The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 317 A dying man, a deadly predicament
Amidst the wind and snow, two figures, one in black and one in white, swirled together. The one in black was Mei Chaofeng, and the one in white was Li Taiping.

Mei Chaofeng's movements were as swift as lightning, but Li Taiping was even faster. In the blink of an eye, he thrust out more than ten swords, their sword light flowing and crisscrossing, creating layers of interwoven light bands, like drifting clouds, seemingly encompassing the heavens and earth.

Two figures moved forward and backward, passing through more than ten feet of wind and snow. Li Taiping's long sword slashed at Mei Chaofeng's previously impenetrable whip.

The whip instantly drooped to the ground like a convulsed venomous snake.

A glint of cold light magnified in Mei Chaofeng's vision in an instant.

Mei Chaofeng roared fiercely, risking injury, her arm swelled up, and she used the "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" to strike Li Taiping.

Li Taiping chuckled and vanished into the snowstorm in an instant. When he reappeared, he was behind Mei Chaofeng, his snow-white sword light swirling and piercing as it fell towards her.

"Watch out!" A gunshot rang out as Yang Miaozhen, who was moving with the battle, drew her gun and rushed to Mei Chaofeng's aid.

"Let me test your marksmanship." Li Yan's figure swayed, and a fan-shaped sword curtain blocked Yang Miaozhen's path. Yang Miaozhen stepped forward and thrust out eighteen spears. Li Yan blocked the eighteen spears, made a small movement, raised his hand and lowered his wrist. The sword light burst and shrank, and he thrust out seven swords.

A muffled groan rang out from the wind and snow, and Mei Chaofeng staggered backward, with bright red bloodstains spreading on her shoulders and ribs.

"Not bad, you can withstand dozens of my sword strikes," Li Taiping said with a smile.

"You damned man!" Mei Chaofeng was equally fierce, cursing loudly. Her long whip snapped open, deflecting the wind and snow. "Again!"

The Six Eccentrics of Jiangnan had already moved over. Han Xiaoying's face turned deathly pale, and she asked in a trembling voice, "Big brother, what should we do?"

Han Xiaoying wielded a sword, but the exchange between Mei Chaofeng and Li Taiping just now truly shocked her.

Compared to the time she encountered the Black Wind Duo in the desert, Mei Chaofeng's cultivation had improved far too much. Yet, even so, she could only withstand dozens of sword strikes from the man. When did such a person with unparalleled swordsmanship appear in the world?

Holding his iron staff in both hands, Ke Zhen'e said in a deep voice, "Mei Chaofeng won't let us die at this man's hands, so we won't let her die at someone else's hands either. The only ones who can kill her are us."

“Brother is right,” said Zhu Cong, the skilled scholar.

"Side by side."

Zhu Cong lunged forward, his iron fan striking Li Taiping's "Fengmen" acupoint on the back. Han Xiaoying countered with a move called "White Dew Across the River," slashing Li Taiping across the waist.

Han Baoju used his Golden Dragon Whip in a move called "Black Dragon Taking Water" to wrap around Li Taiping's feet.

Ke Zhen'e, Quan Jinfa, and the others continued their offensive. Li Taiping's figure darted about elusively and elusively, weaving and circling between the blades of Mei Chaofeng and the other seven. In just a few dozen breaths, he took the initiative. His long sword suddenly flew out and attacked, its speed like flowing gold and sparks. One after another, bloodstains bloomed from Han Xiaoying, Zhu Cong, and Ke Zhen'e.

Suddenly, Li Taiping's figure floated in like a cloud, following Mei Chaofeng's whip-like movements. Mei Chaofeng reached for Li Taiping with her left hand, and the Imperial City Guard chuckled, thrusting his longsword towards Mei Chaofeng's palm.

Mei Chaofeng let out a sharp cry, her hand quickly retracted, and the sword plunged straight in, piercing into Mei Chaofeng's body.

"puff!"

"boom!"

"laugh!"

Three distinct voices rang out simultaneously in an instant. Li Taiping's long sword pierced Mei Chaofeng's body, and in the wind and snow, a dark, red object flew out of the blacksmith's shop and crashed over.

From another direction in the air, a thin gust of air stretched across a distance of nearly seven zhang (approximately 33 meters) and extended toward Li Taiping.

This variable truly exceeded everyone's expectations.

Li Taiping was taken aback. He drew his sword and retreated swiftly, slashing down with his longsword. With a series of sharp "clangs," two pebbles whistled and disappeared into the snow.

Where Li Taiping had stood, it was as if a large firework had exploded, and amidst the crackling and surging sounds, countless red-hot coals shot out in all directions.

Li Taiping ignored the iron furnace rolling on the ground. He held his long sword low, which hummed, while his gaze was fixed on a spot seven or eight zhang away.

The curtain of wind and snow between heaven and earth was broken by the swiftly approaching figure, and Zhou Yan and Huang Rong landed one after the other.

"Mei Ruohua!" Huang Rong rushed towards Mei Chaofeng.

Zhou Yan and Huang Rong, upon reaching the shore and hearing the whistling sound, spurred their horses and galloped over. They saw Mei Chaofeng in danger from afar. Zhou Yan leaped out and, in a flash, used his "Finger Flicking Divine Skill" to attack the enemy's inevitable defense with stones.

Li Taiping swung his sword to knock away the stones, but even so, Mei Chaofeng was still seriously injured by the stab.

Huang Rong caught Mei Chaofeng, who staggered back a few steps and fell down. She saw blood gushing from Mei Chaofeng's chest, staining half of her clothes red.

"Mei Ruohua, how are you?"

Mei Ruohua said, "Junior Sister, I'm afraid I won't make it. If I die, could you please take my body back to Peach Blossom Island?"

She spoke a few words, but couldn't breathe, and bent over coughing violently. "Don't talk nonsense!" Huang Rong's face turned pale. She had learned excellent medical skills from the Herbalist, but being young, she lost her composure for a moment.

Han Xiaoying and Zhu Cong were right next to Mei and Huang, and Han Xiaoying's expression was complicated.

Mei Chaofeng killed Zhang Asheng, but if it weren't for him, she would have been captured long ago.

"Second Brother!" Han Xiaoying looked at Zhu Cong.

Zhu Cong sighed, quickly stepped forward, took out a packet of medicinal powder from his pocket, and said to Huang Rong, "This is a holy medicine for treating injuries. Please treat her, young lady."

Huang Rong didn't bother to thank her and took the medicine powder.

Zhu Cong and the others turned their backs. Huang Rong tore open a small part of Mei Chaofeng's clothes, revealing a wound several inches deep. She quickly applied medicinal powder, but the blood gushed out and washed away the powder.

Huang Rong was at a loss and said urgently, "Zhou Yan."

"Don't panic." Zhou Yan used pebbles to force Li Taiping back, then leaped to Huang Rong's side. He reached out and pressed six acupoints around Mei Chaofeng's wound, and the bleeding immediately slowed down.

Huang Rong hurriedly applied the medicinal powder to Mei Chaofeng, tore off a piece of her own clothing, and bandaged Mei Chaofeng's wound. Only then did she calm down slightly. She then took out a porcelain bottle from her bosom and gave Mei Chaofeng the "Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill".

Zhou Yan stood up, holding his sword, and looked at Li Taiping.

Behind him, in the blacksmith shop, blacksmith Feng, leaning on his cane, looked at Mei Chaofeng in Huang Rong's arms with a complicated expression. He wanted to go forward several times, but in the end, he leaned against the blackened door and wall. His eyes were empty as he looked at the snowy sky, and two lines of tears slid down from the corners of his eyes.

Mei Chaofeng was seriously injured, Li Taiping was forced back by the stones launched by Zhou Yan, and Li Yan and Yang Miaozhen also stopped fighting. Yang Miaozhen leaped to Zhou Yan's side, and before she could speak, Zhou Yan said, "Sister, take a look at Mei Ruohua first."

"Ok!"

Yang Miaozhen hurried towards Huang Rong and Mei Chaofeng. Zhu Cong and Han Xiaoying quickly approached Zhou Yan, and the "Master of Skills" said, "We were on our way to Zhongdu to visit Jing'er, but we unexpectedly encountered Mei Chaofeng and her group here."

"These people are from the Imperial City Guard."

Zhu Cong suddenly realized why the other party had mentioned the Jin envoy before making their move. It turned out to be a consequence of capturing and killing Duan Tiande.

……

Upon hearing Zhou Yan and Zhu Cong's conversation, the White Lotus Sect's Protector King Jiu Sisheng suddenly appeared, glanced at the Imperial City Guards nearby, then looked away and said to the cook, "This King will come looking for you again."

"We will make sure they never return."

"I hope they have the ability." Jiu Sisheng chuckled in a low voice. The Imperial City Guard was currently arresting people all over Jingzhou and other places, so he dared not delay any longer and quickly left with his followers.

The cook leaped over, unaware that Zhou Yan had resigned from his position as head镖师 (bodyguard/escort). He clasped his hands and said, "Head镖师 Zhou, it's been a long time."

"That's right. I'll deal with these people first, then I'll talk to you, senior."

The cook brandished his ghost-head knife: "I didn't get enough of fighting with the White Lotus Cult members earlier, so I'm stretching my body."

"That depends on whether they have the ability." Li Taiping gave a sinister smile, then turned to Zhou Yan and said, "What a small world, where's Zhang Sanqiang?"

"It will be told to you before you die."

"Heh, how arrogant. Let's see what clever tricks you have." As Li Taiping finished speaking, the long sword in his hand gleamed coldly, flashing like lightning. The long sword suddenly magnified in Zhou Yan's vision, and only then did it make a sound like tearing silk in the air.

Zhou Yan extended his longsword, parrying Li Taiping's incoming sword. He used the "Pushing the Dog Up to the Sky" move from the "Dog-Beating Stick Technique."

Li Taiping exclaimed "Eh!" He couldn't discern the origin of Zhou Yan's sword strike, nor could he foresee the follow-up move.

With a whooshing sound, Li Taiping sheathed his sword and retreated three feet, then stepped forward again to present the sword. His retreat and advance were so fast that it was as if he had never moved at all.

Zhou Yan used the Ancient Tomb Lightness Skill, wielding the Jade Maiden Sword Technique with his three-foot-long green sword. His figure seemed to sway in place, and his shadows appeared around Li Taiping.

"He's really got some skills." Li Taiping's movements were already ghostly and elusive. With a long howl, his figure moved like a wisp of smoke, and one sword light after another fell towards Zhou Yan like flames and arrows.

In this exchange, the two changed their moves with lightning speed, and there was not a sound of metal clashing in the air. Instead, their figures moved swiftly and constantly, like flickering phantoms. Sometimes they chased and dodged, and sometimes they chased and ran. In the blink of an eye, dozens of moves had been exchanged.

Li Yan let out a slight breath. This swordsman, whom she had encountered and fought in Jingzhou, possessed unparalleled swordsmanship and internal strength, making him a formidable opponent.

"Take this!" The gunshot rang out louder as Yang Miaozhen, having examined Mei Chaofeng's injuries, charged forward with her gun.

The chef's cleaver gleamed like a clear stream, its blade rising like a bolt of lightning, and then fell towards Li Yan with a decapitating blow.

(End of this chapter)