The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 58 Zhang Sanqiang in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion

A gentle evening breeze rustled the grass and trees, and a white mist seemed to hang over the mountains and fields. Zhou Yan's words still echoed in her ears. In the cool, watery twilight, Iron Palm Lotus Qiu Qianchi's expression was complex. The bluebird of memory had returned.

The eldest brother is Qiu Qianzhang, and the second brother is Qiu Qianren. The two brothers are exactly the same in stature, appearance, and voice, but their personalities and temperaments are very different. The second brother's martial arts skills are superb, while the eldest brother's are weak. His own martial arts skills were personally taught by the second brother, but he is closer to the eldest brother.

Few knew the eldest brother's name; when traveling the martial world, he sometimes used the second brother's name. The second brother accused the eldest brother of being a fraud. The eldest brother had a good temper and always smiled and apologized when scolded by the second brother. But that one time, the scolding was so fierce that he couldn't help but interject to protect his eldest brother, taking the blame upon himself, which led to a big fight between the siblings. In a fit of anger, he left Iron Palm Peak.

At that time, he thought he could make a name for himself that was no less than his second brother by relying on his martial arts skills, so he wandered around. Later, he encountered Sun Bu'er who wanted to harm his eldest brother. He was so angry that he took action and caught up with him. However, he was thwarted by this kid in front of him time and time again. After going around in circles, he met Gongsun Zhi.

In the world of martial arts, loneliness reigns. Gongsun Zhi's warm words and concern inevitably stirred something within him. His subsequent dispatch of disciples to search for Sun Bu'er and the bodyguard led to the current predicament. Is Gongsun Zhi truly the cunning man the bodyguard described? Have I abandoned my initial ambition to earn a reputation no less worthy than Second Brother's when I first ventured into the martial world?

The bodyguard said I was assertive, and that's true; otherwise, why would I have stood up for my elder brother?

The more Qiu Qianchi thought about it, the more confused she became.

Seeing this, Gongsun Zhi knew something was wrong and quickly said, "Miss Qiu, don't listen to this boy's nonsense and spreading rumors."

Qiu Qianchi suddenly recalled the scene of the other party deceiving the镖师 (bodyguard/escort) on the cliff the night before. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now that she thought about it, it was indeed beneath her dignity.

She let out a soft breath and said to Zhou Yan, "I won't make things difficult for you."

“Miss Qiu, please wait a moment. The disciples in the valley will be here soon. What can this kid do with the help of that feathered beast?”

"We'll talk about it when we get back." Qiu Qianchi said this, but she was inwardly startled. She had long been used to giving orders when she was in the Iron Palm Clan. Just like now, she made decisions without consulting Gongsun Zhi at all. Could he really tolerate her personality and temper? She would have to test him more in the future.

Qiu Qianchi read it aloud, his voice softening as he whispered, "This kid is cunning. If we don't back down, how can he wait for the disciples in the valley to arrive before making a move? Night is falling, and his arrows will be hard to defend against. This ugly eagle is strange; it's best not to provoke him."

Her words gave Gongsun Zhi a way out. The Valley Master of Jueqing Valley thought that she was right. With poor visibility, the power of the enemy's arrows was greatly increased. Thinking of this, he said, "Let's do as Miss Qiu says."

But he still harbored resentment towards Zhou Yan, so he shouted, "Boy, I'll let you go today, but if I ever see you again, I'll kill you without mercy."

Zhou Yan chuckled softly. "If we meet again, why would I be afraid of you?"

Iron Palm Lotus and the Valley Master of Heartless Valley slowly retreated, leaving an arrow's width of space before turning around and using their movement techniques to fly away.

The eagle let out a cry, as if as a warning.

When Zhou Yan looked at the giant eagle again, he felt as if he had turned an enemy into a friend.

"Thank you, Brother Eagle!"

The giant eagle lightly flapped its wings.

Zhou Yan didn't waste any time and said, "I have important business to attend to. I will visit you again when I have time."

The eagle seemed pleased, its head slightly nodding, and its red growth swayed for a while.

“That white-robed Gongsun Zhi is narrow-minded. Brother Eagle, you are not afraid of him, but his disciple is skilled in using fishing nets to capture people. Brother Eagle, you should be careful.”

The eagle raised its head and cried out twice.

"Until we meet again." Zhou Yan knew that the eagle understood his meaning, so he cupped his hands in farewell, turned around and left. After walking several miles, he looked back and saw the eagle still in the distance. When it saw him turn around, it responded with a cry.

Zhou Yu suddenly felt a bit like Yang Guo when he first met the Condor.

The next time he saw the eagle, perhaps it would take him to the Sword Tomb. Thinking this, he was in a good mood and used his movement technique to disappear into the night.

The vast expanse of the sky is hidden, the dark night is shrouded in shadow.

Zhou Yan, however, was unaffected. At midnight, he arrived at the valley entrance where the yellow horse was. He whistled a few times, and the sound of hooves came from the night and approached. The yellow horse ran lightly to his side and rubbed against him affectionately.

At this point, there is no need to walk at night.

He lit a campfire, ate snake meat to fill his stomach, and his yellow horse relaxed and lay down to rest. As dawn broke, Zhou Yan rode straight towards Xiangyang.

The caravan would travel up the Yangtze River from Jingzhou, passing through the Han River to the Yellow River. He only needed to cross the river from Xiangyang and take a shortcut overland to wait ahead.

……

The Chu region connects with the three Xiang regions, and the Jingmen Pass leads to the nine tributaries. The river flows beyond the heavens and earth, and the mountain colors appear and disappear in the mist.

The caravan headed south, passing through Xiangyang but not entering. Zhou Yan, on the other hand, traveled north and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery of Xiangyang.

However, there were some minor incidents. When he entered the city, he saw several arrest warrants at the city gate, and the people to be arrested were Zhang Sanqiang and a group of bandits.

When he arrived in Jingzhou, Zhang Wangyue mentioned the robbery of the escort team. Lu Keshang reported it to the authorities, and the government launched a manhunt in Jingzhou and Xiangyang. However, there were no portraits of the suspects, so such a large-scale manhunt was like trying to find someone at the bottom of the sea, with little effect.

The "Drunken Immortal Pavilion" in the city is said to be the place where Li Bai left his poem "Xiangyang Melody".

As the setting sun dips below Mount Xian, I am lost in a daze beneath the reeds and flowers.

The children of Xiangyang clapped their hands and blocked the street, vying to sing "White Copper Shoes".

A bystander asked what was causing the laughter, and the old man, drunk as a log, laughed until he was completely oblivious.

……

Zhou Yan came because of its reputation, went upstairs and sat in a private room by the south window, and ordered a steamed white halberd, a plate of steamed quail with flowers, and a pot of chrysanthemum wine.

Xiangyang chrysanthemum wine has a long-standing reputation.

Back in Zhongdu Songhelou, Huyan Lei asked Zhou Yan if he knew about "Green Ant Wine." He then quoted the famous lines from Bai Juyi's poem: "Green ant wine newly brewed, red clay stove with a small fire. Evening approaches, the sky threatens snow, shall we drink a cup together?"

However, the "chrysanthemum wine" of Xiangyang became famous because of Meng Haoran's poem, "Opening the window to face the fields and gardens, we drink wine and talk about mulberry and hemp. When the Double Ninth Festival comes, we will come again to enjoy the chrysanthemums."

With wine and meat served, and Zhou Yan's cultivation and state of mind being vastly different from when he transmigrated, he enjoyed drinking and merrymaking alone, quite leisurely.

Not far from him, in a private booth by the window, sat a middle-aged man. Because of the iron spear covered in a cloth pouch standing in the corner behind him, the man couldn't help but glance at it twice. After all, among the familiar group, many wielded spears, such as Huyan Lei and Yang Tiexin. Although Zhang Wangyue used a sword, it was to conceal his identity. Just from the "returning spear" technique Zhang Wangyue used when he knew Yang Tiexin, it was clear that the镖头 (bodyguard/escort) was a master of spearmanship.

Zhou Yan hadn't expected the man to be so alert. He glanced at him casually a few times, and the man snorted coldly. His gaze returned like lightning, so Zhou Yan smiled kindly and stopped looking.

But the man's hand slammed down on the table with a "smack".

"Have you seen enough, you bunch of cowards? If you have the guts, come and take it."

With a loud crash, the table in front of the man snapped in two, sending splinters flying. Sounds echoed from several private rooms on the third floor of the "Drunken Immortal Pavilion."

"The Imperial City Guard is arresting people; all bystanders must get out of the way immediately."

"Zhang Sanqiang, you still won't be captured."

"You're finished, Zhang the Devil."

In the suddenly heated atmosphere, blades flashed and someone threw something off the table.

Sitting across from me is actually Zhang Sanqiang? Zhou Yan was quite surprised.

"With your head on your neck, who dares to take it!" Zhang Sanqiang roared in fury. His iron spear broke free from its binding bag and swung out with a loud whooshing sound.

The spinning table shattered into pieces. Zhang Sanqiang's large gun landed and smashed into the solid floor. In an instant, the gun bent like an iron bow, and with a flick of the man's wrist, the gun tip leaped upwards like a dragon emerging from the sea, along with the entire wooden floor.

In Zhou Yan's line of sight, a long sword flew over and shattered the wooden floor, colliding fiercely with the iron spear in Zhang Sanqiang's hand. The spear swung like a dragon, and the long sword pounced like a tiger, creating a continuous sound of metal clashing.

(End of this chapter)