The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 6 is not very damaging, but extremely insulting.

It was early autumn, the temperature was pleasant, and the distant mountains were a mix of earthy yellow and green, showing little sign of decay.

Zhongdu Daxingfu is now the capital of the Jin Dynasty, the most prosperous place in the world, even surpassing Bianliang, the old capital of the Song Dynasty, and Lin'an, the new capital.

Although Zhou Yan had absorbed the original owner's memories, as he walked along the street, he saw dense crowds, bustling markets, tall counters and huge shops displaying all sorts of strange and exotic goods, and Western Region merchants with unusual clothes and appearances everywhere.

His mood was completely unaffected by the encounter with the Four Demons of the Yellow River, nor was he discouraged by his current shallow martial arts skills. Instead, the scene before him reminded him of the fitting lines: "Young men from the Five Mausoleums ride east of the Golden Market, on silver-saddled white horses through the spring breeze. Where do they wander after treading on fallen flowers? Laughing, they enter the tavern of the Hu women."

Hu Yanlei, familiar with the place, led Zhou Yan to "Songhelou," a top-tier restaurant in Daxing Prefecture.

White walls and green tiles, upturned eaves and corners, lanterns hanging high, and grand plaques. Ascending the stairs, one hears the bustling sounds of people and sees the noise of carriages and horses. One can also see the red maple tree in the courtyard, its branches gnarled and twisted, its leaves redder than February flowers. An atmosphere that is always accompanied by the clear breeze and bright moon, watching the world's hustle and bustle, comes to mind.

Hu Yanlei was a regular customer. When he went up to the second floor, the waiter came up to greet him, "Master Lei, you've arrived."

"Bring a pot of green ant wine, three catties of sliced ​​sheep liver, and a plate of fried beef tendon."

"Okay, wait a moment."

The two sat in a private room by the south window, and in no time, the waiter brought out the food and drinks.

The autumn light shines through, a poignant sadness lingers, thin clothes are tried on for the first time, and new wine is tasted. Huyan Lei pours the wine and asks, "Brother Zhou, do you enjoy your wine?"

The two were indeed acquainted, but Zhou Yan had previously been a tangzi player and had never had the opportunity to meet with the other privately, so he said, "We can only have a small drink."

“Very good. You have become a bodyguard at such a young age. A little wine is good for your health, but too much wine will lead to trouble. It couldn’t be better.” Hu Yanlei filled his glass and said, “The quality of this Green Ant Wine depends on its freshness. Look at the wine, the lees, the aroma. Look at the wine in the glass. The green ants are bright in color and the foam is delicate. Judging from its color, you can tell that it is a fine wine with a sweet aftertaste. When Mr. Zuiyin was serving in Luoyang, the Eastern Capital, his favorite wine was Green Ant Wine.”

Do you know who Mr. Drunken Poet is?

Bai Juyi, the Hermit of Xiangshan, wrote the famous lines: "Newly brewed wine with green foam, a small red clay stove. Evening approaches, and snow is imminent. Shall we have a cup?"

Hu Yanlei applauded: "Brother Yan, you have great insight."

Zhou Yan smiled slightly. He had memorized three hundred Tang poems, he thought, and looked at the burly bodyguard with rough features in front of him.

Hu Yanlei is one of the pillars of the escort agency. His weapon is a large spear. Whenever he feels like it, he teaches a few spear techniques to the guards. If the guards do not grasp the essence, he will curse, "Damn it, you must have had a lucky ancestral grave to be able to get a pointer from Hu Yanlei, the successor of the Hu family. Why don't you study hard and practice diligently?"

Whether Hu Yanlei was a descendant of the Hu family generals is unknown, but he was certainly a skilled marksman.

The two exchanged toasts, and Zhou Yan said, "I can recite the thirty-six rules of the escort business by heart. But having traveled all the way from Datong Prefecture, I have often seen escort agencies and teams coming and going from the south and north. Tell me about this industry, brother."

"You asked a question," Huyan Lei said fluently, "Have you ever heard of the Mount Hua Sword Tournament?"

"Brother, just get straight to the point."

"It's rare for you to be recognized as a descendant of the Hu family generals..."

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "I'm being instructed by Brother Huyan, so how could I not listen attentively and dare to interrupt?"

"It's so refreshing talking to Brother Zhou." Hu Yanlei laughed heartily, then got back to the point: "There are countless escort agencies in the world, but in terms of prestige, the Longmen Escort Agency of Lin'an Prefecture is undoubtedly the best. Its chief escort, Jiang Kui, is no less skilled in martial arts than the Northern Beggar and Southern Emperor of the Mount Hua Sword Tournament. The Longmen Escort Agency is the top escort agency in Jiangnan. In the Northwest, the Changfeng Escort Agency of Datong Prefecture is the foremost. In the Central Plains and the capital, it is naturally our Fu'an Escort Agency and the Zhenwei Escort Agency of Kaifeng Prefecture in Nanjing. However, that neighboring agency is always jumping around, thinking of taking its place. They really have unrealistic dreams."

Zhou Yan knew that the neighboring company the other party was referring to was the Sihai Escort Agency, which was also located in Daxing Prefecture. Merchants hiring escorts naturally had to weigh the pros and cons, and in his previous life as a镖师 (escort/escort) of the two companies, there had been many conflicts caused by competing for business.

Hu Yanlei raised his cup, and Zhou Yan pushed it back. The two drank, and as the sour and sweet taste of the wine spread through Zhou Yan's throat, he heard the other say, "Whenever there is a conflict of interest among the escort agencies in various places, they all seek mediation from the four major escort agencies. This has prevented some rule-breaking and malicious robbery incidents from happening."

"Such a situation exists. But this is also a good thing." Hu Yanlei gave a thumbs up: "Brother Zhou has high awareness. Many镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) haven't understood this principle. They say that other镖局 (escort agencies) are fighting for profit, and all that fighting is for us to benefit. They're like a mayfly trying to see the blue sky, short-sighted. How can the business of merchants all over the world be done? In today's world, there is war and chaos, and bandits are rampant. Only when all镖局 work together can we stabilize the merchants and deter bandits who are plotting to steal from the镖队 (escort agencies). What if a镖队 (escort agency) from Jiangnan lost their goods around Daxing Prefecture and came to us for help, asking us to help search and mediate? Would you like to help?"

"Of course."

"That's right, every little thing has its price. If we were to travel to Jiangnan as镖师 (bodyguards/escorts), wouldn't we receive their assistance as well?"

"That's the truth."

"It's good to be young, you're smart and quick-witted."

"I respect you, brother."

"happy"

The two drank together, and Zhou Yan asked again, "What school did Chief Escort Zhang study under?"

The escort agency has two escort leaders. Zhou Yan asked about the escort leader named Zhang Wangyue, who wields a heavy sword and is recognized as the best martial artist in the escort agency.

Hu Yanlei lowered his voice and said, "Longmen Escort Agency of Lin'an Prefecture."

"What's going on now?" Zhou Yan asked in surprise.

"I was drinking with the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), and he blurted out that many years ago he had carried out a personal镖师 (bodyguard/escort) mission, delivering an infant girl in swaddling clothes. After completing that mission, he left the Longmen镖局 (Longmen Escort Agency) and went to the Fu'an镖局 (Fu'an Escort Agency)."

"Where should we take the baby girl?"

"I couldn't get the answer. Later, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) asked me if I had said anything inappropriate while drunk. I said no."

"This is of great importance; there must be more to it than meets the eye," Zhou Yan remarked, observing the situation.

"That's true. But then again, these special personal escort agencies often do this kind of thing. If you hadn't asked about the head escort's lineage, I would have forgotten about it."

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the conversation flowed freely. Huyan Lei began to recount the glorious deeds of his ancestors, focusing on Huyan Zan, a famous general of the Northern Song Dynasty. He said that Huyan Zan was the son of Huyan Cong, the commander of the cavalry and infantry of Zizhou during the Later Zhou Dynasty. Emperor Taizu selected him to be the leader of the Eastern Army and entered the palace to receive an imperial edict. In the early years of the Taiping Xingguo era, Huyan Zan was appointed as the commander of the Iron Cavalry Army to conquer the Northern Han.

Zhou Yan listened attentively, occasionally pouring a glass of wine. The other man drank heartily and spoke eloquently, while Zhou Yan listened to anecdotes about famous people and enjoyed the autumn breeze and the dappled sunset.

The sound of clattering footsteps came from downstairs, but no one was in sight. Then a voice rang out, "Manager, this 'Songhelou' restaurant is so unruly. How could they let the storyteller go to the private hall on the second floor?"

Hu Yanlei's eyes narrowed slightly.

Zhou Yan looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the first person to go upstairs was dressed in a purple outfit with a wide brocade belt of the same color and auspicious cloud patterns around his waist. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with silver-edged cloud and sea patterns.

They were bodyguards from the Sihai Escort Agency next door.

The burly bodyguard saw Huyan Lei and bowed, saying, "So you are Bodyguard Huyan. My apologies, I thought you were a storyteller."

The other three, along with the remaining two bodyguards, all went upstairs. Upon hearing this, one of the younger bodyguards burst into laughter, saying, "Huyan bodyguard is truly multi-talented."

Zhou Yan inwardly scoffed; these words weren't particularly hurtful, but they were extremely insulting.

　I am deeply grateful to the author "Ah, hero, spare my life" for the monthly vote. I will not let your votes go to waste. In addition to the system votes during the new book period, I will add an extra chapter when I accumulate 50 monthly votes. I will update twice a day, around 10 am and around 6 pm.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)