The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 37 Kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles

"The Yellow River turns east here, and the location is strategic and dangerous. It is the throat of Guanzhong and a place that military strategists must fight for. In the first year of the Shengli era of the Tang Dynasty, a pass was set up here. It was originally called Fengling Pass, also known as Fenglingjin or Fenglingdu."

"The Jade Lion Under the Night Light," Hu Yanlei, riding on the black horse, stood by the river and spoke of it with great familiarity.

Looking at the surging water in the distance, Zhou Yan thought of Zhao Zizhen's poem "Inscription on Fengling Ferry" from the Jin Dynasty: "A river divides the land north and south, the spirit of the Central Plains remains intact. Clouds and mountains connect the land of Jin, smoke and trees enter the Qin River Valley."

Thinking about it this way, he suddenly realized that the bodyguard really did have the qualities of a descendant of a military family.

After leaving the "Andu Old Shop", the two still needed to go to the dock to finalize the matter of hiring a boat.

The wind blew across the river, cold and distant, giving off an air of "keep away, strangers!" But the Yellow River in front of Zhou Yan and Hu Yanlei presented a bustling and lively scene.

The moon, with a missing piece, hung in the azure sky, offering excellent visibility. The Yellow River was currently in its dry season, with a gentle current, making it easy to cross at night.

Zhou Yan thought this was a good thing, since the mules and horses of the caravan were too conspicuous.

Neither of them was in a hurry to dismount and find the boat shop owner. The wind was howling, and they were silent in the wind.

Zhou Yan's voice broke the silence, "Brother, are you thinking about that father and daughter?"

"Yes, that man is using the Yang family spear technique, and I can tell that it is inherited from a lineage within the military."

"Are you wondering if the man is a descendant of Yue Fei's army?"

"Yes."

Hu Yanlei's idea was direct and simple: the head镖师 Zhang Wangyue's original name was Zhang Tailai, and his ancestor was Zhang Xian. If that man was a member of Yue Family Army, he was most likely a descendant of Yang Zaixing.

“Go back and tell the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort),” Zhou Yan said.

"That's what I meant."

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "Do you think that man might be a descendant of General Yang Zaixing?"

Huyan Lei laughed and said, "Brother Zhou always speaks to my heart."

Zhou Yan said casually, "If he really is from the Yue Family Army and a descendant of General Yang, I think it would be good for a man to become a bodyguard in a security escort agency."

"A good idea, better than having to perform to find a husband."

Zhou Yan, looking refreshed, said, "Let's go, to the horse shop."

The "Night-Shining Jade Lion" strode out, followed by the black horse. Zhou Yan then said, "The escort agency stipulates that no one should cause trouble during the escort mission. I thought you would give me a lecture, but I didn't expect you to take action too."

“I’m just worried that you might go too far and kill someone, causing trouble. Of course, you have to take action. We are bodyguards, but we are also martial artists. What’s the point of practicing martial arts if we don’t have the courage to help those in need? Keep the rules and limits in mind, and you can judge for yourself.”

Zhou Yan said, "These words are pleasing to the ear. Even if there are thousands of people, I will go; even if I die nine times, I will not regret it."

"Haha, well said."

"But the perpetrator was a disciple of the Iron Palm Clan."

"What's there to be afraid of? The Iron Palm Clan is in Hunan, and they can still come to Daxing Prefecture to seek revenge. At worst, we can follow the rules of the martial world..." Hu Yanlei suddenly turned around and stared at Zhou Yan, "You wouldn't be thinking of eliminating them completely, would you?"

“If the Iron Palm Gang weren’t based in Hunan, there would be no need for this. But we’re currently escorting goods through Jingzhou, and the further south we go, the closer we get to the Iron Palm Gang’s territory. They haven’t been gone long, so we can catch up.”

Hu Yanlei stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"I'm going to run some errands, brother, go to the shipping company."

"Okay, be careful."

Zhou Yan patted the bow case with his other hand, "With it here, you can rest assured, brother."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned the dock around and sped away.

Huyan Lei sighed, "Silver saddle on white horse, swift as a shooting star. Killing one man in ten steps, leaving no trace for a thousand miles. I admire Brother Zhou."

……

A bonfire burned in the woods, with the white-robed young master and disciples of the Iron Palm Clan sitting around it.

The group did not linger in Fenglingdu Town, but they also did not travel far away at night.

The Iron Palm Clan disciple, who had already woken up, said venomously, "Those two stayed at the inn. After they left, they inquired about the innkeeper's identity. It would be a disgrace not to avenge this."

“Master is right. You can go to the gang and recruit people. I'll take care of the money.”

"Your disciple is thoughtful..."

"Pfft!" The sudden change was so unexpected. The sharpness of the long arrow swept past the young master's side and went straight into the face of the Iron Palm Clan disciple. The huge penetrating force made his head swing back heavily, and the man who was uttering the harsh words fell backward.

"Thump, thump..." The sound of bowstrings being plucked echoed through the night. In just a few breaths, several henchmen by the fire were killed by long arrows.

The young master was terrified and ran towards the dense forest ahead, leaving behind screams of agony.

……

Footsteps were rapid, and the night wind blew through the woods.

The young master, who had been relentlessly pursuing Mu Yi and his daughter, was breathing heavily, his strength rapidly dwindling. Yet, fear was driving him to relentlessly push his body as he fled for his life.

Zhou Yan, rushing up from behind, sprinted like lightning.

The sound of wind breaking amplified, and the young master turned around in despair, throwing a punch at Zhou Yan. The next moment, a bright blade of light suddenly burst open, filling his entire field of vision.

Zhou Yan's straight blade fell like lightning.

The astonishing amount of blood was like exploding fireworks.

Zhou Yan crouched down, rummaged through the other man's body and found a money pouch. He weighed it in his hand, then turned and left. He wandered around, pulled a long arrow from the corpse lying on the grass, and then left the forest, mounted his horse and rode away.

……

The moon sets, crows cry, frost fills the sky; at dawn, the clear dew brings a heavy chill.

Zhou Yan arrived at the escort team covered in frost and dust, heading straight for Zhang Wangyue.

The caravan was traveling at night and was less than five miles from Fenglingdu. Zhang Wangyue and Huyan Lei, riding their green horses, rode forward. The head of the caravan looked at his clothes and, seeing no bloodstains, asked, "Is it done?"

"Brother Huyan has told you everything."

“What do you think?”

Zhou Yan chuckled.

"We've been waiting for you. Let's go see that man together."

"okay!"

Zhou Yan turned his horse around, and the three of them, on three separate horses, headed ahead to "Andu Old Shop".

……

The sound of horses neighing rang out. Mu Nianci pushed open the window, glanced outside the inn, and said in surprise, "Father, those two镖爷 (bodyguards) have arrived."

With guest rooms in short supply, the father and daughter sharing a room was not a problem. Mu Yi quickly stepped forward, and Zhou Yan's figure disappeared under the eaves in his sight after only a brief moment.

He was wondering whether he should go and say hello again when footsteps sounded from the stairwell, accompanied by a question: "Master, are you resting?"

The one asking the questions was Zhou Yan, who also knew that Mu Yi and his daughter had not gone to bed and that the lights were still on.

Mu Yi hurriedly stepped forward to open the door, and with a creak, Zhou Yan, Hu Yanlei, and Zhang Wangyue came into view.

"I apologize for disturbing you so late at night."

"Not at all. If it weren't for the two镖爷 (bodyguards), my daughter and I would both be trapped in a predicament and unable to escape."

Zhou Yan smiled slightly, "Master, there's no need to be so polite. Let me introduce you. This is my head镖师 (bodyguard/escort).

Mu Yi quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "I am Mu Yi, paying my respects to the head镖师 (镖头,镖师 is a term used to describe a镖师 who is ...)."

Zhang Wangyue let out a soft breath.

Throughout his journey, he had been wondering if the other party was a descendant of Yue Fei's army, or a son of General Yang Zaixing. With this preconceived notion, how could the镖头 (bodyguard) not guess that the man's name was derived from the character "Yang" when Mu Yi introduced himself?

"Your surname is Yang, right?"

Mu Yi was stunned.

Zhang Wangyue went straight into the room, looked at the iron spear standing in the corner, picked it up, and suddenly twisted his waist and extended his arm, turning around to strike with the spear. This strike was fierce and swift, and it was the "Returning Spear" move from the Yang family spear technique, which was used to defeat the enemy in battle and kill many generals.

"How could the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) know the Yang family spear technique?"

Zhang Wangyue held a gun in one hand, the tip pointing to the ground, and asked:
"Who is General Yang Zaixing to you?"

(End of this chapter)