The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 98 There is no way out

Huang Rong felt as if she were in an endless darkness, the darkness spinning as if controlling reincarnation, the distant and endless past and future cycling in and out.

Feeling depressed on Peach Blossom Island, she unexpectedly met an old rascal. They found they shared similar interests, so she listened to him talk and tell him stories, and brought him wine and food. However, her father found out and scolded her.

He left Peach Blossom Island after being wronged and traveled north from Lin'an Prefecture, hoping his father would find him but to no avail. Then some interesting things happened. He failed to buy a horse but instead borrowed the "Night-Shining Jade Lion". In Zhongdu, he met Mei Chaofeng, who was wearing a local deity mask and helped the bodyguards fight. As a result, he was hit by a piece of wood.

When these memories were clear, Huang Rong felt extremely unlucky. She was already being scolded by her father, but how could she have suffered such a terrible accident and serious injury?

Inside the tent, Mei Chaofeng held her breath, sensing Huang Rong's breathing. What she couldn't see was that fine beads of sweat were seeping from Huang Rong's forehead, and her face gradually turned from red to white. After turning around twice like this, she let out a soft "ooh," subconsciously saying, "Why am I so unlucky?"

Mei Chaofeng trembled and her breathing became rapid. This was the first time her junior sister had spoken up since she went to the backyard of the Prince's Mansion to ask for help and then traveled south to this place. Moreover, her breathing seemed to have become much more stable.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, the Quanzhen Kung Fu was truly profound. She had benefited greatly from Ma Yu's guidance twice, and now this镖头 (bodyguard/escort) had even brought her junior sister, who was on the verge of death, back to life.

Thinking about this, Mei Chaofeng felt uneasy again. She had just fought the head镖头 (镖头 is a term for a bodyguard) to the death. She was a person who would definitely seek revenge. Now that her body was sore and numb in many places, she couldn't help but wonder if Zhou Yan was secretly plotting against her.

As Huang Rong became more conscious, she experienced pain in her muscles and bones, feeling as if a tremendous force was pressing down on her from all directions, constantly tearing and stabbing her.

"Father can't live without me, I can't die." With these thoughts in mind—having not yet killed the Three-Headed Flood Dragon, and now looking for trouble with the Yellow River Gang—Huang Rong felt as if she were swimming against the current, struggling to survive. Suddenly, a warm and gentle aura enveloped all the aching joints and meridians in her body. Under the influence of this heat, she felt as if buds were slowly growing on her body, accompanied by an itchy sensation and a sense of comfort.

She was still in pain, but this was the most comfortable she had felt since her injury. Driven by this sensation, Huang Rong's consciousness began to sink, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Zhou Yan felt the gravity in his palm increasing, just as he finished inputting the warm and pure energy that he had extracted from the Jade Guanyin and stored in all the acupoints of the three main meridians.

He let out a soft breath and said to Mei Chaofeng, "Let's leave it at that for now and let her rest for a while."

Mei Chaofeng quickly helped Huang Rong up and asked, "How are you?"

"There will definitely be some relief, but the specific effect will depend on when he wakes up."

"Many...thank you very much."

Aside from expressing gratitude to Ma Yu, Mei Chaofeng had never said thank you to anyone else. Now, she felt awkward and uncomfortable saying those two words.

"It's alright." Zhou Yan got up and left the tent.

Mei Chaofeng helped Huang Rong lie on her back and reached out to take her pulse.

She knew nothing about Taoist techniques and practiced the Nine Yin Manual by trial and error. However, as a disciple of Huang Yaoshi, she had some knowledge of pharmacology and pulse diagnosis. She felt that Huang Rong's pulse, though deep, was strong and indeed a little better than before.

Mei Chaofeng sighed, thinking to herself that Tianyou pitied her and was protecting her junior sister.

She completely forgot that not long ago she was cursing the heavens.

……

Liang Xiaowu and the other porters had already cooked noodles, plain water noodles, nothing fancy.

Zhou Yan took the porcelain bowl and began to eat the noodles with her chopsticks.

"Head镖师, how is the young master's injury?"

"Can't tell."

"Hopefully we can make it to Taihu Lake," one of the boatmen said.

Zhou Yan felt uneasy.

Jade Guanyin can repair internal ailments, but whether she can completely heal Huang Rong's injuries to her bones, muscles, and internal organs is uncertain, since he himself has never suffered such severe internal injuries and cannot make a comparison.

If that's not possible, it won't help even if Mei Chaofeng sends Huang Rong to Guiyun Manor.

Lu Chengfeng couldn't save Huang Rong unless Huang Yaoshi happened to be there.

As he was thinking this, the young medicine boy in green came over. Liang Ziweng's disciple was the kind of person who bullied the weak and feared the strong. All the way here, he had looked down on the troop carriers and didn't take Zhou Yan seriously. But now that he saw Zhou Yan and Mei Chaofeng fighting to a standstill, he became arrogant at first but obsequious later.

"Master Zhou, this is a wild ginseng given to you by the master. It can nourish your qi and blood. Please enjoy it."

Zhou Yan knew that although Mei Chaofeng was ruthless, she was also a person who knew right from wrong. In the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes, because of Ma Yu, she was repeatedly hunted down by the Quanzhen Sect. She was able to fight back and kill her opponents, but she always showed mercy.

Therefore, the other party sent the ginseng purely for Huang Rong's sake, not to ask him to cure his paralysis with the Quanzhen Martial Arts. "Thanks." Zhou Yan took the ginseng and handed it to Liang Xiaowu. "Wash it, slice it, and eat it with noodles."

"The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) ate something to nourish his blood and qi, and that's why you saved the person just now," Liang Xiaowu said.

"Do as I say, and hurry up. I need ginseng to nourish myself; look at how listless I look." Zhou Yan tossed the wild ginseng to the porter.

"Then we'll do as the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) says."

Liang Xiaowu took the ginseng, washed it with water from his water bag, sliced ​​it into thin slices with a dagger, and then sent half of it to Zhou Yan.

Without any hesitation, he placed the ginseng prescription in a porcelain bowl and, while eating, asked the young apprentice, "Are you a disciple of the merchant Mei?"

The young apprentice glanced at the tent, then looked away and whispered, "My master is a ginseng immortal hired by the Prince of Zhao's mansion. I was captured by her."

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "I see. You're really pitiful."

"That's right. When we arrived at the Prince Zhao's mansion with Master, the big snake that Master had been raising was stolen by some thief when we were almost at the outskirts of the city. Since we arrived at the mansion, Master has been in a bad mood. He scolds us every few days and sometimes even beats us. Now she has kidnapped us."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Perhaps when this shipment reaches Taihu Lake, your luck will turn around."

"Please put in a good word for me, Master Zhou."

"it is good!"

"Thank you very much, Master Zhou." The boy left, expressing his deepest gratitude.

After Zhou Yan finished his ginseng noodles in a few bites, he said to Liang Xiaowu, "Let's leave the carriages and horses here for now. Xiaowu, go to the Yellow River dock to hire a boat at dawn."

"okay!"

After settling things down, Zhou Yan sat cross-legged and circulated his qi to regulate his breathing. Mei Chaofeng came out of the tent and asked the boy what he was doing. The boy said he was meditating.

Mei Chaofeng suppressed her urge to find Zhou Yan. She had a servant fetch her soft whip and then went into the tent to keep Huang Rong company.

As dawn broke, the weather showed no signs of improvement; the low-hanging clouds resembled shackles thrown down from the heavens.

Liang Xiaowu rode his horse straight to the Yellow River dock, while Zhou Yan went into the forest and hunted two wild rabbits before returning.

An hour later, Liang Xiaowu returned, his face quite solemn, and said, "Chief镖头, there is no ferry at the dock."

"Why?"

"I've investigated. There's a war going on in Shandong. Ships along the Yellow River in Jinan Prefecture are either being destroyed or requisitioned."

Who is fighting?

"A rebel army has risen up, and it's very chaotic. They're fighting against the Jurchens and the imperial army in Lin'an Prefecture."

Zhou Yan couldn't recall which rebel army was currently active in Shandong, but he scoffed at the Lin'an Prefecture court's attitude towards them. They wanted to use the rebels to weaken the Jin army, yet worried that if they grew too powerful, they would threaten his rule—a hypocritical and hypocritical approach.

His thoughts returned, and he said, "Let's travel southwest along the Yellow River and see what happens as we go."

"it is good!"

After Zhou Yan put on his gloves and rode his horse, he told Mei Chaofeng about the change of route.

Mei Chaofeng had no objection.

Huang Rong had already been taken to the carriage. Zhou Yan asked Mei Chaofeng about her condition, and she said that she was sleeping very well.

He felt much more at ease.

The convoy set off, traveling southwest along the Yellow River. Around noon, they did see some small boats at ferry crossings, but this was of no use to Zhou Yan, who was crossing the river by carriage.

As night fell once again, the convoy passed through Liaocheng.

Mei Chaofeng, inside the carriage, shouted for it to stop, and Huang Rong coughed up blood.

(End of this chapter)