The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 89 The Lantern Festival: A Storm is Brewing

Zhou Yan arrived in Zhongdu at dusk on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month.

The Lantern Festival has begun.

A single lamp can illuminate a thousand years.

The true origin of the Lantern Festival is related to Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng. In the early Han Dynasty, imperial power was concentrated in the Lü family. After Empress Lü's death, Emperor Wen, together with his ministers, quelled the "Rebellion of the Lü Clan" on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. He then designated this day as a day for people to celebrate together, and every household in the capital decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations to show their joy.

Later, Emperor Wu of Han set the sacrificial activities for the "Taiyi God" on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

During the Song Dynasty, a wooden shed was erected in Kaifeng Prefecture, facing the Xuande Tower. Tourists gathered under the corridors of the Imperial Street. Amazing skills and talents, songs and dances, and various performances filled the air, creating a cacophony that stretched for more than ten miles.

This clearly demonstrates the grand scale of the Lantern Festival in that era.

Zhou Yan had to dismount and be led along after traveling several miles into the city. He was also very interested in the colorful lanterns on the mountain, which shone with gold and jade and were as splendid as brocade.

After nearly half a month of arduous training in the mountains, his gains were not only in tempering and opening up the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and the Hand Yangming Meridian, and mastering the Seven Star Sword Technique, but also in making significant progress and raising his level in "Free and Easy Wandering," "Golden Goose Skill," "Yue Family Boxing Manual," and "Yue Family Spear Technique." He could also readily use the martial arts moves of other镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) he had seen in the镖局 (bodyguard agency), just like Huang Rong in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes." She could learn and use the martial arts moves of Peng Lianhu and Sha Tongtian as soon as she saw them. Of course, without the method of circulating internal energy, the power was greatly reduced, and Huang Rong used them more to intimidate people.

Zhou Yan was different. Most of the bodyguards in the escort agency were skilled in external martial arts, so when he performed the moves he had memorized, he was able to surpass his master.

He wandered the streets, his mind still not out of his ascetic state, so much so that when he saw lion heads on the street, he would think of the meteor hammer technique of the镖局's (escort agency's) skilled hammer-wielding镖师 (bodyguards).

As street vendors cooked glutinous rice balls and dumplings, the aroma of their cooking filled the air, finally bringing Zhou Yan back to his senses. He chuckled to himself, realizing he was almost obsessed with martial arts.

He ate two large bowls of dumplings on the street, led his horse to the security escort agency and into the stable, then walked back to the courtyard carrying a cloth bag containing pheasants and rabbits.

The hall was covered in dust, so Zhou Yan cleaned it up, took a bath, and rested on his bed. Before going to sleep, he thought about visiting Zhang Wangyue, Yang Tiexin, Huyan Lei, and others the next day, and then going to the "Yuelai" Inn and the Zhao Prince's Mansion to see if anything had happened.

……

After getting up in the morning and washing up, Zhou Yan leaped onto the plum blossom stakes and unleashed the thirty-six moves of "Free and Easy Wandering". His figure flashed, as fast as a shooting star, and his palm shadows filled the sky, like a net covering the heavens and the earth.

The intention arises from the heart. The boxing techniques and energy cultivation methods taught by Hong Qigong have not been changed in the slightest, but they have a completely different flavor from when he first learned them.

The true essence of "Free and Easy Wandering" lies in the word "free and easy." Hong Qigong's free and easy style is described as "wearing a cloth robe and carrying a hemp bag, walking freely and unrestrained." Zhou Yan's style of boxing embodies the free and easy spirit of "clear and bright, distinguishing between inner and outer, attaining true freedom and ease," a freedom of mind. Therefore, its meaning is complete and its movements flow like water, reaching a state of complete control and effortless mastery.

If Hong Qigong were to witness his mastery of this set of boxing techniques, he would surely be astonished.

After an hour of practice, the sun was already high in the sky. Zhou Yan took a cloth bag containing four pheasants and two rabbits and headed towards Zhang Wangyue's house.

Zhang Wangyue lived alone in a courtyard house in Jiqingfang, west of the city.

Zhou Yan could understand the chief镖头's single status. Because of a personal镖局 (body镖局) mission, he had traveled from Lin'an Prefecture to Fu'an, hiding his identity. Sometimes he would wonder if the baby girl in swaddling clothes was being secretly protected by the chief镖头 in Zhongdu. So it was understandable that someone like him had not settled down and started a family.

The clouds drifted and swirled in the sky as Zhou Yan wandered through the streets and alleys until he arrived at the courtyard house in Jiqingfang.

The courtyard gate was ajar. Zhou Yan was about to push it open when it creaked open, and Mu Nianci, dressed in red, appeared before him.

"Miss Mu?"

Zhou Yan looked at Mu Nianci with some surprise. The girl in his line of sight turned around and called out into the courtyard, "Head镖师 Zhou is here."

The curtain in the main room was lifted, and Hu Yanlei strode out: "Brother Zhou has come out of seclusion. It's better to be lucky than early. Brother Yang, Chief Escort Wang, and Chief Escort Shi are all here."

As soon as Hu Yanlei finished speaking, Mu Nianci said, "Zhou, the镖头 (bodyguard), go inside. I'll go get some wine."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Wangyue, Wang Kui, and Shi Baichuan came out one after another.

Hu Yanlei said, "I went to your place at the end of the year, but it was guarded by General Tie. I happened to see the chief镖头 (chief镖头, a type of bodyguard) and Miss Mu coming to see you."

Mu Nianci blushed and quickly explained, "Father is getting wine; he wants to drink with the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort)."

"Thank you, Miss Mu. I was cultivating in the mountains at that time." "Yes, both the Chief Escort and Chief Escort Huyan guessed it. Please come inside."

“Okay!” Zhou Yan stepped aside, and Mu Nianci walked out gracefully, heading straight for the wine shop.

When Zhou Yan arrived at the courtyard, he cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your concern, Chief Escort, Brother Huyan, and Senior Yang."

Wang Kui said quietly, "I also miss Brother Zhou, but there are more than ten people in the clan together, including several fierce nieces who are waiting to be married. I was afraid of frightening Brother Zhou if he came over, so I gave up the idea of ​​looking for you."

Hu Yanlei and Shi Baichuan burst into laughter.

Zhang Wangyue stepped forward and asked, "How is your seclusion for cultivation?"

Zhou Yan said, "It has been quite fruitful."

"Very good. Relax for the next two days. After the Lantern Festival, when the escort agency resumes its escort missions, you will be able to take charge on your own."

"it is good!"

Zhou Yan smiled and placed the cloth bag in the courtyard. He followed the others into the house. While eating and drinking, he subtly inquired and learned that nothing special had happened in the city, except that many people from Datong Prefecture had come from the Changfeng Escort Agency.

Zhou Yan assumed that the Six Heroes of Jiangnan had not yet made a move against Wanyan Honglie, otherwise the chief镖头 and others would have been completely unaware of it.

Two days passed quickly amidst the interactions with the head镖师 (bodyguards/escorts). During this time, Zhou Yan visited the "Yuelai Inn" once, and a sharp-eyed waiter immediately whispered that the strangely-looking guest was still there.

Zhou Yan felt that with such a good memory, the other party was wasting his talent as a shop assistant, so he rewarded him with another coin.

Time passed in this rhythm, and the Lantern Festival arrived.

……

A lamp without the moon is not entertaining, and a moon without a lamp is not spring.

The Lantern Festival in Zhongdu was a lively and grand affair, complete with lanterns and the moon.

Zhou Yan, Zhang Wangyue, Hu Yanlei, Yang Tiexin and his daughter, and others strolled through the streets to admire the lanterns.

As dusk fell, dragon and lion dances, lantern festivals, and acrobatics filled the city, making it seem as if it were boiling with excitement and bustle.

At 9 PM, the atmosphere of the Lantern Festival gradually builds to its peak.

Zhou Yan felt that parading through the streets was more tiring than escorting goods.

He found a street stall and sat down with Zhang Wangyue, Yang Tiexin, and Huyan Lei, each ordering a bowl of glutinous rice balls.

Mu Nianci looked at the riddles on the lantern, her delicate eyebrows almost knitting together.

Divide it little by little;
Little by little, combine them;
Leave a little bit at a time;
Little by little, less and less;
"So many!" Mu Nianci muttered to herself.

……

Huang Rong, dressed in white, was also looking at the riddles on the lantern.

"Two points, always two points"

"How can it be so simple?"

As Huang Rong walked on, she continued to examine the lanterns. In the end, guessing riddles was a rather fun activity.

　I'll be posting both chapters together today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)