The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 39 Yellow River Water Ghost, Real and Fake Escorts

In the somewhat desolate courtyard, the withered ivy made a dry, rustling sound when the wind blew.

Frost settled on the green tiles, and as the sun rose, water droplets dripped down the tiles.

The enormous tumor on the forehead of Hou Tonghai, the Three-Headed Dragon, was reflecting the light. He held a bowl of wine, looked at the more than fifty Yellow River water ghosts in front of him, and said, "A horse won't get fat without night grass, and a man won't get rich without windfall gains. After we finish this job, it will be enough for you to live a life of luxury for a whole year. I'll say it three times: we won't go after the caravans that are being escorted by porters. The key is to go after the caravans that have caravans on board."

"Do you understand?"

"Understood, Lord Marquis," the Yellow River Gang water ghost, holding a wine bowl, said noisily.

There were more than ten people standing at the entrance of the courtyard. They were all Peng Lianhu’s men. The two leading men were the apprentices of “Thousand-Handed Butcher”. One was tall and strong, and the other was as short as a dwarf. The former was nicknamed “Iron-Armed Arhat” and the latter was called “Rolling Tiger”. He was short in stature, held two knives, and was proficient in the ground-lying knife technique and monkey fist.

Looking at the situation in the courtyard, "Rolling Tiger" said to "Iron-Armed Arhat," "I don't think we'll have any chance to make a move."

"Iron-Armed Arhat" laughed and said, "The closer Hou Tonghai gets to water, the sharper his mind becomes."

"That's true."

The two men were laughing and joking about the "three-headed dragon." Hou Tonghai, who was in the courtyard, said, "Drink this bowl of merit wine, and the young men will take heads on the Yellow River."

"Oh..."

Dozens of Yellow River gang water ghosts shouted in unison, their momentum quite impressive.

"Rolling Tiger" laughed and said, "It's quite a ritual."

"No!"

The sounds of gulping wine filled the air as porcelain bowls were smashed and shattered into pieces. The water ghosts who broke the bowls either carried daggers, water-splitting spikes, or fishing nets with hooks, and swaggered out of the courtyard.

The Yellow River lies ahead; some people boarded fishing boats, while others headed straight for the boats, their tasks clearly divided.

Hou Haitong, Juan Dihu, and Tiebi Luohan boarded a fishing boat and sailed downstream to Fenglingdu.

……

With a neighing sound, the green horse, the black horse, and the jade lion bathed in the night light arrived at the ferry.

Zhang Wangyue, Hu Yanlei, and Zhou Yan saw Yang Tiexin and Mu Nianci off. The three of them had breakfast with the bodyguards who had come to the inn the night before. The head bodyguard then led the two of them to come over first.

During the day, it was clear that the Yellow River in Zhou Yan's eyes was not a turbulent torrent, but rather much clearer than he perceived, and the river water looked smooth.

Zhang Wangyue gazed at the Yellow River in silence for a long time. Hu Yanlei couldn't help but ask, "Is the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) wondering when all the goods can cross the river?"

"I am thinking of Elder Zong. On his deathbed, he did not mention his family at all. He was still thinking about the Northern Expedition. In his last moments, he called out three times, 'Cross the river, cross the river, cross the river!'"

Hu Yanlei was filled with awe.

Zhou Yan sighed inwardly. He knew this history, and Zong Ze was like a mentor to Yue Fei. The镖头's ancestor was Zhang Xian, who served in Yue Fei's army. It was only natural for him to be reminded of this.

The sound of horses' hooves came from behind, and the bodyguards Wang Kui and Shi Baichuan arrived.

Wang Kui said, "Chief镖师, the镖车 (escort cart) has arrived."

Zhang Wangyue asked, "Brother Wang, you killed members of the Yellow River Gang on the Yellow River, right?"

"Hmm!" Wang Kui nodded. "Is the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) on guard against the Yellow River Gang?"

"When crossing the Yellow River, how can we not be wary of the enemy? They even dare to rob the imperial ships. When the caravan set off, Brother Zhou also said that once we crossed the Yellow River, the caravan would be mostly safe. So before crossing the river, we should take some people to patrol and observe."

Zhou Yan suddenly asked, "Is the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) able to swim?"

Zhang Wangyue laughed and said, "You're a landlubber."

“Me too!” Hu Yanlei said. “I don’t know either,” Shi Baichuan said.

Wang Kui said, "I'm alright. If we really encounter danger, I can handle two or three water ghosts without any problem."

Hu Yanlei joked, "When we cross the river, we must split up and all take the same boat. If we really encounter the Yellow River Gang, we'll be wiped out. Then, without a leader, our boatmen will be at the mercy of others."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "I do have an idea."

Huyan Lei hurriedly said, "Tell me quickly."

“If there are truly malicious individuals, they will definitely target the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) on the water first, and then rob the goods. Therefore, the镖师 can disguise themselves as 趟子手 (porters/escorts). Then, the 趟子手 can disguise themselves as镖师 and gather at the ferry to direct the crossing. We can escort them back and forth several times, and we should not attract attention. After the horses have crossed the river, we can change back into our original attire.”

Hu Yanlei's eyes lit up. "Great idea!"

Shi Baichuan said, "Isn't this being overly cautious?"

Seeing Zhou Yan's appreciative expression, Zhang Wangyue said, "Better safe than sorry, a very good suggestion. Brothers, take the other bodyguards, change into escorts, and come with me to the ferry."

"Okay!" Zhou Yan and the others nodded.

……

Under the warm early winter sun, the young master who wanted to buy the "Jade Lion Under the Night" changed his clothes and put on a blue robe. He looked at the group of people on horseback, his gaze falling on Zhou Yan. After examining him for a while, his eyes finally settled on the horse.

Not long after, the young master saw Zhou Yan and the others leave. Later, the bodyguards reappeared in the same spot.

The young nobleman exclaimed "Huh?" and muttered to himself, "Why have all the people changed, but the horses are still the same ones?"

He was intelligent, and recalling what he had overheard the previous night about the Yellow River Gang's plan to rob the goods, he suddenly realized, "Switching the beams and pillars, who came up with this idea? They're really clever."

Thinking about it this way, the young master's curiosity was piqued, and he felt as if he had met a worthy opponent and a talented general.

At this moment, a large caravan arrived. Zhou Yan, Hu Yanlei, and others had changed into their guards' clothes, wearing gray flat-topped hats, tight-fitting clothes, and multi-layered soles.

Zhang Wangyue glanced at it, a smile on his face, and waved his hand, saying, "Cross the river!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) led a group of fake镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) straight to the ferry. The selected men were all elderly镖师 (bodyguards/escorts), and these镖师, who had fulfilled their dreams of being镖师, were all in high spirits and their performances were incredibly convincing. They followed the head镖师 to the ferry with great pomp and circumstance. The innkeeper, who had been waiting for a long time, was trembling with fear, but years of running a business had given him the ability to keep his emotions hidden. He calmed himself down, greeted Zhang Wangyue and the others politely, and then summoned the "boatmen" to prepare for the ferry.

Zhou Yan had only recently become a bodyguard after working as a porter, so he was very familiar with the business. When the caravan arrived at the ferry, the mules and horses were unsaddled, and he took the lead in pushing the caravan onto the ferry plank.

He put down the car, jumped onto the dock, and smiled as he helped out the somewhat clumsy Hu Yanlei, Wang Kui, and others.

The young master watched this scene intently from the crowd. Although Zhou Yan was wearing a flat-topped hat, he could see it clearly from close range and soon noticed something. He thought to himself that these bodyguards were all circling around the horse owner, so perhaps the idea was his.

The boy seemed to have discovered something extremely interesting, and his playful nature was piqued.

There were eight boats on the route. First, the镖车 (escort carts) were transported, then the mules pulling the carts were ferried across, and finally, more than two hundred horses were transported.

As the boy, Zhang Wangyue, and others watched, the ferry ferried people back and forth, with Zhou Yan, skilled in archery, and Wang Kui, adept at swimming, making several trips.

On a fishing boat not far from the ferry, Hou Tonghai pinched the lump on his forehead and cursed loudly:
"Damn it, why aren't those bodyguards on board yet?"

Peng Lianhu's apprentice, "Rolling Tiger," was also waiting anxiously, but said, "My lord, you might as well ask him."

Hou Tonghai jumped up and angrily headed out of the boat awning.

The two men were shocked. One grabbed Hou Tonghai's leg and the other grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

The boy on the shore saw everything. He mischievously thought to himself, then turned and shouted, "If the Yellow River Gang doesn't make a move soon, the镖局 (escort agency) members will have crossed the river! Those three men will probably be furious, spitting blood!"

(End of this chapter)