The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 40 An Arrow That Never Misses, A White Streak in the Waves

The entire caravan crossed the river, and the mules were led onto the ferry using planks. Zhang Wangyue let out a slight sigh of relief.

He traveled far and wide, always proceeding with extreme caution. After delivering the infant in the human-body slingshot, from the Longmen Escort Agency in Lin'an Prefecture to the Fu'an Escort Agency in Daxing Prefecture, he replaced the spear he used with the heavy sword he was familiar with. His concern was that others would recognize his identity from his fighting style. In this day and age, it was not difficult for knowledgeable people to identify a school by its fighting style.

"Better safe than sorry"—this was ingrained in the very bones of the镖头 (bodyguard/escort).

The caravan has crossed the river; the journey is almost safe.

Even if something goes wrong now, it can be salvaged. At least the mules and horses can swim, so there's no need to worry about the spices and herbs in the cargo box being ruined by soaking.

Zhou Yan felt much more at ease, but after escorting the caravan back and forth several times, he still felt that there was something wrong with the boatman in front of him.

At first, I didn't notice that the boatman was unremarkable in appearance but physically strong, which wasn't suspicious. Years of ferrying people across the Yellow River had given him a muscular physique from rowing.

Working as a boatman at a bustling ferry crossing like Fenglingdu, as long as one doesn't have any bad habits, one's basic needs are met, and therefore one won't be emaciated. He always traveled back and forth on the same boat, and after several trips, Zhou Yan noticed that the boatman's gaze would intentionally or unintentionally drift towards a fishing boat moored not far from the ferry crossing.

The ferry could only carry two mules at a time, which was quite time-consuming. Once again, they turned back from the south bank. Zhou Yan lay diagonally at the bow of the boat, his flat-topped hat covering half of his face. He pretended to doze off, but in reality, he was squinting and observing the boatman.

The flat-topped hat worn by the boatman, which could shield him from the sun and wind, proved its advantage. He could see the boatman's expression in every detail, while the boatman could not see his eyes.

As the ferry approached the dock, the boatman glanced sideways at the fishing boat.

Something was definitely wrong. Zhou Yan adjusted his gaze and looked over, but the boat awning blocked his view, making it impossible to see the scene inside.

Should we go ashore and have the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) send someone to investigate? Zhou Yan thought of this, but quickly rejected it. If there were really any unscrupulous people, the entire镖队 (bodyguard/escort team) was under surveillance. How could the other party not notice someone approaching the fishing boat or any unusual activity of the镖队 (bodyguard/escort team)?

After a moment's consideration, Zhou Yan asked the boatman, who still hadn't looked away, "When do we make our move?"

The boatman was taken aback, and his expression changed drastically.

Zhou Yan, seeing through everything, slapped his right hand on the boat plank with a "smack," and sprang up to pounce on the boatman. The boatman yelled and turned to jump into the river.

Under the bright daylight, the boatman, whose body was already suspended in the air, had his right ankle held by Zhou Yan. His arm muscles bulged, and he twisted his waist and hips, making two quick turns. The boatman's body was thrown onto the deck after drawing an arc in the air.

Zhang Wangyue's eyes narrowed suddenly as he stood on the dock.

Among the crowd at the ferry, a young man whose gaze kept shifting between Zhou Yan's ferry and Hou Tonghai's fishing boat suddenly laughed. He thought to himself, "The horse owner saw through the flaw and made the first move. Interesting." Suddenly, he shouted, "Yellow River Gang, why aren't you making your move? You've already been exposed!"

On the boat and on the shore, the Yellow River Gang members and Peng Lianhu's men were all on edge. That's how murder and robbery are; the longer you wait, the more anxious you become. Under extreme tension, any unusual noise can lead to a sudden attack, let alone when Zhou Yan makes a move, and the boy shouts like that.

There was a teahouse at the ferry crossing. Several Yellow River Gang members, who were drinking tea to relieve their anxiety, suddenly pulled out steel knives from under the table. Someone shouted, "Let's go side by side!"

The bustling crowd at the ferry crossing suddenly turned into a boiling pot of soup. Some people rushed out of the teahouses and restaurants, while some Yellow River Gang disciples mixed in with the crowd shook off their bundles and rushed towards Zhang Wangyue.

Like a firecracker setting off a lively scene, the boy's eyes were fixed on Zhou Yan, who was more than ten feet away from the ferry. In his line of sight, the bodyguard who had smashed the boatman on the bow of the boat ripped off his cloth bag, took out his bow with his right hand, and drew an arrow with his left hand in one smooth and fluid motion.

In an instant, the iron bow snapped to its full length. With a loud bang, the air cracked as the arrowhead pushed through the air and flew straight towards the boatman on the ferry five or six zhang away.

……

Zhou Yan fired an arrow, and the second arrow was already held between his two fingers. The iron bow was once again drawn into a breathtaking arc, and with a thud, the long arrow disappeared into the sunlight.

The bow and the man spun simultaneously on the fishing boat, completing a semi-circle, aiming at the ferry behind Zhou Yan. The third arrow shot out swiftly. The first arrow pierced a Yellow River gang member who was attacking a boatman. The second arrow struck a gang member who had leaped over the gunwale, causing him to scream and fall into the water with a splash, creating a magnificent water lily effect. As for the third arrow, the gang member had already entered the river. The long arrow, like a leech, pierced the water, leaving a clear ripple in the river.

With a "plop!" sound, a trickle of blood spread across the water.

Besides Zhou Yan, the fastest to react was the bodyguard Wang Kui. The water ghost disguised as a boatman on the boat moved, and Wang Kui drew his long sword and followed him like a shadow. He fell down like Mount Tai, and with a "plop", thick blood gushed out from the other's entire back.

The most intense conflict has already broken out on the other side of the ferry crossing.

In ground combat, even the lowest-ranking Tangzi fighters might not necessarily lose to the Yellow River Gang disciples. Moreover, Tangzi fighters are extremely adept at team-up combat in groups of three to five.

Fishing nets and lime powder flew through the air, while bone-piercing nails, caltrops, flying stones, and darts whistled through the air, and astonishing amounts of blood instantly burst from the bodies of the Yellow River Gang disciples who rushed over.

Zhang Wangyue's figure was like a giant bird leaving the horse's back, covering a distance of two zhang before landing on the ground. He rushed into the ranks of Peng Lianhu's disciples. Before a man could even unleash his "Black Tiger Digs Out the Heart" move, the镖头 (镖头) leaped up and landed, crushing the opponent's knee with one foot. He then darted out again, his elbow striking the man in front of him with a loud thud in the chest.

The man's chest instantly went limp. The镖头 (镖头 is a type of镖师, meaning镖师 is a person who steals a knife) snatched the knife and slashed out with a swift, unpredictable strike, like a gazelle's horn. Blood spurted from the neck of the man who had ambushed Zhang Wangyue.

With a few gestures, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) killed three people using the "Yue Family Scattered Hand" and the "Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Saber Technique".

At that moment, Zhou Yan shouted from the ferry: "Head镖师 (镖师 is a镖头, meaning ...

Zhang Wangyue looked in the direction of the sound and saw the fishing boat in the direction Zhou Yan was pointing. He rushed out with a whooshing sound like thunder.

The fishing boat was on the water a few feet from the shore when Hou Tonghai, the Three-Headed Dragon, was furious. His carefully laid plan had been ruined by a young man in blue.

Especially the latter, who are you? Mind your own business.

Hou Tonghai jumped out of the cabin, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes wide, pointing a finger and shouting, "You son of a bitch, who do you think you are?"

The boy was taken aback, then snapped back to reality and angrily demanded, "What are you calling a three-headed demon?"

"I hate your mother, so what!"

The boy's eyes reddened. "Three-headed demon, you actually insulted my mother! You're dead!"

"I'll also curse your father and your ancestors."

The young man in green, like a fluttering butterfly, darted to the riverbank in a few flashes and plunged into the water with a splash, leaving no trace of water. A green shadow, like a ribbon, approached the fishing boat from underwater.

Zhou Yan also saw the young man in blue and recognized him as the young master he had met at the inn the day before who had failed to buy a horse. He racked his brains trying to figure out who this fifteen or sixteen-year-old, handsome, and dashing young man was.

Suddenly, Zhou Yan slapped his thigh. Huang Rong, the young man was Huang Rong disguised as a man.

The three-headed dragon actually insulted the ancestors of the Eastern Heretic couple and Huang Yaoshi.

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　　The young author is working hard to write, and will add extra chapters for the readers this weekend.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)