The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 53 A Failed Attempt Leads to Encounter with Disciples of the Valley of Heartbreak
The Eastern Heretic has departed on the bright moon, leaving only the sound of the river's waves behind.

Zhou Yan didn't bother to put on clothes. He focused his mind and recalled Huang Yaoshi's graceful movements and leg techniques when he used the "Whirlwind Sweeping Leaves Kick." He combined his memory of the movements with an analysis of the inner meaning of the mantra.

That day, he received the "Free and Easy Wandering" boxing technique from Hong Qigong on the outskirts of Datong Prefecture. The Nine-Fingered Beggar demonstrated it once, and he remembered a small part of it. As time passed, with the cultivation of Quanzhen Sect's internal energy, his ability to gain sudden insights and understanding of the techniques he came into contact with also increased day by day.

Huang Yaoshi did not intentionally make things difficult for Zhou Yan or speed up his movements and leg techniques. He was just used to teaching the techniques in this way. Therefore, he executed the "Whirlwind Sweeping Leaves Leg" very quickly and swiftly, just like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves, destroying everything in its path. Even so, Zhou Yan memorized all the mental formula and 80% of the leg techniques.

I have no regrets about not remembering everything; these are all fortunate opportunities I stumbled upon.

Zhou Yan consolidated his memory and understood the mental techniques, then turned his gaze to the ground.

When Huang Yaoshi was passing on his skills, he supported himself with one foot while sweeping the other foot horizontally. During the execution of the move, the supporting foot was moving.

The footprints on the ground resembled colorful fallen leaves.

Zhou Yan began to study the mental techniques and formulas in depth.

Hong Qigong instructed him to "first understand the intention, then define the form, and use the form to control the moves." This method of seeing the big picture from small details, as well as the auxiliary role of Wang Chuyi's Quanzhen Sect internal energy cultivation method in the cultivation of martial arts of all schools and sects, are fully demonstrated.

In the world of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Guo Jing practices the Quanzhen Sect's martial arts, and his understanding of the martial arts taught by the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan advances by leaps and bounds. He can quickly grasp the essence of moves that he couldn't understand before.

Zhou Yan is in the same boat now.

After two hours, they realized that the essence of Huang Yaoshi's self-created martial arts technique was still there.

Zhou Yan sighed, feeling incredibly lucky. To fully unleash the power of Peach Blossom Island's martial art, one needed to temper and unblock the Yang Qiao Meridian and Yin Qiao Meridian of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Once these two meridians were unblocked, one would be light and agile, with strong muscles and bones, able to lift one's breath as light as a swallow and exert force as heavy as a thousand pounds. He had tempered and unblocked these two meridians among the Eight Extraordinary Meridians in his body.

Furthermore, the power of leg techniques lies not only in the exquisiteness of the moves, but also in the fact that the bones and muscles are as hard as iron, and the internal strength must be able to radiate outwards. This method was explained by Hong Qigong when he taught two moves of the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms", and he mastered it with ease.

In this way, what would normally take ten days or more to master the true meaning of leg techniques, he grasped the basics in just two hours.

Zhou Yan walked to the ground next to Huang Yaoshi's footprints, braced his left foot on the ground, and suddenly sprang up with his right foot in a sweeping motion. As he moved, his leg was as swift as the wind, kicking in mid-air with fluid speed and a twisting motion, already showing some of Huang Yaoshi's style.

Suddenly, the layers of leg shadows disappeared, and Zhou Yan's left foot landed firmly as a pine tree. His body leaned to the side, and his right foot slowly rose like an incense stick, standing tall and upright.

He calmed his breathing, placed his feet down with composure, and then looked at the footprints on the ground where he had practiced his leg techniques and the traces of Huang Yaoshi's footsteps when he was passing on his skills. They were exactly the same.

The only thing he lacks in Peach Blossom Island's martial arts right now is the insufficient internal strength, which is something that cannot be rushed and requires accumulation over time.

As for the leg techniques you didn't memorize, don't worry. When you face an opponent, just kick them a few more times. You can also try to add to and refine them yourself once you reach a certain level.

Zhou Yan then walked to the campfire, put on his shirt, took out cooked beef from his bundle to fill his stomach, gathered reeds from the riverbank and spread them on the ground, lay down on his side, his breathing gentle and even, his mind focused and his consciousness sinking into sleep.

When Zhou Yan woke up, he was full of energy. He practiced the "Whirlwind Sweeping Leaf Kick" and "Quanzhen Sword Technique" for a while, then washed up by the river, packed his bags, and jumped onto his yellow horse, heading straight for Xiangyang.

……

They eat morning dew and clouds, and swallow the essence of moonlight at night.

Throughout his journey, Zhou Yan diligently practiced, using the "Six Times" method to cultivate the internal energy of the Quanzhen School, tempering the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian and Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian. In addition to his cultivation, he was accompanied by the clear breeze and bright moon. Four days after leaving Jingzhou, he once again arrived at the valley where he had first encountered the giant eagle.

As the sun reached its zenith, he shot and killed a wild rabbit outside the valley to roast and eat. He then took a bundle and a straight knife from his horse.

Although the yellow horse is not as good as the "Jade Lion Under the Night," it is quite intelligent. He is also well-versed in horse training, and nowadays, people can understand the nature of horses, and horses can understand human intentions. He stroked the yellow horse's neck and said, "It will return in five or six days at the fastest, or half a month at the slowest. Go."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lightly patted the horse's rump. The yellow horse nuzzled his clothes and then ran into the forest to graze on its own.

He opened the bundle, divided the large bag of lime wrapped in kraft paper into several smaller portions, and carefully wrapped each portion. He put the two larger portions in his bosom, took out the three smaller portions, weighed them in his hand, then took out his bow case, took out three long arrows, and tied the lime portions to the arrows.

Preparation is key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure. Zhou Yan was unsure whether Qiu Qianchi had left Xiangyang, and the giant eagle's behavior towards him was not benevolent. He made thorough preparations.

The bundle he carried also contained straw paper and carefully selected charcoal.

This is used for sketching to avoid getting lost and wasting time on useless work.

In addition, there were ropes, snake repellent drugs, poison-feeding iron rings obtained from the镖师 (bodyguard/escort) Su from all over the world, as well as his food and water pouches.

After checking everything was in order, Zhou Yan hung the water bag on his belt, carried a bow bag on his back, a bundle on his shoulder, and a straight knife in his hand. He walked quickly and cautiously into the valley.

This journey into the valley in search of opportunity took four days, traversing mountains and rivers.

After wandering around, he traveled for more than 20 miles around the valley.

The terrain was truly peculiar. Sometimes, atop a mountain, the biting north wind chilled one to the bone. Other times, nestled in a secluded valley, one was surrounded by swaying red, purple, and yellow flowers, blurring the lines between autumn's end and spring's early arrival, evoking a scene reminiscent of a paradise. He also experienced firsthand the feeling of destiny that Zhang Wuji had when he gained an opportunity in the Kunlun Mountains, transforming himself from a land of ice and snow into a spring-like paradise on earth.

The only regret was that the empty valley seemed to be silently telling Zhou Yan that there was neither a divine eagle nor a snake here, and that this was an opportunity not to be forced, so he should leave quickly.

As the sun set behind the mountains, at dusk, Zhou Yan rested. He took a sketch and used charcoal to outline the places he had walked through during the day. Then he sat cross-legged and began to circulate his qi to temper the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian.

Pure internal energy rises warmly from the dantian, circulates within the body, originates below the little toe, enters the heel along the back of the inner ankle, then ascends along the inner side of the calf, exits the inner side of the popliteal fossa, ascends along the inner posterior border of the femur, and leads to the spine.

The internal energy continuously cleanses the acupoints and strengthens the meridians. Before you know how long it takes, suddenly when the true energy completes a cycle, it flows out from the Yongquan point on the sole of your foot like a spring stream melting frozen soil, transforming into true strength.

"It's going to work!" Zhou Yan pressed his tongue against his palate and rapidly clenched his teeth.

The internal energy transformed into power, like a hibernating dragon awakening, rushing straight to the Yu Mansion, passing through twenty-seven acupoints, and in an instant, it opened up the entire Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian without any obstruction.

He leaped up and used the "Golden Goose Skill" taught by Quanzhen. He felt his internal energy circulating, his body felt as if it were being lifted up, and he was incredibly light. He leaped up, his body like a flying duck, and went straight up to 10 feet.

"I have finally mastered the basics of lightness skill. If I further refine the Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, I can leap even higher and farther."

As dusk fell, Zhou Yan, bow in hand, planned to hunt and fill his stomach before spending the night in the valley. Just as he was about to leave, forest birds suddenly took flight, and footsteps echoed through the woods.

He looked over and saw four men rushing towards him from the nearby forest. One of them took out a communication flare tube, lit it, and with a bang, a red flame exploded.

As the distance closed, the four people scrambled for positions in the four directions: south, west, northwest, and north.

Zhou Yan was momentarily caught off guard. It was impossible for them to be disciples of the Iron Palm Clan. Their clothing was completely different. Instead of fast boots and tight-fitting clothes, they wore tall crowns and round-necked robes, giving off a feeling of the Han and Tang dynasties.

His mind went blank for a moment. Heartbreak Valley, people from Heartbreak Valley.

　Thank you all for your votes and support! I'll update three chapters tomorrow!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)