?"

"You are really smart."

Huang Rong pouted, "You thought of that a long time ago."

Zhou Yan chuckled, "Zhang Sanqiang said that Li Yan seemed to have shown mercy, and that's how I confirmed it. Zhang Sanqiang, Yu Huacheng and the like are all waiting for an opportunity to rise up. The more chaotic the world is, the easier it will be for the descendants of Murong to restore their country. Otherwise, how can we explain their motives? By thinking about it from the opposite perspective, I've roughly determined that Li Yan might be an alias."

“Ha, Yang Kang murdered the emperor, and Murong Yan is in the Imperial City Guard. He won’t kill the dog emperor of Lin’an one day,” Huang Rong suddenly said.

"Wait and see."

Zhou Yan smiled and said that the two chatted as they descended Lingshan Mountain, walked to the lakeside, and boarded a light boat.

Huang Rong rowed the boat and sang softly:

"The road beneath Beiman Mountain, ancient and modern, is dusty and old, where heroes have all grown old. Life's regrets flow endlessly eastward like water. Who can I share my melancholy with? I gaze into the distance as wild geese fly home. What use are worldly achievements and fame? I wrongly blamed Heaven in the past. Let me sing a song and drink a thousand cups of wine. Wherever a man goes, there is no need to discuss poverty or wealth."

……

A light drizzle fell, and the temperature in Jingzhou City dropped noticeably, with a thick fog blanketing the city. The chill seemed to seep into one's clothes.

Li Yan walked through the long corridor and entered the hall.

The dim light of the daylight illuminated Li Taiping's strong yet fair chest and abdominal muscles.

The scar from Zhang Sanqiang's stabbing hadn't yet fallen off. Li Taiping applied ointment and, under Li Yan's watchful eye, wrapped a protective belt around his waist. After he finished dressing, Li Yan asked, "The search has yielded no results in the past ten days. Zhang Sanqiang, Yu Huacheng, and the others should have left Jingzhou long ago."

"As expected. If they were so easy to capture, the Imperial City Guard would have already taken the heads of those demons."

"now what?"

"I will send a message to the Prime Minister that we should go to Zhongdu."

"Is the master injured?"

"No problem."

"Okay, I'll get ready."

In the afternoon, Li Taiping, Li Yan, and their group, dressed as江湖人士 (jianghu figures), left the city in batches and headed straight for Zhongdu.

(End of this chapter)