The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 90 A Night of Fish and Dragon Dance
After the New Year, Huang Rong spent most of her time in the abandoned house in the backyard of Prince Zhao's mansion.

She lived on the ground, while Mei Chaofeng lived underground.

Iron Corpse Mei Chaofeng was single-mindedly hoping to gain Huang Yaoshi's forgiveness and that Huang Rong would say a few kind words so that she could return to Peach Blossom Island by handing over the stolen "Nine Yin Manual". Therefore, she was obedient to Huang Rong in every way, answering her questions and fulfilling her requests.

During this time, Huang Rong visited the Fu'an Escort Agency once, but the agency was not open for business. She then thought that she would send the "Night-Shining Jade Lion" over after the Lantern Festival.

On the Lantern Festival, with its dazzling lights and dazzling displays, she naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to have fun. She started strolling around from dusk, her greatest interest lying in riddles. However, most of the riddles were not difficult, which was quite disappointing.

She continued walking, gradually approaching the street stall where Zhou Yan was eating tangyuan (sweet rice balls).

At the other end of the long street, Wanyan Honglie and several members of the imperial clan sat in a gilded sedan chair to admire the lanterns. Behind them, Ouyang Ke, Wanyan Kang, and several concubines dressed as men followed.

After Ouyang Ke brought Ouyang Feng to the Prince's residence, Wanyan Kang completely abandoned his status as a young prince and served him faithfully. Privately, Ouyang Ke also mentioned Wanyan Kang's desire to become his disciple, and that Wanyan Kang had studied Quanzhen martial arts.

With Ouyang Ke's insight, even without Ouyang Ke's explanation, how could he not see through the other party's thoughts?

The martial arts of White Camel Mountain were passed down only within the family, and even the Western Poison Master didn't take Prince Wanyan Kang seriously. However, Ouyang Ke wanted to rely on the Prince's mansion to make a name for himself. Ouyang Feng had also suffered at the hands of Wang Chongyang, so he used the pretext of giving guidance to get Wanyan Kang to reveal the Quanzhen Sect's inner workings.

Wanyan Kang was overjoyed and told the young prince of Jin everything he knew about the martial arts techniques that Qiu Chuji had taught him. The Western Poison then taught the young prince a martial art that could quickly improve his internal strength.

His casual guidance far surpassed that of Master Lingzhi and Liang Ziweng. Wanyan Kang was indeed intelligent, but his martial arts were eclectic, and he was unwilling to put in the hard work. Ouyang Feng prescribed the right remedy, explaining an internal energy cultivation method he had accidentally obtained from a Western Regions sect. It could rapidly increase internal strength, but it could easily cause hidden ailments in the meridians and internal organs.

After several days of cultivation, Wanyan Kang mastered the basics of the technique and noticed an improvement in his internal energy. Overjoyed, he served Ouyang Feng even more diligently. Wanyan Kang's cleverness lay in his early realization that Ouyang Feng doted on Ouyang Ke. He flattered Ouyang Feng, praising Ouyang Ke and saying things like his father valued the young master of White Camel Mountain.

Even though the Western Poison Master knew Wanyan Kang's intentions, he still felt quite pleased to hear these words. He would then offer a few pointers. During this time, Wanyan Kang's martial arts skills improved considerably.

Ouyang Feng was not in the Prince's Palace's procession; why would he be interested in watching the lanterns, dragon dances, and lion dances?

Wanyan Kang was actually tired of watching the lantern festival, but Ouyang Ke enjoyed it. Of course, the young master of White Camel Mountain had ulterior motives. His real intention was to find a few beautiful and charming women to abduct as concubines.

The three walked through the bustling crowds and brightly lit market, Ke Zhen'e, Zhu Cong, Han Baoju, Han Xiaoying and others steadily approaching the sedan chair carrying Wanyan Honglie.

……

The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of blossoms. It also blows down stars like rain, and the road is filled with the fragrance of fine carriages and jeweled horses. The sound of phoenix flutes stirs, the jade pot's light turns, and fish and dragons dance all night.

After eating the glutinous rice balls, Zhou Yan, Zhang Wangyue, and the others got up and continued on their way. The carriages and sedan chairs of the nobles and wealthy families of Zhongdu moved with difficulty towards Kaifu Temple along with the dragon and lion dance troupe.

Looking at the scene before him, Zhou Yan was reminded of the poem "Green Jade Table: Lantern Festival".

Mu Nianci followed from behind. When she reached Zhou Yan's side, she asked, "Divide a little bit by a little; combine a little bit by a little; leave a little bit by a little; lessen a little bit by a little; it's a word puzzle. What word do you think it is, Chief Escort Zhou?"

Hu Yanlei heard the word "gun" clearly and blurted it out.

Mu Nianci was stunned for a moment, and the words she was about to say were "four-character riddles" stuck in her throat.

Zhou Yan turned his head and looked at Hu Yanlei in surprise, not understanding why the other party guessed the word "gun". However, he suddenly saw a masked man leap up from the crowd in the distance, his hands flying. At a distance of more than 300 steps, it was impossible to see what kind of hidden weapon he was throwing. In the bustling crowd, the burly men carrying sedan chairs fell out, and a golden sedan chair crashed to the ground with a thud.

In an instant, Zhou Yan saw a masked man wielding a steel staff. The man swung the staff with the movements of a dragon and a snake, constantly knocking away the Jin soldiers blocking his way. With a domineering and forceful attitude, he charged towards the place where the sedan chair had landed.

Beneath the shops along the long street were water vats to prevent flooding. A short, stocky man picked up a vat, spun around, and hurled it. The vat roared out and crashed into the center of the street. Suddenly, a masked man and woman leaped up, using the vat as leverage, their figures like swallows darting through the forest, soaring over the heads of the panicked tourists. Their swords flashed like rainbows, moved like shooting stars, and fell like thunderbolts, heading straight for the sedan chair. Zhou Yan's mind went blank. The Six Eccentrics of Jiangnan, the Golden Knife Prince Consort.

He had considered that the Six Eccentrics of Jiangnan and the Golden Knife Prince Consort would assassinate Wanyan Honglie, but the way they did it, with such a grand and imposing manner, was beyond his expectations.

Guo Jing's archery skills were exceptional; could he not lie in ambush on a rooftop on the side of the street and take Wanyan Honglie's life with a barrage of arrows?

Amidst the panicked crowd, Zhou Yan saw the cymbals whistle into the sky, slicing through the water vat with a deafening crash. Not far from the assassination scene, a figure leaped into the air. A second figure followed, trampling over the shoulders and heads of the Prince Zhao's personal guards as they pursued the man ahead.

Zhou Yan recognized them; they were Ouyang Ke and Wanyan Kang.

……

The intense fighting transformed the entire area into a tumultuous sea in the blink of an eye.

Tourists surged forward desperately, but a dozen or so stopped and looked toward the site of the fierce fight. The light from the lanterns shone on their faces.

These were all people Zhou Yan was familiar with.

Helian Chuncheng, Yin Kexi, Hu-ren镖师, Shi Xiangui, Cui Qingshan, Cui Changshun who have joined Changfeng镖局, and Lei Luo, the former boss of Sihai.

The Lantern Festival in Datong Prefecture was not as lively as in Zhongdu. Helian Chuncheng led a group of people through the streets and, by sheer coincidence, they witnessed the assassination attempt on Wanyan Honglie.

Lei Luo, with his sharp eyes, said, "It seems that it was Prince Zhao who was assassinated."

Helian Chuncheng suddenly laughed, "I was just worried about not being able to get in touch with the Prince of Zhao's mansion, these assassins are really a godsend."

Yan Luo, the young master of Changfeng Escort Agency, leaped up and flew more than two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) high. When he fell, he landed on the shoulders of the tourists below and headed straight for Wanyan Honglie and his group. Behind him were Yin Kexi, Shi Xiangui, Cui Qingshan, and others.

……

Zhou Yan turned his gaze back to Zhang Wangyue and said, "Chief镖头, it's because the Prince of Dajin was assassinated. Helian Chuncheng and others from Changfeng镖局 have rushed over and are determined to help the Prince's mansion."

Hu Yanlei, Wang Kui, Shi Baichuan, and Yang Tiexin all looked at Zhang Wangyue.

The chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort) of Fu'an, a descendant of Zhang Xian of Yue Family Army, glanced at Zhou Yan and then at the shops behind him.

Zhou Yan turned around and looked over, and what came into view was a variety of masks for sale.

The Kitchen God, the Yellow Spirit Official, the Earth God...

He understood Zhang Wangyue's thoughts and strode towards the vendors.

Behind the crowd, Huang Rong watched curiously as Zhou Yan put on the Kitchen God's mask and moved nimbly through the crowd like a fish towards the spot where the Great Jin Prince had been stabbed.

She turned around, took a few quick steps, bought a local deity mask, and squeezed into the chaotic crowd.

　Both chapters will be released together, and there will be no more updates tonight. The author is busy writing and will try to update more frequently when the book goes on sale tomorrow. Thank you to all the readers for your monthly tickets and recommendations. Thank you!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)