Shooting the Eagle: Starting from Iron Palm Peak

The four left Baoying and headed north.

After traveling for about an hour, the official road entered a forest. The trees were tall and their branches and leaves were dense, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering golden light on the ground. Lin Qi suddenly reined in his horse.

"Someone's there," he whispered.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong also stopped. Mu Nianci's hand was already on the iron spear.

Lin Qi dismounted and handed the reins to Mu Nianci. Guo Jing followed closely behind, and the two of them crept towards the source of the sound.

There was a clearing in the woods. Two people stood there, one in white and one in brocade; the one in white was Ouyang Ke, and the one in brocade was Yang Kang.

Lin Qi and Guo Jing hid behind a large tree, holding their breath. Their voices were low, and given the distance, Lin Qi only caught a few fragmented words.

"...Wu Mu..." Yang Kang's voice was faint.

"...On the Prince's side..." Ouyang Ke's response was intermittent.

"...Let me think about it..." Yang Kang said again.

They said a few more words, but Lin Qi couldn't hear them anymore. The wind was strong, and the rustling of the leaves drowned out all the sounds behind them. Then Ouyang Ke waved his hand, and the two went their separate ways, one to the west and one to the east.

Lin Qi emerged from behind the tree. He only caught the words "Wumu" and "Prince," but considering the original story, Wanyan Honglie had been searching for the "Wumu Legacy," and Yang Kang and Ouyang Ke were doing it for him. The Jin people had already made their move, but hadn't yet found its exact location.

"Brother Lin, what are they saying?" Guo Jing asked, following behind him.

Lin Qi thought for a moment and said, "I didn't hear it very clearly, but it was probably about some book. It was related to Wanyan Honglie."

Guo Jing frowned and didn't ask any more questions.

The two returned to the road and mounted their horses. Huang Rong leaned over to ask what was wrong, and Lin Qi gave a brief explanation without mentioning anything else. Huang Rong didn't press further.

The four continued on their way, and once they emerged from the woods, they found themselves in an open area.

Before they had gone even a mile, the rapid sound of hooves suddenly came from behind, mixed with shouts of battle and the clashing of weapons. Dust billowed high as a troop of Jin soldiers pursued them. Leading the charge were the Three Devils of the Yellow River—Shen Qinggang with the Soul-Severing Blade, Wu Qinglie with the Life-Chasing Spear, and Qian Qingjian with the Death-Slaying Axe. Behind them followed dozens of Jin cavalrymen, their swords and spears forming a forest, exuding a murderous aura.

Three Mongolian horses galloped wildly, carrying three men dressed in Mongolian fur robes, wounded, with arrows lodged in their shoulders, their bodies covered in blood. Guo Jing recognized them at a glance and cried out, "Tolui Anda! Master Jebe! Borchu!"

Tolui, Jebe, and Borchu also saw Guo Jing, their spirits lifted, and they ran towards him as fast as they could. Arrows from the Jin soldiers rained down upon them.

Guo Jing spurred his horse and charged forward. Lin Qi and Huang Rong followed closely behind, and Mu Nianci also urged her horse to catch up.

Guo Jing rushed forward to shield Tuolei and the others. Arrows flew towards them, and he struck out with his palm, unleashing the unparalleled power of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, the force of his palm scattering the arrows into pieces. Lin Qi spurred his horse to protect the flanks, his right palm striking repeatedly, the sharp force of his Iron Palm technique knocking the leading Jin soldiers to the ground.

Jebe shouted to Guo Jing, "Brother Guo, we were ordered by the Great Khan to contact the Song Dynasty to jointly destroy the Jin Dynasty, but the news has leaked. That scoundrel Wanyan Honglie has already gone back to mobilize troops! There's a large force behind him. You must leave quickly and don't worry about us!"

Guo Jing dismounted and stood in the middle of the official road. "Let's go together!"

Lin Qi stood to his left, his right palm slightly raised. Huang Rong drew her soft sword and stood guard to his right. Mu Nianci, mounted on her horse, held her iron spear horizontally, protecting Tolui, Jebe, and Borchu.

The three demons of the Yellow River rushed forward. Shen Qinggang saw Guo Jing and sneered, "It's you again, kid! Let's see where you run to today!" His Soul-Severing Blade slashed down with a cold light.

Guo Jing didn't waste any words with him. He bent his right arm inward, drew a circle with his right palm, and thrust it out with a whoosh. This move was "The Dragon Regrets." As the palm wind passed, Shen Qinggang and his sword were sent flying, crashing into the Jin soldiers behind him. He coughed up blood and died on the spot.

Wu Qinglie thrust his spear forward, the tip aimed straight for Lin Qi's throat. Lin Qi grabbed the spear shaft with his left hand and pulled hard, sending Wu Qinglie stumbling forward. Lin Qi's right palm struck Wu Qinglie's chest, and before he could even scream, Wu Qinglie flew a long way, crashing into three or four Jin soldiers.

Qian Qingjian's axe came crashing down on his head, but Lin Qi dodged to the side and struck the axe's surface with his palm. The axe flew out of Qian Qingjian's hand, splitting his hand. Before he could recover, Lin Qi's second palm was already at his chest. This palm strike used half its strength; a chunk of Qian Qingjian's chest caved in, blood gushed from his mouth, and he collapsed to the ground, motionless.

The three demons of the Yellow River died in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that their three leaders were dead and that Wanyan Honglie's main force was nowhere to be seen, the remaining Jin soldiers dared not fight any longer. They dropped their weapons and fled in all directions.

Tolui tumbled off his horse, staggered to Guo Jing, and embraced him tightly. He was covered in blood, an arrow was stuck in his shoulder with the arrowhead still embedded in the flesh, and he had also been slashed in the arm.

"Guo Jing'an replied, 'Fortunately, I met you!'" Tuolei's voice trembled slightly.

Guo Jing supported him, his eyes also reddening: "Tolui Anda, did Wanyan Honglie go back to mobilize troops? How many men did he take?"

Jebe, panting, said, "We don't know how many men he mobilized, we only know that he's gathering a large army behind us. We're the vanguard pursuing them; if we don't leave, the main force will arrive before dark."

Borchu was the most seriously injured, and Mu Nianci tore off a piece of her own clothing to bandage his wounds. Tuolei sat on a roadside stone, catching his breath.

"Tolui Anda, what are you going to do next?" Guo Jing asked.

Tolui stood up, his gaze resolute: "We must hurry back and report to the Great Khan. The matter of uniting Song to destroy Jin cannot be delayed; the Great Khan is waiting for our news. We cannot linger here; Wanyan Honglie's army could arrive at any moment."

Jebe nodded. Their horses were too tired to run anymore and they needed to be replaced.

Lin Qi led over three fine horses left behind by the Jin soldiers and handed them to Tolui, Jebe, and Borchu. Tolui mounted his horse and gave Guo Jing a deep look: "Guo Jing, aren't you coming back with me?"

Guo Jing shook his head: "Tolui, you go first. I still have some things to take care of. We'll talk after I'm done."

Tolui didn't press the matter. He knew Guo Jing's temperament and couldn't force him. He hugged Guo Jing tightly, then clasped his hands in thanks to Lin Qi before riding away. Jebe and Borchu followed closely behind. The three horses galloped north along the official road, gradually disappearing into the swirling dust.

Guo Jing stood there, watching their retreating figures, motionless for a long time. Huang Rong walked to his side and gently took his hand.

"Brother Jing, don't worry. Once things are settled in the Central Plains, you can go back to Mongolia to see them anytime."

Guo Jing nodded, his voice slightly hoarse: "Rong'er, I know. I just didn't expect Wanyan Honglie to find out about the alliance between Song and Jin so quickly. He must be looking for something to deal with it."

Huang Rong didn't speak, but simply tightened her grip on his hand.

Lin Qi stood aside, recalling the words he had overheard in the forest. "Wumu," "Prince"—Wanyan Honglie was definitely looking for the "Wumu's Legacy." But Yang Kang and Ouyang Ke clearly hadn't found its exact location yet. Lin Qi knew the military treatise was hidden on Iron Palm Peak, but he didn't intend to reveal it now, nor did he plan to return to the mountain immediately.

The first volume of the Nine Yin Manual is on Peach Blossom Island; that's his more pressing goal. The matter of Iron Palm Peak can wait until he gets the first volume.

Mu Nianci rode her horse to Lin Qi's side and glanced at him.

"Brother Lin, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about where to go next," Lynch said.

Huang Rong walked over, smiling, and asked, "Brother Lin, where are you going next? Would you like to come with us?"

Lin Qi thought for a moment and said, "Let's go together."

Guo Jing clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Alright, let's go together then."

The four men mounted their horses and slowly made their way south along the official road. The setting sun cast long shadows of them across the dirt road, like four knives side by side.