The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 320 Bloodstained Swords and Bows Once Again

The heavy snow lasted for nearly two days before it finally stopped. The air in Kaifeng was chilly, and the houses in the streets and alleys were shrouded in black, white, and gray. Under the eaves on both sides of the road, beggars wearing sleeves squatted there, watching the passersby come and go.

The black, ordinary carriage drove along the long street and then stopped at a quiet courtyard in the city. Yang Kang got out of the carriage and walked through the corridors and buildings.

Shortly after, Ouyang Ke's voice rang out in the courtyard, "The Crown Prince has arrived."

"Hmm, Mr. Ouyang is practicing martial arts?"

"Isn't it all for revenge?" Ouyang Ke retorted bitterly, putting away his stance from the Great Subduing Demon Fist. Then, his tone suddenly changed: "Your Highness, is there something you need?"

"Ok!"

"Come on, let's talk inside the hall."

Yang Kang and Ouyang Ke walked side by side through the courtyard to a hall filled with ancient books, simple desks, and gold and silver artifacts. After the beautiful concubine served tea, she left. Yang Kang said, "The scouts from 'Songhelou' have sent a message that someone from the Lin'an court has arrived in Zhongdu?"

"What's the matter?"

"I only overheard a few words about the Prime Minister while the wine and dishes were being delivered."

"Shi Miyuan?"

"Hmm!" Yang Kang picked up his teacup, took a few sips, and said, "The reason why the Lin'an court did not join forces with the Mongols to attack our Great Jin is entirely due to the unclear situation during Genghis Khan's westward expedition. However, if the Mongol army were to win battle after battle, and the Lin'an court happened to learn of this, there is a risk of unforeseen changes."

"Does the Crown Prince want me to go to Zhongdu?"

"Yes, investigate further. Also, look into Helian Chuncheng, Sha Tongtian, Hou Tonghai, and others; they're familiar with them."

“Alright, tell your uncle later to come with me. If Zhou Yan is in Zhongdu, I'll make sure he takes his life.”

"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Ouyang. I will send some more men."

"good!"

For the remainder of the time, the two discussed matters related to martial arts techniques. Yang Kang had practiced diligently and received guidance from Ouyang Feng, Qiu Qianren, and the Fire-Worker Monk, so his cultivation level was far beyond what it had been in Zhongdu. He also had his own understanding and insights into cultivation. Ouyang Ke listened attentively; when it came to martial arts cultivation, he remained very persistent and ambitious.

After finishing his tea, Yang Kang rose to take his leave, while Ouyang Ke went to the villa where Ouyang Feng practiced his martial arts. As the sun passed over the Iron Pagoda of Kaifeng, Helian Chuncheng, Sha Tongtian, and twenty or thirty others headed straight for Zhongdu.

Ouyang Feng and his nephew acted alone.

……

Western Xia, Lingzhou.

Under the bright sunlight, tall buildings rise into the sky, and behind them, layer upon layer, are magnificent mansions with golden roofs. Their architectural style is similar to that of the Shaolin Temple, but even more opulent. This is the imperial city of the Western Xia Kingdom.

Adjacent to the imperial city was the renowned Yipintang of the Western Xia Kingdom, similar to the Imperial City Guard of Lin'an Prefecture.

Yipintang recruits top martial artists from all over the world, including Jingchu, Guanwai, the Western Regions, Zhongzhou, Shu, and Yunnan-Guizhou. These individuals are scattered throughout the vast building in Lingzhou City, each with sharp eyes, occasionally exchanging a few blows. Scholars value humility, while martial artists are more straightforward; they hone their skills, seek prestige, and pursue fame. All who join Yipintang are like this, mutually reinforcing each other, and placing martial prowess above all else.

Inside the hall sat several people, selected through a rigorous process, including monks, laypeople, and nuns. The man in the center had regular features, a broad nose, and thick lips. He said, "Ma Xiuping sent a message saying that someone from the Lin'an court has arrived in Zhongdu on Shi Miyuan's orders. You will go to Zhongdu and do two things: first, find out the Lin'an court's intentions; second, go to the Fu'an Escort Agency and find out exactly how the five hundred 'Iron Falcons' were lost."

"There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately."

"Alright!" The five or six people replied in unison. They stood up, bowed, and left the hall, leading a group of people south towards Zhongdu City.

……

The vermilion door was half-closed, and a peach blossom branch peeked out from the top of the wall, filtering the sunlight into swathes of pink clouds.

The clatter of hooves came from afar, and Zhou Yan called out from a distance, "Brother Yang."

Yang Tiexin and Mu Nianci closed the door, mounted their horses, and were about to leave when they suddenly heard a shout. They turned their horses around.

After Zhou Yan arrived in Zhongdu and waited for Lu Beihe to settle down completely, he went to the dilapidated temple of Kaifu Temple to find Lu Youjiao. He learned that Hong Qigong had indeed come to Zhongdu from Jingzhou, but his whereabouts had been unknown for quite some time. Zhou Yan guessed that he had probably gone to eat and drink at the home of some rich and unscrupulous household or Mongolian nobles.

He wouldn't deliberately wait for Hong Qigong at home or go looking for him, so he rode out of the city to cultivate. This time, his cultivation was mainly to improve his internal strength, focusing on the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian" (a classic text on internal strength cultivation).

Through ordinary cultivation and half a month of secluded intensive training, Zhou Yan felt that there were faint signs of a breakthrough in the sixth stage. The most direct manifestation of the improvement in internal strength was sword energy, which he could now unleash as long as one foot and two inches.

He went down the mountain and shot a gazelle and a few pheasants, then returned to the city to see if anything important had happened before preparing for his next period of seclusion and arduous cultivation.

Zhou Yan rode forward, and Mu Nianci said with a smile, "Brother Zhou, you've emerged from seclusion?"

"Hmm!" Zhou Yan replied with a smile, dismounted, and said to Yang Tiexin, "I'll carry this gazelle inside for you, brother."

"I'll do it." Without exchanging pleasantries, Yang Tiexin dismounted, took the yellow sheep, and said to Zhou Yan, "Zhenyuan Escort Agency received a shipment yesterday."

“It must be something unusual, otherwise my brother wouldn’t have mentioned it to me.”

"Yes, those going through the pass included Sichuan and Chongqing plasters, Lin'an porcelain, and Yangzhou silk; there were more than eighty carts in total."

Zhou Yan couldn't help but gasp and said, "More than eighty caravans require at least three hundred bodyguards and porters. This shipment will drain eighty percent of the manpower of Zhenyuan Escort Agency. Fu'an has never had a shipment of this scale before."

"Yes," Yang Tiexin nodded.

"Let's go check out the Zhenyuan Escort Agency once we enter the city."

"Excellent. The chief镖头 (chief镖头, head镖头) and 虎延镖头 (Huyan镖头, head镖头) are both here. Come over for some meat and wine when you have time."

"must!"

Yang Tiexin handed the yellow sheep to Bao Xiruo, who came out of the house. Zhou Yan greeted her and then left the courtyard. He mounted his horse and rode with Yang Tiexin and his daughter straight to Zhongdu. Once inside the city, they went directly to Zhenyuan Escort Agency.

……

"Master Zhou is here."

The "Jade Lion Under the Night" appeared on the long street. The guard on duty at the gate shouted, and the guard, who had participated in the battle to ambush the Longmen Escort Agency in the suburbs of Kaifeng, was quick-witted and ran over quickly to take the horse.

"Manager Qiu and Chief Escort Lu are both here?"

"Yes, we're here. The merchants delivered the goods early this morning, and everyone's busy inside."

"I gonna go see."

"Please, Mr. Zhou."

"Good!" Zhou Yan took down the Xuan Tie Heavy Spear and the Ox Horn Giant Bow, and led the horse to the stable. As he passed through the gatehouse, Lu Beihe had already come out to greet him.

"Brother Lu, are you heading beyond the Great Wall?"

"Heh, you already know?" Lu Beihe laughed. "Eighty caravans, even Zhenwei has never made such a journey. It would take at least a hundred days to go. After delivering the goods, we can directly buy furs and medicinal herbs from outside the pass. We can also make a profit when we get to Zhongdu. The money we earn from this trip is enough for the big stronghold to eat and drink for a whole year." "Good plan. Let's go, I'll go help out."

"it is good."

Zhou Yan entered the escort agency and saw the merchants, Qiu Qianchi, and the manager checking the accounts. The merchants were a group of four, three of whom were strong and muscular with dark blue fingers, clearly skilled in grappling techniques and eagle claw kung fu.

They were all very familiar with each other, so there was no need to go up and greet them. When Zhou Yan entered the courtyard, Qiu Qianchi looked over and smiled, signaling him not to be distracted. Qiu Qianchi smiled and responded, then focused his attention on the account book, while Zhou Yan helped Lu Beihe pack the porcelain.

Porcelain making is a highly skilled craft, and Zhou Yan is certainly adept at it.

Wrap the dart box in hemp paper, place one layer, then lay down a layer of sawdust, and fill it with another layer. Once the dart box is full, use sawdust to tamp the gaps around it tightly. This way, there is no need to worry about bumps or collisions during the journey.

The sun rises from east to west, and all the goods are loaded into the cargo box only when dusk falls.

The porter brought over hot water, and Zhou Yan washed his hands and face. Lu Beihe said, "Eat first. When I take you away later, I'll go to Fu'an to see who's on night duty. There have been a lot of escorts from beyond the Great Wall in Fu'an recently, so I'm familiar with the routes."

Fu'an and Zhenyuan Escort Agencies are not far apart, and Zhou Yan said, "We'll go together then, it's on the way."

"Row!"

Lu Beihe ate and slept at the escort agency. He asked his porters to bring over two jars of good wine, while Zhou Yan had the pheasant he had hunted cooked by the agency's cook. The two then summoned Qiu Qianchi and went to the independent courtyard where Lu Beihe lived at the escort agency.

Spring has arrived, and the air is filled with a faint fragrance of flowers.

Lu Beihe moved an eight-immortal table and placed it under an old tree with gnarled branches in the courtyard.

The dishes were served and the bowls of wine were full. The three of them toasted each other, and Zhou Yan asked Qiu Qianchi, "Have you seen Qiu Qianzhang?"

Zhou Yan had already told Qiu Qianchi about his encounter with the eldest member of the Qiu family during the Battle of Tongbai Mountain, and how the eldest member served Huo Du.

"No, and I haven't looked for it." Qiu Qianchi smiled helplessly and said, "You know your brother's identity, so I guess he can't do anything that would be outrageous to both gods and men in Huodu right now. Let him be."

"Alright!" Zhou Yan raised his glass, and the three of them drank it all in one gulp. He then asked, "Have you all settled in with the escort agency now?"

"Not only have I adapted, I've even come to like it, and I have to thank you for that." Qiu Qianren's eyes lit up as she said this, and she raised her glass. "To you!"

"You're welcome, one more!"

With peach blossoms and spring breeze, a cup of wine, and three people chatting happily, they were quite carefree. Before they knew it, the night had deepened.

……

At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), the sound of batons echoed through the long street, and more than twenty masked figures in black appeared and disappeared among the buildings, their forms stretching towards the Fu'an Escort Agency under the night sky.

As they drew closer, the group of people leading the way descended from between the houses and gathered in the dark alley.

"The Fu'an Escort Agency is just ahead."

"Capture a few bodyguards and porters, interrogate them about 'Iron Falcon,' and kill the rest without mercy."

"okay."

With just a few words, several figures emerged from the alley and surrounded the Fu'an Escort Agency.

……

There seemed to be some faint rustling in the wind. Liang Xiaowu, who was on duty, stepped on the arc, his trouser legs crackling. He moved nimbly and nimbly, his ten fingers grabbing, rubbing, and pinching. In the spacious martial arts arena, in the thin moonlight, the figure moved back and forth. His set of grappling techniques was obviously quite proficient.

After half an hour, Liang Xiaowu suddenly exhaled, stopped his cultivation, and walked to the weapon rack, preparing to take out the Snowflake Iron Saber to practice his swordsmanship.

When the barely audible footsteps approached, Liang Xiaowu initially thought it was a hallucination caused by the exhaustion of his training. But when they sounded again, he didn't hesitate. He took the lime bag from his pocket with his left hand, drew his sword with his right hand, and turned around. The two movements were seamlessly connected, as smooth as flowing water.

With a clang, the light of the snowflake-shaped iron longsword flowed like a stream of clear water. The moment the light exploded, lime powder was also thrown at the face of a burly man in black who was almost three feet away.

"Kid, you're pretty alert."

"Ah!" The black-clad man's mocking voice had barely faded when a wisp of whitewash flew over, hitting his eyes, mouth, and nostrils. His vision vanished instantly, followed by a spreading pain.

Liang Xiaowu cleaved open the black-clad man's chest with a single stroke, and a staggering spray of blood exploded like fireworks.

"Enemy attack!" Liang Xiaowu shouted a warning.

In an instant, amidst the surrounding curses, seven or eight figures rapidly approached.

Liang Xiaowu's warning voice still echoed in the courtyard. From another direction of the escort agency, a hissing sound came as a communication firework was launched into the night sky and exploded brilliantly.

……

Red flames burst forth in the night sky above Fu'an. Zhou Yan, Lu Beihe, and Qiu Qianren, who were drinking in the courtyard of Zhenyuan Escort Agency, all stood up at the same time.

“It’s the Fu’an Escort Agency,” Zhou Yan said urgently.

The Green Edge Sword, the Black Iron Heavy Spear, and the Ox Horn Giant Bow stood under the old tree behind him. Zhou Yan grabbed the bow in one hand and the quiver in the other, then leaped out with his right foot on the ground.

Before Lu Beihe could even grab his twin pistols, he picked up the Xuan Tie Spear, leaped onto the roof, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, Qiu Qianchi's body stirred up a whistling sound and floated forward several feet. Zhou Yan's body flashed on the courtyard wall six or seven feet away, and then appeared on a roof in a more distant direction.

As the figure pierced the air, a boiling sound like a hot iron being dropped into ice water echoed across the five-mile-long street. By the time they arrived at the Fu'an Escort Agency, the distance between Zhou Yan and Qiu Qianchi, who was known for his lightness skills, had already increased to more than ten zhang.

Qiu Qianchi didn't see Zhou Yan unpack the bow, nor did she see him nock the arrow and draw the string. She only heard a loud "bang" of the bowstring snapping in the air.

Within Zhou Yan's line of sight, in the courtyard of the Fu'an Escort Agency, more than twenty escorts and porters had already suffered astonishing casualties under the fierce attack of a considerable number of burly men in black.

He fired one arrow, and a second, thick arrow swiftly nocked on the bowstring. A breathtaking arc suddenly opened and closed, the gray arrow pushing through the air as it fell towards a black-clad giant who had just beheaded a foot soldier.

Without pausing, Zhou Yan fired the third, fourth, and fifth arrows in quick succession, and then he himself shot out like an arrow from a crossbow.

A scream of agony rang out from beside him. The burly man in black, who was about to chop off the head of the gangster, had not yet realized what the scene before him meant. In his vision, his nose exploded with a "bang," and blood and bone sprayed into the air. An arrow pierced through his skull and appeared below his field of vision.

"What a fast arrow!" The man fell to the ground like a wooden stake.

Zhou Yan killed three people and injured two others with five arrows in quick succession. He landed in front of the masked man who had cut down a bodyguard in the courtyard of the escort agency. The man roared and slashed down with his long sword like lightning.

Zhou Yan used the "Snake-like Roll" movement technique to roll on the ground and appear under the masked man. The masked man retreated quickly, and Zhou Yan's figure had already sprung up from the ground, his fist smashing into the man's chest.

The burly man felt a muffled buzzing in his head, a sweet taste in his mouth and nose, and his massive body flew up as if riding the clouds, crashing into a flower bed several feet away.

A masked man with an iron whip pounced like a hungry tiger as he yelled "Ah!" Zhou Yan rushed forward, bent down, grabbed a fishing net from the ground, and hurled it out.

Fishing nets with various barbs came crashing down, but Zhou Yan, holding the net, rushed past the man from the side. The man was pulled down and slid backwards for several feet before his head slammed into a flower bed with a loud thud. Black hair, red blood, and white bone fragments sprayed all over the ground.

(End of this chapter)