The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 35 Fengling Night Talk, Huang Rong Buys a Horse (Revised)
The last rays of twilight hung on the clouds.

Hu Yanlei withdrew his gaze from the father and daughter, and carrying the gilded tiger-head spear with its tip covered by a cloth bag, he entered the inn. As he walked, he whispered to Zhou Yan, "That big man is also a skilled spearman."

"You figured it out, bro?"

"Yes, both hands have thick calluses, especially the palm and wrist of the left hand."

Zhou Yan thought to himself, "Yang Tiexin is also a descendant of a military family. He is proficient in the Yang family's spear technique. Brother, if you are really a descendant of the Hu family generals, the Hu family and the Yang family served in the same court a hundred years ago."

Zhou Yan remembered that Yang Tiexin seemed to be a descendant of Yang Zaixing. As for whether the other party was related to the Yang family generals, he was not sure and just imagined it.

However, Zhou Yan truly admired General Yang, who fought a great battle at Xiaoshangqiao and died for his country.

Thinking this through, he said, "There's a pair of short halberds on the cart. What if they're the man's preferred weapons?"

Hu Yanlei said, "It's only possible if the calluses on both hands are about the same thickness, but I can see clearly that the man's left hand is thicker than his right. Those skilled with spears have more power in their left hand, hence the difference."

"Brother, you have good taste."

Hu Yanlei smiled slightly, "To be a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), one must be observant and have a keen eye."

"You also need to have the heart of a tiger."

"Being with you is so pleasant. You're so easy to talk to," Hu Yanlei praised.

The two entered the inn, where a waiter greeted them. Hu Yanlei asked, "Do you need four large rooms?"

When a caravan travels, everything is kept simple, and the caravan members usually live together in groups of several people.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. Another group of merchants is crossing the river. It will take about half an hour before the room becomes available."

"Row!"

While Hu Yanlei, Zhou Yan, and the waiter were talking, Mu Yi, who was outside the inn, glanced at the large gun in Hu Yanlei's hand, then looked away. He placed the cart in the yard outside the inn, brought Mu Nianci in, and sat down at a corner table to order wine and dishes.

Hu Yanlei and Zhou Yan waited for their rooms, so they went to the table next to Mu Yi and his daughter and ordered a pot of tea to quench their thirst.

Zhou Yan took the opportunity to look around.

The spacious hall was filled with more than thirty people, including foreigners, wandering heroes, and merchants. He guessed that some were waiting for rooms, like himself; others were checking out and waiting to cross the river; and perhaps some were saving money and staying overnight in the hall.

The guesthouses at the docks are generally convenient for merchants, unlike in the city where those who want to stay for free are often evicted.

A Hu man, seeing Huyan Lei and Zhou Yan's attire, asked from afar, "Are you two bodyguards?"

"Exactly!" Hu Yanlei did not conceal his identity, and the sharp-eyed merchants could easily recognize him from his clothing.

"Which escort agency can transport goods to the Western Regions?"

Huyan Lei countered, "What do you mean by that?"

The foreign man said with distress, "We want to buy silk and porcelain from Lin'an Prefecture, but no one dares to take on the escort mission."

“The Longmen Escort Agency in Lin’an Prefecture is very famous,” Zhou Yan said.

The Hu man sighed, "Young man, you don't know this, firstly, the Southern Escort Agency has to pass through the territory of the Great Jin Kingdom to travel to the Western Regions, so they have reservations. Secondly, not long ago, an Escort Agency from Lin'an Prefecture went to the Western Regions, but their shipment was robbed, and most of them were killed or injured. Therefore, the Longmen Escort Agency also doesn't travel to the Western Regions."

Huyan Lei asked curiously, "You are merchants who frequently travel to and from the Western Regions. Do you know why?"

The foreigner said, "I heard they are a group of monks."

Immediately, a wealthy guest in the hall said, "You must be talking nonsense. How could there be monks in the Western Regions? And so many who commit such heinous crimes."

The Hu people said, "We have only heard about it."

“He must be a fake monk,” the wealthy man said.

Zhou Yan suddenly had a thought: Western Regions, monks, could it be the Vajra Sect?

He racked his brains, and there seemed to be a dialogue at the beginning of Mr. Jin Yong's Condor Trilogy, "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," in which a high monk from Shaolin Temple mentioned the Fire-Worker Monk incident seventy years ago. Calculating the time, it should be about right.

"Can the escort agency behind you two travel to the Western Regions?" the Hu man asked again.

Hu Yanlei was unwilling to get involved, so he said, "We are just escorts, so we can't accept this task."

The Hu man said no more and bowed slightly as an apology for the earlier disturbance.

Huyan Lei cupped his hands in greeting, indicating that it was alright.

A crescent moon hung leisurely in the clear, bright night sky, the Milky Way stretched like a ribbon, and the night sky over Fenglingdu resembled a blue sea.

Hu Yanlei and Zhou Yan finished their tea, and the merchants who were about to cross the river also left, freeing up many rooms. At this time, more merchants and wealthy travelers checked in, noisily arguing with the staff for rooms. "What a handsome young master."

Suddenly, a stiff voice sounded behind Zhou Yan and Hu Yanlei. Zhou Yan turned around and saw several more Hu people walking in. The one in front of them had a high nose and deep-set eyes, but he was wearing Hanfu, with a pearl around his neck and a jade bracelet on his wrist. He was so ostentatious that he didn't care about the belief that one should not flaunt one's wealth when traveling the world.

The last Hu man looked out of the inn.

Zhou Yan followed the gaze and his eyes lit up.

In the light cast by the lanterns under the eaves, a handsome young man in flowing white robes stood out, so strikingly beautiful that one dared not look directly at him. His folding fan had a white jade handle, and his wrists and fingers were so white they were indistinguishable from the fan's handle. He was young, around fifteen or sixteen years old.

The young master appeared to be deep in thought, seemingly pondering something.

Hu Yanlei turned around and glanced at him, then said with a smile, "This young master's appearance is no less than Brother Zhou's."

"Brother, you're really bold," Zhou Yan replied with a laugh. Hu Yanlei chuckled in response. He then looked away, thinking to himself that he didn't recall such a person being in the Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Outside the inn, the young master, deep in thought, kept glancing at the "Jade Lion Under the Night," his eyes gleaming with delight. He thought to himself, "To travel the world on such a fine steed would be truly exhilarating. Even my father might not be able to keep up with this horse when it gallops."

As he thought this, a smile appeared on his face, but that smile was quickly replaced by a sorrow as gentle as ripples on a calm lake.

"I wonder if Father will look for me. Humph, even if he doesn't come looking, I might as well just humiliate myself to death."

He sighed softly, his thoughts drifting back to the "Jade Lion Under the Night," wondering if the owner would sell the horse, given its rarity and value.

The young man in white tapped his left palm with his right folding fan as he walked toward the hitching post.

Outside the inn, there was a waiter guarding the merchants' carriages and horses. The waiter glanced at the young master from afar, but seeing that the young master was dressed in fine clothes, he looked away and paid no more attention to him.

When the young man in white arrived at the "Jade Lion Under the Night," he extended goodwill by gently stroking the horse's neck.

After being tamed by Zhou Yan, the "Night-Shining Jade Lion" had long since lost its temperamental nature; otherwise, how could the镖局 (escort agency) grooms have kept it? The horse was intelligent and sensed the young master's friendliness, so it did not snort or kick.

The young man in white preferred it more.

"I wonder who owns the 'Jade Lion Illuminated by Night'?"

As he thought this, he looked at the waiter.

"Hey!"

"Young master, are you looking for me?"

"That's you."

The waiter stood up and quickly stepped forward: "What brings you here, young master?"

"Tell me, who is the owner of this horse?"

The "Jade Lion Under the Night" was a magnificent steed. The waiter recognized it and replied, "It is a young swordsman carrying a sword and a bow."

The young master took out a money pouch, took out a silver bean, and handed it to the shop assistant, saying, "Go find that customer and ask if this horse is for sale. I'll pay a hefty sum."

"Alright, please wait a moment, young master."

The waiter hurried toward the inn, thinking to himself, "How could the guest part with such a fine horse? But this young master is generous; he can get a silver bean just for running errands and delivering messages."

……

Orange light streamed down from the lanterns hanging under the eaves. The waiter entered the inn, looked around, and quickly stepped forward when he saw Zhou Yan.

"Young master, a gentleman has asked if your fine horse is for sale, and he has offered a high price."

Zhou Yan was taken aback; someone actually wanted to buy the "Night-Shining Jade Lion".

Huyan Lei found it amusing and asked, "Who is it?"

"He is a handsome young man."

Zhou Yan remembered; it was the young master he had just seen.

"Tell that young master that you're not selling."

"I guessed the young master would feel the same way." The waiter smiled ingratiatingly, then turned and left the inn to deliver the message.

　The chapter has been revised. To clarify, the "Jade Lion Under the Night" is not like a husky, as some readers have suggested. Zhou Yan summons it back later in the story by whistling. After reading many comments, I think changing Huang Rong's horse theft to buying it is more appropriate. There's no question of defending or denying it, because Huang Fu will reappear in the later episodes where the Yellow River Gang intervenes. Of course, the evening chapters will also need to be revised, including the scene where the protagonist summons the horse.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)