The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 325 Ning Ming Dies, He Does Not Remain Silent, He Lives
A cloud obscured the full moon, and silvery light shone down from the gap in the cloud, creating a breathtaking beauty, while the spring night breeze still carried a biting chill.

Zhou Yan strode to the stone steps of the pavilion and sneered, “It’s a dog-eat-dog world. The one who wanted to hijack the Fu’an Escort Agency was ‘Iron Hawk.’ You failed, so you mobilized a large force to attack the escort agency in Zhongdu. You returned defeated, and then summoned your experts again. Seeing that the situation had changed, you assessed the situation, weighed the pros and cons, and decided that a bloody battle was not worthwhile, so you came up with this seemingly perfect compromise. But why did I agree? Just because you are Yipintang? If I lose, I will be the fish on the chopping block, at your mercy. If I win, why should I care about Yipintang?”

"Well said!" Zhang Sanqiang praised.

Li Wuxiang also laughed, "It is better to die speaking out than to live in silence. This is how a true martial artist should be. In this mortal world, some martial artists seem to be alive, but they are no different from grass and trees. They live without leaving a trace, and they never understand the meaning of practicing martial arts until their death."

Li Wuxiang's expression turned serious. His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resolute. "This trip was worthwhile. The reason the martial world is so exciting is because of people like you. I take back what I said earlier. Success or failure determines heroes, and the strong set the rules."

"it is good!"

Li Wuxiang lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure floating several feet away, standing tall in the center of the courtyard, and said, "Please!"

Zhang Sanqiang's eyes fell on Helian Dashi. "My friend invited me for a drink, but you blocked my way. I couldn't gain the upper hand in a fight, so I let you pass. If you have the guts, take three shots from me."

Helian Dashi smiled coldly, "You really think Yipintang is afraid of Manichaeism?"

"Then come on over."

Zhang Wangyue stood up, took the copper staff in his hand, walked out of the pavilion, and said to Master Shengyin, "I have come to learn from Master Shengyin's great skills."

Master Shengyin snorted coldly, waved her whisk, and said, "I couldn't ask for more!"

"Take this!" Zhang Wangyue, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of Fu'an, didn't hesitate at all. Before Master Shengyin could finish saying "I couldn't ask for it," he suddenly rushed out and pointed his copper staff at the nun's chest.

The copper staff can be used for sweeping, striking, and smashing, but Zhang Wangyue, who was proficient in spear techniques, used the "thrust" technique to make the long staff like a spear, and his moves were swift.

Master Shengyin dared not underestimate it. With a slight wave of her whisk, the silver threads reversed and wrapped around the head of the staff. She shouted, "Let go!" She used the force of the staff to her advantage, and the thousands of silver threads on her whisk borrowed all the power of the copper staff.

"Not necessarily!" Zhang Wangyue urged his body forward, and he also used the strength that Master Shengyin used to help him. The long staff hummed and vibrated, and in the blink of an eye, it moved forward rapidly, even faster than before.

Master Shengyin was taken aback. This ability to adapt to changing circumstances and use an opponent's force against them was something she had never seen before. How could she dare to underestimate Zhang Wangyue at this moment? With a move called "Reversed Golden Bell," she put away her whisk and flipped backwards for several feet. When she landed, she floated in like a ghost and used the "Chaotic Cloak" move. Silver threads reflected the moon and resembled ten thousand golden snakes crawling and darting around, crashing down on Zhang Wangyue.

Zhang Wangyue swung his copper staff with a move called "Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies" to the waist, while Master Shengyin retreated and then advanced again, and the two figures were entangled in battle in an instant.

Seeing Zhang Wangyue make his move, Zhang Sanqiang chuckled and said to Helian Dashi, "My name is Zhang Sanqiang, so I'll use a gun. I won't take advantage of you. Shall we use weapons or the 'Great Handprint' technique?"

Seeing the cold, icy steel spear in Zhang Sanqiang's hand, Helian Dashi dared not be careless. He said, "If you use a weapon, I will too."

As soon as the head of the Xixia Yipintang finished speaking, he let out a whistle. Before the whistle had even faded, Zhang Sanqiang heard heavy footsteps approaching. A man over eight feet tall, carrying a horse-slaying saber, came running towards them. When the distance closed to several feet, the man used the momentum of his charge to throw something in his hand.

Helian Dashi reached out and caught it, and in his hand was a strange weapon. The weapon was shaped like a one-legged doll, with hands below the head, crossed in front of the chest, and then a single leg, which was two feet long and also served as the handle of the weapon.

It turned out to be a "one-legged bronze man".

Helian Dashi, holding the bronze figure, unleashed a powerful "Mount Tai Pressing Down" strike, slamming it down on Zhang Sanqiang's crown. The bronze figure's arm then pierced Zhang Sanqiang's ribs, its middle fingertip aimed at his "Healing Qi Acupoint."

Amidst the billowing dust and the deafening gunfire, Zhang Sanqiang raised his spear and thrust it at the bronze figure. A sharp clang of metal clashing rang out in the air, and in an instant, the sound became a continuous, resounding cascade, like pearls falling onto a jade plate.

At the same time, Zhou Yan's muscles and bones resonated, and he suddenly stepped outwards, his feet stomping outwards, his palms like mountains, his palm strikes heavy and powerful, and he pushed Li Wuxiang with the "Shocking Hundred Miles" move of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

He cultivated on the Great Wall, focusing primarily on enhancing his internal strength. He practiced the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang" and the "Nine Yang Manual," increasing his internal strength by nearly 20%. This palm strike was like a hurricane passing through, the force of the palm sweeping towards Li Wuxiang like a raging storm.
Li Wuxiang chuckled lightly, "Dragon Subduing Palm Technique, not bad."

As he said this, he struck out with his left palm in mid-air, and with a flick of his right palm, the force of his left palm bypassed the palm wind emitted by Zhou Yan and struck his shoulder.

White Rainbow Palm Force? The fluctuation in the air alerted Zhou Yan instantly, allowing him to guess the opponent's technique. However, in a flash, Zhou Yan guided his qi with his mind, flicked his finger, and with a soft hiss, a thin stream of force shot out, instantly neutralizing Li Wuxiang's palm force.

"Huh!" Li Wuxiang exclaimed in surprise, frowning as he pondered the origin of Zhou Yan's martial arts technique.

Zhou Yan let out a low shout, slightly bent his knees, and thrust out his right hand in a move called "The Dragon Regrets." The two were ten feet apart, and the force of Li Wuxiang's previous palm strike collided violently with Zhou Yan's Dragon Subduing Palm. With a loud "bang," an arc-shaped curtain of energy spread out from Zhou Yan's palm. Zhou Yan felt a tightness in his chest, his body became unsteady, and he stumbled back two steps.

Li Wuxiang also swayed and took half a step back.

After this contest of internal strength, Zhou Yan realized that his opponent's foundation was on par with that of the Fire-Worker Monk. The opponent's palm strike was split into two; otherwise, if he had taken it head-on, he would have had to retreat at least several large steps. However, his opponent's experience in combat was considerably inferior to that of the Fire-Worker Monk.

Thinking this way, Zhou Yan felt relieved. Based on the Xiaoyao Sect's unparalleled martial arts foundation, he realized that he had overestimated Li Wuxiang's strength.

He moved with incredible speed, as if riding the wind, wielding his "Finger Flicking Divine Skill" with his right hand, engaging in a fierce battle with Li Wuxiang. Li Wuxiang, in turn, unleashed a series of palm strikes from mid-air, the white rainbow palm force shifting unpredictably, landing on Zhou Yan with effortless grace.

This battle was unlike any of Zhou Yan's previous encounters with his enemies. The two remained a distance of several feet apart, their invisible energies clashing repeatedly, causing the air to swirl and churn violently.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Yan and Li Wuxiang had exchanged dozens of blows.

Suddenly, Li Wuxiang's body swayed, seemingly chaotic but actually exquisite. With each sway, he coordinated his posture and angle of force, launching a tight and continuous attack. In an instant, Zhou Yan felt that the opponent's palm strike was like a celestial river hanging upside down, with the force tightly packed like a tide.

Zhou Yan was surprised, thinking that the other party's movement technique could be "Lingbo Weibu". He let out a clear whistle and used the Ancient Tomb Lightness Skill. His figure moved like a ghost. In an instant, the two figures were spinning rapidly, separating and merging at will, making a series of rapid cracking sounds.

Zhang Wangyue had gained the upper hand in his fight against Abbess Shengyin. He glanced at Zhou Yan and Li Wuxiang out of the corner of his eye and was greatly surprised. Li Wuxiang's skills were so unique that they were no less than those of the Fire-Worker Monk who had used many Shaolin techniques in the battle of Shaoshi Mountain. If he were to fight him, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to withstand many moves. Thinking of this, he was also pleased with the improvement in Zhou Yan's skill level. Others cultivate until they wear down a stone, but Brother Zhou had made remarkable progress in just a short time.

However, Zhang Wangyue could also see that Zhou Yan was defending more than attacking and was obviously at a disadvantage. He regained his composure and turned his fierce offensive towards Master Shengyin, thinking of ending the fight as soon as possible and covering for Zhou Yan.

In this situation, a group of men from the Imperial City Guard of Lin'an rushed over from the alley outside the Fu'an Escort Agency.

Li Yan and Li Taiping arrived.

Because of Zhang Sanqiang's intrusion, the group of skilled fighters from Yipintang who were waiting outside the Fu'an Escort Agency were quite suspicious.

Located in Zhongdu, and having transported goods for Mongolian nobles, any uninvited guests arriving at night were likely enemies rather than friends.

These skilled individuals could hear the fighting inside the escort agency. Under such circumstances, how could the experts of Yipintang allow the people from the Lin'an Imperial City Guard to enter?

Under the moonlight, the Imperial City Guards heard about the fighting at the镖局 (escort agency) and quickened their pace. Two First-Class Hall experts guarding the alley entrance exchanged glances, then darted out, throwing out their hidden weapons. They crouched down, exerted their strength, and sped into the alley.

A scream of agony rang out from the narrow alley; someone had been struck by a hidden weapon and collapsed to the ground. The Imperial City Guard's experts swiftly launched a counterattack.
Then came the loud clanging of metal against metal.

The elite guards from Yipintang, who were stationed around the Fu'an Escort Agency, rushed over. Amidst the fierce battle, Li Taiping was still somewhat confused as to how the Fu'an Escort Agency had known their whereabouts and laid an ambush.

Li Yan has already charged out with her sword drawn.

What he wanted was chaos, chaos among all factions, the more chaotic the better.

Li Yan lunged forward, thrusting her sword at a First-Rank Hall expert wielding an iron mace. A series of clanging sounds of weapons clashing rang out in the night, followed by a shower of blood.

The man wielding the mace was struck by several swords and staggered backward.

Li Yan advanced swiftly, thrusting her sword into the long whip of the First-Class Hall expert who had rushed to the rescue. The powerful whip suddenly went limp like a venomous snake that had lost its tendons. Suddenly, a flash of cold light appeared, and Li Yan's long sword cleaved straight from the opponent's left shoulder to his right waist. The ferocity of this sword strike was truly unbelievable.

Seeing this, Li Taiping abandoned all other thoughts and moved forward like a ghost. In front of him, a big man had just raised his long knife when his narrow sword pierced his throat.

The man's eyes were filled with disbelief. Li Taiping, who had drawn his sword and was about to leave, disappeared into the courtyard of the Xiangfu'an Escort Agency. Li Yan followed closely behind and suddenly floated in as well.

Outside the Fu'an Escort Agency, skilled fighters from the Western Xia First-Class Hall and the Great Song Imperial City Guard were engaged in fierce combat.

(End of this chapter)