The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 42 Subtle Clues Leading to a Deeper Understanding
Covering his face with bamboo paper, Zhou Yan said to Zhang Wangyue, "After repeating this a few times, perhaps the other party will say, 'Come, let me go see that young master.'"

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) now knew that if the young man hadn't spoken up so suddenly, the Yellow River Gang wouldn't have launched a chaotic attack and lost their composure. He said, "There's no time to lose, let's go quickly."

"Hmm!" Zhou Yan replied, leaped onto the riverbank, summoned the "Night-Shining Jade Lion" over, and galloped along the river.

The wind howled, sweeping across the riverbank, swirling the withered grass as it fell onto the water. Suddenly, the river parted, and Huang Rong emerged from the water, angrily saying, "Three-headed ghost, I will definitely catch you!"

As Zhou Yan had predicted, Huang Rong was indeed not used to the icy cold of the river water in early winter. After searching for a while, she felt her body temperature constantly decreasing, and she knew that if she continued to search, she would be in danger of hypothermia.

Huang Rong surfaced, and to one side of her gaze was a vast expanse of withered reeds. She stepped out of the water and went inside. Just as she was about to break off some reeds and use a flint sealed in oil paper to start a fire to warm herself and dry her clothes, she heard the rapid sound of horses' hooves coming from the direction of the riverbank.

The reeds stand still as gulls take flight, and the sound of horses' hooves echoes into the green mountains.

Zhou Yan could not see Huang Rong standing among the reeds. The Jade Lion of Night sped away, turned into the foot of the mountain, and disappeared.

Looking at the man and the horse, and then considering her own situation, Huang Rong suddenly remembered a line:

"The traveler rides a horse in the north, while the person travels by boat in the south. The melancholy of parting and sorrow are all carried away by the evening breeze among the reeds."

With this thought in mind, the events of her mother's death, her father's doting affection, and her impulsive departure from Peach Blossom Island unfolded like a scroll painting.

Poems like "Reeds rustle on the wild shore in autumn, I return alone in my boat, cloaked in rain and wind" come to mind again.

Huang Rong broke the reed pole and angrily beat the reeds, muttering to herself, "Father doesn't love me, he doesn't come to see Rong'er. Mother, I miss you. Humph, you three-headed ghost, I'll definitely capture and kill you, how dare you insult my mother."

……

Zhou Yan searched along the Yellow River for nearly twenty miles, but still couldn't find Huang Rong or Hou Tonghai. He found another ferry, hired a boat to cross the river, and searched up from the south bank of the Yellow River, but still couldn't find them.

He figured the two men must have landed somewhere, so he stopped searching and headed straight for Fengling Ferry.

Zhang Wangyue remained on the north bank, while Zhou Yan left the "Jade Lion Under the Night" on the south bank and crossed the river by ferry.

When the fight broke out, Hu Yanlei was on the south bank. The镖师 (bodyguards) were crossing the river, and the fighting was already coming to an end. He didn't get many opportunities to fight. When Zhou Yan arrived, he went up to him, his face still showing lingering fear. "If it weren't for you, this镖 (bodyguard) trip would have gone wrong."

"It was all thanks to everyone working together to protect the cargo."

Hu Yanlei patted Zhou Yan on the shoulder: "From this day forward, you will be one of the pillars of Fu'an."

"Will you add a monthly fee?"

"Ha, let's go back and jointly appeal to the employer."

Zhou Yan chuckled, then changed the subject, "How did the interrogation go?"

"Goodness, that interrogation method was truly impressive. It sent chills down my spine just watching it. The other party even wet himself. He confessed before he could even last three rounds. The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) is at the teahouse. Go over there and talk."

"it is good!"

The two entered the teahouse. Wang Kui poured tea for Zhou Yan, and Zhang Wangyue asked, "Have you found that young master?"

"No, they should have gone ashore."

The head镖师 nodded and said regretfully, "It's a pity I can't express my gratitude."

"Indeed!" Zhou Yan asked, "And what was the result?"

Wang Kui said, "They are mainly from the Yellow River Gang. The two men captured by Brother Zhou are actually disciples of 'Thousand-Handed Butcher' Peng Lianhu. Both of them and Hou Tonghai came from Daxing Prefecture. They were just following orders."

Zhou Yan suddenly realized and blurted out: "Sihai Escort Agency".

Shi Baichuan hurriedly said, "The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) was also considering this possibility just now. Brother Zhou, please tell me how you made your deduction." Zhou Yan said, "The镖师 Su and Lu from Sihai approached Cui Changshun, offering him bribes and promising him a镖师 position. They also wanted to win over Cui Qingshan and intensify the conflict between Shi Xiangui and the镖师. This was to create internal strife in Fu'an. As for the Yellow River Gang and Peng Lianhu's robbery, they wanted to plunge the镖局 (escort agency) into an abyss of destruction. If the other side succeeded on the water, Fu'an would not only lose a large number of镖师 and 趟子手 (escorts/porters), but the compensation for the goods would also bankrupt the镖局. With internal and external troubles, what difficulty would it be for Sihai to annex Fu'an?"

Hu Yanlei slapped his thigh, "That's exactly the point."

Zhang Wangyue nodded. Zhou Yan's analysis coincided with his own thoughts. "In other words, the Sihai Escort Agency paid a large sum of money to hire the Yellow River Gang and Peng Lianhu as assassins."

"More or less." Zhou Yan nodded.

"Head镖师, what do you think we should do about this?" Wang Kui asked Zhang Wangyue.

"What's your opinion, Brother Zhou?" the镖头 asked Zhou Yan in return.

Zhou Yan was meticulous; the Four Seas Escort Agency had paid a hefty sum to assassinate the Yellow River Gang. Sha Tongtian and Peng Lianhu were both in dire straits, but the enemy only sent the Three-Headed Flood Dragon and two disciples of the Thousand-Handed Butcher, indicating that Wanyan Honglie's five top masters were about to steal the *Wumu's Legacy* from Lin'an Prefecture. Of course, their mission would be fruitless; the real *Wumu's Legacy* was on Iron Palm Mountain. Hou Tonghai was highly likely to head south directly to join Sha Tongtian and his group. Therefore, in the conflict between Fu'an and the Four Seas, there was no need to worry about the Ghost Gate Dragon King and the Thousand-Handed Butcher.

With Yang Tiexin settling in at the escort agency in Daxing Prefecture, the scene of Mu Nianci's martial arts contest for marriage would cease, and Huang Rong would be unlikely to reach Zhongdu at the moment. The stories surrounding the Zhao Prince's Mansion in the Legend of the Condor Heroes would become extremely simple. Whether the Golden Knife Prince and the Six Heroes of Jiangnan succeed or not, their attempt to take the head of the Great Jin Prince would plunge the entire Zhao Prince's Mansion into chaos.

Who still cares about the two escort agencies in Zhongdu?

Thinking this through, he said, "Chief镖师 and the others went ahead of us to Shu, but the roads to Shu are as difficult as ascending to heaven, so we are the ones who will return to Daxing Prefecture first."

Hu Yanlei said, "When the time comes, we will directly demand an explanation and take action against the entire world."

“This is what I think,” Zhou Yan said.

“That makes sense. The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) could write a letter first and send a clever messenger to the employer to explain the situation.” After saying this, Wang Kui sighed, “Fortunately, Senior Yang and Miss Mu will be at the escort agency now, so the employer will have someone to protect them.”

Zhang Wangyue nodded: "Alright, we'll do as you brothers suggest."

"What about Peng Lianhu's two apprentices?" Zhou Yan asked.

Zhang Wangyue said, "After the caravan crosses the river, escort them for a while and then kill them."

"I understand." Zhou Yan smiled, his thoughts coincided with those of the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort).

"Hurry up and cross the river; from here on, you must travel quickly," Zhang Wangyue instructed.

"okay!"

Everyone busied themselves. Zhou Yan left the teahouse and stood at the ferry, lost in thought. Hou Tonghai had insulted Feng Heng and Huang Yaoshi, and Huang Rong would definitely pursue him relentlessly, so it was unlikely that he would head north now. If the Golden Saber Prince Consort hadn't encountered Huang Rong and had killed Wanyan Honglie to return to the desert to report, what kind of butterfly effects would have occurred in the world of Legend of the Condor Heroes?
……

The crescent moon climbed into the azure sky, and the caravan and mules had all crossed the Yellow River. With the daytime fighting over, most of the caravan's guards and porters were actually resting. Therefore, after crossing the Yellow River, the caravan traveled at night.

Because of an injury, Zhou Yan gave the "Night-Shining Jade Lion" to one of the wounded bodyguards.

He strode forward, and unknowingly, he used his body to propel himself forward, unleashing the "Golden Goose Skill." After traveling several miles, his internal energy suddenly moved, flowing and rotating along the Yangqiao and Yinqiao meridians on his legs, which had been tempered and unblocked.

Zhou Yan was pleasantly surprised. The Quanzhen Sect's "Golden Goose Skill" could improve one's internal strength cultivation, and he had just begun to understand its basics.

He was greatly encouraged and silently practiced his inner strength as he walked.

At dawn, the caravan set up camp. Hu Yanlei, who had also given his horse to the wounded, sat on the ground rubbing his aching legs. He looked around for Zhou Yan, only to find him sitting cross-legged, circulating his qi in meditation.

The bodyguard thought to himself that Brother Zhou's arduous training must be because he was going to start a war with the Four Seas after he returned.

With that thought in mind, Hu Yanlei grabbed the water pouch and gulped down a few mouthfuls. He then took the gold-inlaid tiger-head spear and found a place to practice the Yue Family Spear technique.

The bodyguards Wang Kui and Shi Baichuan, who were originally going to rest, followed suit.

(End of this chapter)