The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 74 Danyangzi Observes Swords and Discusses Escorts
The Taoist priest whom Yu Yangzi referred to as his senior brother was none other than Danyangzi Ma Yu.

The two agreed to meet with Qiu Chuji, the Changchunzi, in Zhongdu to discuss the matter of a martial arts contest with the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. However, the Seven Masters of Quanzhen usually lived in different Taoist temples, and messages were relayed by their disciples.

Zhou Yan met Zhao Zhijing and Yin Zhiping of the Quanzhen Sect at Songhelou, and the two were passing through Zhongdu because of this.

Wang Chuyi arrived in Daxing Prefecture the earliest and by chance encountered Zhou Yan, who taught him Quanzhen internal energy to heal his injuries.

While Zhou Yan was escorting goods south, Wang Chuyi visited several old friends. When it was time to meet his senior brother Ma Yu, he went out of the city to wait and brought Danyangzi into the city.

Along the way, Ma Yu inevitably asked Wang Chuyi about what he had seen and heard in Zhongdu. Yu Yangzi did not see the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, Guo Jing and others. Instead, he accidentally helped Zhou Yan out of a predicament and met Wanyan Kang and Ouyang Ke.

The White Camel Mountain lineage and the Quanzhen Sect have a long-standing feud. During their conversation, Wang Chuyi brought up these matters, and the topic eventually turned to Zhou Yan.

Wang Chuyi, being of a kind and honest nature, admired Zhou Yan's character. So he took Danyangzi straight to Zhou Yan's residence. One reason was to see what level Zhou Yan had reached in his cultivation of the Quanzhen Kung Fu, and the other was to inquire about the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan and Guo Jing, since Zhou Yan was a镖人 (bodyguard/escort) based in Zhongdu and was well-informed.

Knowing his junior brother's personality, Ma Yu saw that he praised Zhou Yan highly and guessed that Zhou Yan must be a person of great talent and virtue, like Guo Jing. He also agreed with the method of gathering information and came over with Wang Chuyi.

Little did I know that I would witness such a perplexing scene on the long street.

Yu Yangzi Wang Chuyi pondered deeply, but still couldn't figure out where Zhou Yan's Quanzhen sword technique came from. While he was racking his brains, he suddenly heard Ma Yu say, "His move 'Dingyang Needle' is perfect and full of energy. His strength, attack, momentum, and power are all just right. He not only put in a lot of hard work to cultivate, but also has a talent for swordsmanship."

Wang Chu nodded: "Senior brother is right, but I still don't understand how Master Zhou knows the Quanzhen Sword Technique."

Danyangzi laughed and said, "Let's wait and see."

"Ok!"

……

Zhou Yan didn't notice Danyangzi and Yuyangzi on the street. He threw Lei Luo to the ground, and two bodyguards from Changfeng Escort Agency chased after him. He caught the straight knife thrown by the guard and forced the opponent back with a move called "Dingyang Needle".

The镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) from Changfeng镖局 (Changfeng Escort Agency) who accompanied Helian Chuncheng to Zhongdu were all highly skilled, far superior to those of Su镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) and Lu镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) from Sihai镖局 (Sihai Escort Agency).

Zhou Yan used his straight saber as a sword, forcing back the bodyguard in front of him. The bodyguard with the high nose and deep eyes followed closely behind, crouching down and suddenly exerting force, rushing towards him with a fierce and domineering blade light that was like lightning.

Zhou Yan had never seen such a sword technique before. It was simple and powerful, without any superfluous movements, as if it were created specifically for killing.

He sneered and unleashed the "Elegy of the Zither" move from the Quanzhen Swordplay, thrusting straight out with his blade.

This thrust was like a silver bottle shattering, its force so overwhelming that it instantly rendered the two deadly moves hidden within the swordsmanship of the Hu escort from Changfeng Escort Agency unusable. He sidestepped Zhou Yan's thrust, dodging its path, and his long sword rose from below like a wisp of smoke rising from the desert, its tip aimed at Zhou Yan's abdomen.

If it were to be implemented, it would mean disembowelment.

Looking at Danyangzi Ma Yu from afar, he couldn't help but say, "'The Frost of a Thousand Miles' can be broken."

Wang Chuyi said, "That's right. If we follow up with another move, 'Reaching the Sky Cloud Waves,' we can instantly suppress the opponent's sword momentum and gain the upper hand."

A blinding white light, as white as snow, suddenly filled the eyes of Wang Chuyi and Ma Yu. The blades danced and swirled, seemingly omnipresent, like frost spreading for miles. The straight blades were like swords, and the light swept across the entire area where the Hu people's bodyguards were located.

Amidst the dense snow, the sound of metal clashing rang out, sparks flying everywhere. With a clang, a long sword flew out, tearing the clothes of the Hu escort, who staggered backward.

The镖师 (bodyguard/escort) from Changfeng镖局 (escort agency) who had been forced out by Zhou Yan's "定阳针" (fixing the yang needle) earlier raised his knife with his wrist, the blade flying along with his elbow, the cold light like an arrow, and violently slashed down towards Zhou Yan's waist.

Before Wang Chuyi and Ma Yu could speak, Zhou Yan's straight blade rose like a rainbow piercing the sun, or like a sudden flash of lightning, from bottom to top, knocking aside the blade aimed at his waist. As it moved upwards towards the bodyguard's neck, the blade, with a flick of Zhou Yan's wrist, slashed into a flat slice.

With a loud thud, the bodyguard's shoulder and neck swelled up, and he stumbled back several steps, crashing into the wall. Wang Chuyi said to Ma Yu, "It's 'Lone Light Illuminates Itself' and 'Ten Thousand Mile Throat Seal' from the seventh form of the Quanzhen Swordplay."

Danyangzi nodded: "That's right, and no disciple in the sect can perform it so smoothly and naturally, like flowing clouds and water."

"But how exactly did he learn the Quanzhen Sword Technique?"

Wang Chuyi has once again circled back to the original question.

The two bodyguards from Changfeng Escort Agency had fierce expressions, mixed with shock and disbelief. At that moment, hurried footsteps came from the porch, and Hu Yanlei, Wang Kui, Mu Nianci, Shi Baichuan and others appeared one after another below the gate.

Hu Yanlei looked at the two dejected Changfeng镖师 (bodyguards) and his lips twitched slightly. Is this the end?

Mu Nianci was also a little dazed. Just a moment ago, she could hear the sound of weapons clashing, and now the two opponents had been completely defeated.

Wang Kui complained, "Brother Zhou, why won't you let us stretch our muscles a bit?"

Zhou Yan tossed the straight knife to the scout and said with a smile, "Next time!"

More noise came from the porch, and Helian Chuncheng, Yin Kexi, Zhang Wangyue and others walked out one after another.

When the young master of Changfeng Escort Agency saw the two disheveled escorts, and then looked at Lei Luo, whose buttocks were exposed outside the snowdrift on the other side of the long street, he laughed twice: "Escort Zhou, you have good skills. Let's have a spar sometime."

“Okay!” Zhou Yan nodded.

"You've got guts!" After saying this, he turned to Zhang Wangyue and said, "Head镖师 Zhang, I've taken Manager Lei back so I can ask him if he's hired someone for a large sum of money."

"Easy to say!"

"Farewell!"

A bodyguard from Changfeng leaped across the street, lifted Lei Luo from the snowdrift, and stuffed him into the carriage. Helian Chuncheng descended the steps and walked over step by step. He walked unhurriedly, leaving clear footprints on the blue bricks of the ground where he passed.

"I'll take him to Young Master Helian."

Zhang Wangyue called out and followed. He stomped his feet as if wiping mud and snow off the soles of his shoes, and with a few quick swipes, the镖头 (镖头 is a person who takes large, thin, and easily erases) the footprints of Helian Chuncheng on the blue bricks.

Zhou Yan watched this unfold and thought to himself, "How impressive is the镖头 (镖头 is a term used to describe a skilled镖师,
Helian Chuncheng glanced back, his expression suddenly changed, and then he chuckled in a low voice, "No need for formalities, Chief Escort. We'll run into each other again in the future, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lifted the curtain and entered the carriage.

The carriage rumbled and the wind whistled. Zhou Yan's gaze followed the carriage of the Changfeng Escort Agency, and he was taken aback. The Taoist standing by the street was none other than Yu Yangzi Wang Chuyi.

The other person had white hair and a white beard, and was clearly older than Yu Yangzi. Was it Qiu Chuji or Ma Yu?

As he thought this, the bodyguards on horseback from Changfeng's side had already reached Wang Chuyi's side. Inside the council hall, the Hu bodyguard who had been captured by Zhou Yan saw the two Taoist priests seemingly pointing and mocking him. His malice rose, and he slightly squeezed his legs together, causing his yellow horse to crash straight into Wang Chuyi and Ma Yu on the side of the street.

Danyangzi Ma Yu said to Yuyangzi Wang Chuyi: "At first, I felt that the gentle, respectful, frugal and kind character described by Master Zhou and my junior brother did not match."

"And now?"

"He is graceful and unconventional, and I quite like him."

(End of this chapter)