Shooting the Eagle: Starting from Iron Palm Peak

It took Lin Qi twelve days to travel from Tiezhang Peak to Zhangjiakou.

He changed horses frequently, traveling day and night, and pondered things while on horseback. Guo Jing should have already left Mongolia by now; according to the original story, he would meet Huang Rong, disguised as a beggar, at a grand hotel in Zhangjiakou. Lin Qi wasn't sure if he could arrive before that point, but he had to try.

On the evening of the twelfth day, the city wall of Zhangjiakou came into view.

Zhangjiakou was a vital transportation hub connecting the north and south, bustling with merchants and teeming with activity. Lin Qi led his horse into the city, found an inn to stay at, changed into clean clothes, and went out for a meal. He carefully concealed the Iron Palm Token on his person, not hanging it on his waist. This time, he didn't want to reveal his identity.

Lin Qi stayed in Zhangjiakou for two days without rushing to find Guo Jing.

He knew Guo Jing should be in the city at this moment, but he didn't want to use the "chance encounter at the restaurant" method. It was too deliberate. Huang Rong was extremely intelligent; she would see through any hint of awkwardness. He needed a more reasonable opportunity—an opportunity for Guo Jing to take the initiative to be grateful to him and trust him.

He is waiting.

The next afternoon, Lin Qi strolled around outside the city. The sun was shining brightly, casting a dazzling white light on the dirt road. Large tracts of farmland stretched out on both sides of the official road, and in the distance, several small hills covered with sparse trees.

As he was walking, he suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from afar.

It wasn't just one horse, but several. The hooves were pounding rapidly, as if they were chasing something. Lin Qi looked up and saw a cloud of dust rising at the end of the official road as a tall, crimson horse galloped towards them. Sitting on its back was a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, dressed in a Mongolian robe—it was Guo Jing.

Behind him followed four white horses, on which rode four men in white robes, all around twenty years old, with fair skin, no beards, and delicate features. They wore white, close-fitting outfits and had long swords at their waists. At first glance, they looked like four elegant young men, but Lin Qi took a closer look and noticed something amiss—all four had small holes in their earlobes, and their Adam's apples were not very prominent, clearly indicating that they were women disguised as men.

Ouyang Ke's concubines.

Lin Qi's heart skipped a beat. In the original story, Ouyang Ke had a group of concubines dressed in white, who often went out in men's clothing and did shady things for him. Their appearance here was likely aimed at Guo Jing's Ferghana horse.

Guo Jing had clearly spotted the pursuers behind him and urged his horse on desperately. The Akhal-Teke horse galloped incredibly fast, but the four white horses behind him were also fine steeds, closely following behind, and he couldn't shake them off anytime soon.

Lin Qi stood by the roadside, watching this scene, and quickly made a decision in his mind.

His time to act had come.

He couldn't wait until Guo Jing was caught up before making his move; that would be too passive. He needed to act when Guo Jing needed help the most, to show Guo Jing his strength and his sincerity.

Lin Qi took a deep breath, circulated his internal energy, and the internal energy of the third level of the Iron Bone Technique surged through his meridians. He walked to the middle of the road, facing the direction Guo Jing had come from, and stood steadily.

Guo Jing saw a person standing in the middle of the road from afar, and quickly reined in his horse. The Akhal-Teke horse neighed and raised its front hooves high, stopping a few steps away from Lin Qi.

"Brother, get out of the way! Someone is chasing me!" Guo Jing said urgently.

Lin Qi didn't move. He looked at the four white horses that were getting closer and closer behind Guo Jing and said calmly, "Brother, just keep going forward. I'll take care of the people behind you."

Guo Jing was taken aback and was about to say something when the four white horses caught up. Four men in white reined in their horses and surrounded Lin Qi and Guo Jing. The leader was a tall young woman with a cold and sharp look in her eyes.

"Leave that horse behind, and I'll spare your lives." Her voice was clear, but her tone was icy, as if it were being squeezed out from between her teeth.

Lin Qi glanced at her and said calmly, "This horse belongs to this gentleman. What right do you have to take it?"

"This is the horse our young master has taken a liking to," the woman said coldly. "If you know what's good for you, get lost."

Lin Qi chuckled: "Whatever your young master takes a fancy to, he has to snatch it? What kind of logic is that?"

The woman's face darkened, and without another word, she drew her long sword from her waist, the tip pointing directly at Lin Qi. The other three women in white also drew their swords, their blades flashing, surrounding Lin Qi in the middle.

Lin Qi did not move. He stood there, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, palms slightly open, his inner strength already channeled into his palms.

The leading woman let out a sharp cry, her longsword flashing like a venomous snake's tongue, aimed straight for Lin Qi's throat. Lin Qi dodged to the side, his right palm shooting out in the first stance of the Iron Palm Technique, "Pushing the Mountain," but he used only thirty percent of his strength. The palm wind swept across the sword, causing it to tilt to one side. The woman's hand went numb, and she almost lost her grip on the sword.

Her expression changed.

Lin Qi did not pursue, withdrew his hand, and stood still.

"Gentlemen, I don't want to hurt anyone. Please leave."

The other three women in white exchanged a glance and simultaneously drew their swords, attacking Lin Qi from three directions. Lin Qi used his agile footwork, his figure as elusive as a falling leaf, weaving through the sword light. The three swords missed their mark, and Lin Qi had already flashed behind them, striking out with both palms simultaneously. His left palm struck the sword of the woman on the left, and his right palm struck the sword of the woman on the right. With two sharp "cracks," both longswords flew from his hands, soaring more than ten feet away, landing in the field beside the road.

The woman in the middle was startled and thrust her sword forward. Lin Qi neither dodged nor evaded, but reached out and pinched the tip of the sword with two fingers. The woman tried to pull away, but the sword didn't budge, as if it were clamped by iron pincers. Lin Qi released his fingers, and the woman, unable to stop in time, staggered back several steps, sword and all, almost falling.

The four women were deathly pale, their eyes filled with apprehension as they looked at Lin Qi. They had followed Ouyang Ke for many years and had seen many masters; the martial arts of this young man before them were probably no less than their young master's.

The leading woman gritted her teeth, sheathed her longsword, and waved her hand.

"Walk."

Four women in white mounted their horses, turned them around, and galloped away. Dust billowed as they quickly disappeared at the end of the official road.

Guo Jing, still mounted on his horse, watched this scene with great shock. He had thought he was doomed today, but unexpectedly, a stranger appeared out of nowhere and easily dispatched the pursuers. These four men were skilled in martial arts, but they couldn't even withstand a single move from this man.

He dismounted, walked up to Lin Qi, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Thank you for your help, brother. My name is Guo Jing. May I ask your honorable name?"

"Lin Qi." Lin Qi returned the greeting with clasped hands. "It was nothing, Brother Guo, you're too kind."

Guo Jing glanced in the direction the women in white had disappeared into, then looked at Lin Qi, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Brother Lin, who...who are they? Why did they try to steal my horse?"

Lin Qi thought for a moment and said, "They should be from White Camel Mountain in the Western Regions. Ouyang Ke, the young master of White Camel Mountain, is unmatched in martial arts among the younger generation. He has a group of women in white under his command who often travel in men's clothing. This man is eccentric and domineering, and his subordinates are not good people either. They said that their young master took a liking to this horse, so they must have their eyes on Brother Guo's prized horse and want to steal it by force."

Guo Jing looked down at his Akhal-Teke horse, a purebred steed without a single stray hair, which shone like a flowing flame in the sunlight. He had tamed this horse with great difficulty, and when the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan gave it to him, they said it was a rare and precious steed in the world.

"I tamed this horse when I was in Mongolia; it was a gift from my masters," Guo Jing said. "I never expected to be targeted so soon after entering the Central Plains."

Lin Qi nodded: "Brother Guo, be careful of these people when you travel the world in the future. Ouyang Ke's martial arts are extremely high, no less than the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, and his subordinates are not to be underestimated either. Although they have retreated today, there is no guarantee they won't come back."

Guo Jing was grateful and clasped his hands in thanks again: "Brother Lin, it's getting late. Why don't we go into the city together? I'll treat you to a meal as a way of thanking you for your help today."

Lin Qi smiled slightly: "Then I'll have to trouble you."