The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 47 Mo Chou and Little Dragon Girl Behind Zhongnan Mountain

The wind rustles through the dark woods and startled grass; the镖师 (bodyguard/escort) draws his bow in

In the vast darkness, the bowstring twanged like thunder, and three arrows flew in quick succession toward Qiu Qianchi.

She kicked away two arrows in quick succession with her left and right feet, leaning back so her back didn't touch the ground. With a "whoosh," the third arrow grazed her face, the strong wind scraping her skin and causing a slight pain.

By the time Qiu Qianchi leaped up again, the "Night-Shining Jade Lion," having accelerated, had already left everyone else in the dust.

She used her agility to dash several miles out of the valley. In the deep darkness of the night, red fireworks shot into the sky in the distance, exploding brilliantly. In just over ten breaths, fireworks appeared one after another from another direction in the mountains and fields, echoing each other.

Qiu Qianchi was highly skilled and daring, but at night, he was quite wary of Zhou Yan's iron bow and long arrows. Seeing that reinforcements had arrived, he dared not pursue them any further and retreated back into the mountains in resentment.

……

The sound of hooves thundered, and Huyan Lei's voice rang out from the wilderness: "Is that Brother Zhou?"

"It's me, brother."

Zhou Yan shook off Qiu Qianchi and left the valley, then used a flamethrower to launch a signal flare. Hu Yanlei was the first to arrive, followed by Wang Kui and Shi Baichuan.

He introduced Sun Bu'er, the recluse of Qingjing, and then, without further delay, rode Wuzhui with Huyan Lei, while Sun Bu'er rode "Ye Zhao Yu Shi Zi" alone. The four riders, a total of five people, headed straight for the caravan southwest of Xiangyang.

In the stillness of the deep night, amidst the quiet of the forest, suddenly came the sound of voices.

From the valley where the campfires were burning, the joyful voices of the porters rang out: "Zhou the镖师 and the others are back."

The caravans formed a large circle, with mules and horses in the center.

When Zhang Wangyue, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), heard the voice of the镖师 (bodyguard/escort), he looked over and saw that the "Night-Shining Jade Lion" was already clear in the dim moonlight. He glanced at Sun Bu'er, breathed a sigh of relief, and thought that Sun Bu'er was safe and sound.

Zhou Yan, Hu Yanlei, Sun Bu'er and others dismounted, and Zhang Wangyue stepped forward to greet them, saying, "I am Zhang Wangyue, the head of the Fu'an Escort Agency. I greet Master Sun."

Sun Bu'er hurriedly bowed and said, "It is I who should thank the Fu'an Escort Agency for their righteous help."

Zhang Wangyue was naturally skilled at getting along with people. He smiled and said, "It really is fate. Escort Master Zhou from the escort agency once had a good relationship with Master Wang. If it weren't for that, I really wouldn't have met you."

"That's true. Escort Zhou mentioned it."

Zhang Wangyue, with his keen insight, could tell that Sun Bu'er's breathing was unstable, so he said, "Brother Zhou, please take the Master to rest first."

"it is good!"

The caravan had tents, and Zhou Yan led Sun Bu'er inside, saying, "This junior will not disturb your healing, senior. I will stay outside. If you need anything, just give me a call."

"Thank you!"

"Senior, you're welcome."

Zhou Yan left the tent and went to Zhang Wangyue's side first.

On the way back, he and Huyan Lei and the others did not talk. The group sat around the campfire, and Huyan Lei asked, "Brother Zhou, how did you rescue the real person? That woman in green was very fierce."

"How did I manage to rescue someone directly from their clutches? It was because I happened to encounter Master Sun at the entrance of a valley, and I used an arrow to block Qiu Qianchi, which allowed me to escape." After saying this, Zhou Yan turned to Zhang Wangyue and said, "That woman is Qiu Qianchi, the younger sister of Qiu Qianren of the Iron Palm Clan. However, I still don't know why she attacked Master Sun."

Huyan Lei laughed, "It's the Iron Palm Clan again. What a small world!"

Wang Kui hurriedly said, "This matter should have nothing to do with the Iron Palm Clan disciples we encountered at Fengling Ferry."

“Of course, otherwise why have we searched for so long without encountering any members of the Iron Palm Clan?” Shi Baichuan said. “After this incident, Fu’an can be considered to have formed a connection with the Quanzhen Sect. Even if the Iron Palm Clan goes north, how could the Quanzhen Sect not lend a hand? We are not afraid.”

Zhang Wangyue nodded slightly: "However, it is not advisable to stay here for long. Once you have recovered a bit from your injuries, we should set off again. Heading south will take us to Jingzhou. Let's not let our efforts go to waste."

Hu Yanlei and the others nodded in agreement.

The servants prepared vegetarian noodles, and Zhou Yan brought a bowl to Sun Bu'er. After eating the noodles, Qingjing Sanren, who had previously used his internal energy to heal his injuries, looked much better.

Zhou Yan then asked, "How did you meet Qiu Qianchi, senior?"

Sun Bu'er said, "I was on my way to Baoying in Yangzhou when I encountered this."

Zhou Yu understood; the other party had come south from the Quanzhen Sect to find their disciple, Cheng Yaojia. Qingjing Sanren recounted: "I happened to encounter someone swindling people on the outskirts of Xiangyang. I intended to teach them a lesson, but then I discovered that the person was colluding with the Jurchens and inciting heroes of the martial arts world to support them when they marched south. So I wanted to kill him, but Qiu Qianchi stopped me and we ended up fighting, which led to this scene."

Zhou Yan finally understood.

Sun Bu'er encountered Qiu Qianzhang, who had a deep relationship with Qiu Qianchi. Sun Bu'er wanted to kill the charlatan from The Legend of the Condor Heroes, and Qiu Qianchi naturally stepped in to help.

He remembered a passage in The Return of the Condor Heroes that mentioned Qiu Qianzhang repeatedly using Qiu Qianren's name, which caused Qiu Qianren to become extremely dissatisfied and reprimand him. Qiu Qianchi stood up for her brother and quarreled with Qiu Qianren before leaving the Iron Palm Clan. Thinking about this, Zhou Yan was even less worried about the safety of the caravan.

"Senior, your injuries have not yet healed. Why don't you travel with the caravan and then take a boat south to Yangzhou once you reach Jingzhou?"

Sun Bu'er also felt that this method was a compromise.

"It's just inconvenient."

"Senior, please don't hold back. My head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) is a righteous and generous man."

“That’s obvious.” Sun Bu’er smiled slightly: “You said my senior brother only taught me the method of breathing and guiding qi.”

"Yes, I was fighting someone and suffered internal injuries. I happened to be there when you encountered me, and you taught me your skills."

"Very well, since you and my senior brother have a karmic connection, I will add another one and teach you the Seven Swords and Seven Forms of the Quanzhen Sword Technique, a total of forty-nine moves."

"Is it appropriate?" Zhou Yan said.

“Why not? You can practice the Quanzhen internal martial arts method and then practice swordsmanship, which will be twice as effective. Besides, it will take me several days to fully recover from my injuries. If Qiu Qianchi catches up, I can help you hold him off.” Sun Bu’er smiled slightly: “I am also saving myself.”

Zhou Yan said, "This junior will respectfully comply."

"Please sit down, and allow me to slowly explain the moves and their incantations before demonstrating them to you."

He sat cross-legged, and the recluse of tranquility began to speak.

……

Taiyi Mountain is near the capital, its peaks stretching to the sea. Looking back, the white clouds seem to merge; looking closer, the blue mist vanishes.

Behind Zhongnan Mountain, mist and haze lingered.

Suddenly, a sword light shot up from the ground, like an ice wheel across the sky. In an instant, the sword style changed, and the single sword trembled, like a flower waving in the wind, swaying with dazzling and trembling light.

The woman wielding the sword moved with graceful ease and light, rhythmic movements, as beautiful as if she were dancing. After completing a set of sword techniques, she let out a clear shout, and with a wave of her hand, a faint hissing sound was heard in the air as several jade bee needles pierced into an ancient tree about two zhang away from her.

However, while her swordsmanship was impressive, the woman's skill with hidden weapons seemed somewhat lacking, as the needles that landed on the tree trunk were uneven.

Once the woman's figure disappeared, what was revealed in the morning light was a face as beautiful as a peach blossom—it was Li Mochou.

She walked over and looked at the jade bee needle, then said, "It's still not satisfactory, but I have time. I will definitely master a hidden weapon technique that is no less than Zhou Yan's divine archery skills. I must defeat him."

A child's voice rang out, and a girl ran toward Li Mochou. The girl was described in a poem as follows: "Her skin was fair and white, her name was Wansu, her speech was clear and fluent, her hair covered her broad forehead, and her ears were like jade pendants."

"Sister, come catch sparrows with me." The little girl looked at Li Mochou with her face as white as a jade plate.

"Junior sister, don't be silly, senior sister needs to practice her skills."

"Is it still for the duel with that Zhou Yan?"

The girl speaking like this must be Li Mochou's junior sister, Xiaolongnu. She had also told Xiaoxiaolongnu about Zhou Yan.

"Yes, he is very smart. The Beggar Clan leader taught me a set of boxing techniques, but I hadn't even grasped the essence of it yet, while he already knew its true meaning. So I must practice hard."

"Sister, is he as smart as me?" Little Dragon Girl asked.

"Oh, this!" Li Mochou chuckled. "Go ask him!"

　I am deeply grateful to "Finally Have Time", "XMW", and "20230120154" for their generous donations; I am truly flattered.

　　感谢“天降流弹”、“娼生武侠爱好者”、“岂曰无衣与子同袍王于兴师”、“紫霄玄黄”、“看小说喜欢看聪明的主角”、“20176061222”、“执笔旧墨蜂蝶逸”、“烙馍V5莫”、”半闲堂168“、”HT三四郎“、“烦了”、“八卦山二条”、“202504010005”、“预案未通过”、“量子喵”、“七界人氏”、“嘉竹墨客”、“晚风降雨”、“我爱吃维C”、“元大亨”、“52qd”、“20241124”、“20230315”、“14033117”大大的月票支持，感激不尽。

　　
　
(End of this chapter)