Chapter 247: A Hundred Beasts Pave the Way, Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger
The peaks stood tall, the summits steep, the snow-capped mountains pressing down as if about to collapse.
Zhou Yan’s gaze gradually shifted down from the peaks where clouds and snow intertwined, revealing jagged rocks with a stern hue, bizarre and varied, like a forest of spears. Then, in his sight appeared the lake water in the valley, filled with sunlight, rippling with the morning breeze.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Manor was hidden at the edge of the primeval forest formed by the valley’s spruce, cypress, and poplar trees.
The manor was located deep within the Qilian Mountains west of Wuwei, in the Xiliang territory, and was actually only over six hundred li from the Ganzhou camp of the Fu’an Escort Agency.
Riding the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” all night, Zhou Yan arrived at this idyllic paradise where snow mountains and forests intertwined as dawn broke.
The people and horses were separated from the Ten Thousand Beasts Manor by a clear lake. As Zhou Yan was observing, two roars of tigers suddenly echoed through the valley.
The “Night-Shining Jade Lion” beneath Zhou Yan was spirited. Even with the distance, the horse did not panic. It snorted, its hooves tapping the ground, a sign that it sensed danger and was about to bolt.
Zhou Yan gently stroked the “Night-Shining Jade Lion’s” neck with his right hand, and the horse calmed down.
“Who dares to trespass into the manor?”
As the tiger’s roar faded, a sound that vibrated in people’s ears came from the forest on one side of the manor.
“Zhongdu’s Zhou Yan, here to visit Manor Lord Shi.”
He used his Internal Force to speak. Although it couldn’t compare to the Lion’s Roar of the Monk Bao Lei from the Vajra Sect during the battle at Shaoshi Mountain, his Internal Force was profound, and his voice boomed like thunder.
“It’s Benefactor!”
An echo sounded from within the manor. In an instant, Zhou Yan saw Shi Bowei swiftly emerge from the manor with its overhanging eaves. His body leaned slightly forward, galloping like a leaping tiger. Following him, another tall and thin figure emerged from the manor, covering ten feet in a flash. Judging by his lightness skill, he was even superior to Shi Bowei.
The person who had spoken from the forest also approached with swift movements, like a rabbit leaping and a falcon falling.
The three figures, two behind one, rapidly closed in.
Zhou Yan roughly guessed that among the Shi Brothers of the Divine Condor Jianghu, only three remained, and the fourth and fifth might be young, or perhaps not yet born.
“Haha, Benefactor, are you well?” Shi Bowei rushed forward and said.
“Brother Shi, I am well. Thank you for coming to meet me.” Zhou Yan dismounted and cupped his fists in return.
“Benefactor, you are too polite.” Shi Bowei was hearty and enthusiastic, his joy evident. “Since you came to the manor, I have often thought of you. This time, you must stay for half a month or more. This is my second brother, Guan Jianzi Shi Zhongmeng, and my third brother, Golden Armored Lion King Shi Shugang.”
“I am Zhou Yan, greetings to you both, heroes.”
The second and third Shi brothers, who arrived one after another, quickly bowed in return: “Benefactor, you are too polite.”
Golden Armored Lion King Shi Shugang said: “Eldest Brother often mentioned Benefactor to us after he returned, saying you were righteous and heroic, with extraordinary martial arts. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation and are admirable.”
Zhou Yan knew that among the Shi Brothers, Shi Shugang had gained profound Internal Energy through a fortunate encounter while hunting in the mountains at the age of twenty. He then passed on the cultivation technique to his brothers. Afterward, the five brothers raised more and more wild beasts, and the name of the Ten Thousand Beasts Manor gradually spread throughout the Jianghu. The martial world gave the five brothers a collective nickname: “Tiger, Leopard, Lion, Elephant, Monkey.”
Shi Shugang, standing before him, appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He must have received cultivation techniques from an expert early on, and his cultivation was the most outstanding among the three brothers present.
Hearing what they said, he smiled and replied: “Brother Shi, you flatter me.”
“Haha, Benefactor, you are too modest. Come, let’s go inside the manor to chat.”
The situation was urgent, and Zhou Yan dared not delay. He said: “I have a favor to ask on this visit.”
Shi Bowei quickly replied: “We will certainly go through fire and water for you, even to death.”
“Thank you, Brother Shi.” Zhou Yan said: “The situation is urgent, so I will be direct.”
“Benefactor, please speak freely.”
Zhou Yan concisely explained the escort agency’s predicament and the purpose of his trip.
Shi Bowei said heartily: “So it’s the Western Xia’s ‘Iron Hawks.’ This is simple. If it were martial arts experts, I couldn’t guarantee it, but dealing with cavalry, the manor’s tigers and leopards are perfect for the job. Making warhorses’ hooves go soft is no problem.”
Zhou Yan was overjoyed. “Thank you!”
“I feel like I’ve known you forever, Benefactor, why thank me? Please wait inside the manor for a moment. My three brothers and I will prepare and immediately accompany Benefactor to Ganzhou.”
“Agreed!”
The four walked together, the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” following behind. Zhou Yan asked, “Third Brother Shi is known as the ‘Golden Armored Lion King,’ so he must be skilled in taming lions. However, I have traveled far and wide and seen many fierce beasts, but I have never encountered a fierce lion.”
Shi Zhongmeng smiled: “Tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves can be found in the passes, Qilian Mountains, and Qinling Mountains, but lions and elephants must be imported from Dali Kingdom and the Western Regions.”
Zhou Yan understood. The present-day India must have a wide population of lions, and the lions at the Ten Thousand Beasts Manor were likely obtained through the Western Regions from these places.
Upon entering the Ten Thousand Beasts Manor, Zhou Yan saw a child not yet ten years old who could lift a stone lock to play. Upon inquiry, he learned it was the fourth of the Shi Brothers, the Mighty God Shi Jiqiang.
As for the youngest of the five brothers, he was still in swaddling clothes.
Under Shi Bowei’s introduction, he visited the old manor lord.
The old manor lord of the manor was a good conversationalist and hosted a banquet. Although the time was short, Zhou Yan’s demeanor was steady and appropriate, showing no anxiety on his face, earning the old manor lord’s great appreciation. They conversed very happily.
Half an hour later, the three Shi brothers had gathered a total of two hundred beasts, including tigers, leopards, and lions.
The manor was in its development stage, so it was not like in the Divine Condor Jianghu, where Shi Bowei and Shi Zhongmeng could summon a hundred fierce tigers and a hundred lions with a wave of their hands.
However, it was enough to solve the problem.
As the team set off, the beasts were fierce and ferocious, constantly growling, yet they marched in an orderly fashion, not in the least disorganized. In the face of such a beast horde, even the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” dared not approach, appearing quite uneasy. Zhou Yan was greatly enlightened, realizing the wonders of the Jianghu.
Shi Bowei was intimately familiar with the terrain of the Qilian Mountains. The team moved diagonally along the rugged, gullied terrain, speeding towards Ganzhou. As the hundred beasts advanced, birds in the forest took flight and wild animals scattered wherever they went, a truly magnificent sight.
As dusk fell, the beast horde entered the Ganzhou territory at night, continuously approaching the Fu’an Escort Agency camp.
…
Deep red clouds burned in the sky, quickly dispelling the twilight. A Sea Eastern Green circled in the sky.
All the escorts and runners of the Fu’an Escort Agency’s escort team were hidden within the boulder maze deployed by Huang Rong.
Zhang Wangyue, Hu Yanlei, and Huang Rong were outside the formation.
Thanks to the training in group combat for three to five people that Zhang Wangyue had imparted to the escort agency’s escorts and runners since the Mongol siege of Zhongdu, the hundred people had, over two days, initially mastered the Eight Trigrams Formation from the Wumu’s Military Writings, and under Huang Rong’s guidance, could move flexibly within the formation without getting lost.
With such strength and meticulous deployment, Zhang Wangyue believed that if it weren’t for the “Iron Hawks,” the Fu’an team could handle ordinary forces of over a thousand men. However, the “Iron Hawks” were too formidable, and Zhang Wangyue still dared not be careless.
Hu Yanlei only had a superficial understanding of esoteric arts. Whenever he looked back, he felt the light within the boulder maze was chaotic, and he could not see the figures of the over a hundred people hiding there at all. He was amazed and, conversely, filled with anticipation for the upcoming battle. He was utterly impressed with Huang Rong; at only sixteen or seventeen years old, she was knowledgeable and worthy of being Huang Yaoshi’s daughter.
Huang Rong withdrew her gaze from the Sea Eastern Green circling at low altitude and smiled: “Looking down from above, the mysteries of the formation are laid bare. The Sea Eastern Green should soon attract the ‘Iron Hawks’.”
“That’s right!” Zhang Wangyue nodded.
“However, judging by the time, it should be about time for Head Escort Zhou to return, so I am quite optimistic about this battle.”
“Fortunately, we have Miss Huang.”
Huang Rong smiled charmingly. “Chief Escort, you are too polite. Fu’an saved my life, so I must repay them sincerely. Head Escort is also my good friend, but he is very stubborn. He refused to take me with him when he rescued me outside Shuo Prefecture. Fortunately, I didn’t listen to him.”
Zhang Wangyue smiled slightly. He could see the affection in Huang Rong’s words for Zhou Yan. If Brother Zhou also had feelings for Huang Rong, they would truly be a match made in heaven.
As the three were talking, suddenly dust billowed in the distance. Zhang Wangyue said: “The ‘Iron Hawks’ have arrived.”
Huang Rong said: “Let’s see.”
With the mountain hollow in the distance as the boundary, the first warhorse’s figure leaped out, followed by the second, third, and tenth. In just over ten breaths, the charging cavalry appeared like a vast shadow covering the sky, their thunderous roar tearing through the air and their hooves pounding the ground, coming in a deluge.
The cavalry at the front was like waves of giant surges rising from the tide, giving the impression of being able to push over mountains.
Huang Rong’s face turned a little pale.
She finally understood what Zhang Wangyue meant when he said that confronting the “Iron Hawks” was not a simple contest of martial arts. If the escort team encountered such armored cavalry in an open area, with one charge from the enemy formation, it would likely be over. No one would survive except for someone as skilled in martial arts as Zhou Yan.
Zhang Wangyue took a deep breath. He thought of the Yue Family Army. He had never heard from his father about General Yue leading troops against Western Xia, but the Yue Family Army had repeatedly achieved great victories against the Jin Dynasty’s “Iron Pagoda,” which was as famous as the “Iron Hawks.” This showed the true meaning of General Yue’s leadership: “It is easy to shake mountains, but difficult to shake the Yue Family Army.”
With lofty aspirations, I feast on the flesh of barbarians; with laughter, I drink the blood of the Xiongnu. Glorious, General Yue!
The “Iron Hawks” arrived in an instant and stopped about fifty paces away.
Fine horses from Hexi, cold-forged armor, radiating killing intent.
A general holding a long spear, riding a jet-black Tanlong Treasure Horse, reined in his steed and trotted forward.
“Did you kill my scout?” the general asked in a low voice, his eyes sharp.
“Yes.” Zhang Wangyue held an eight-cornered copper rod, his imposing presence no less than the general’s.
The general glanced at the boulder maze behind Zhang Wangyue, then withdrew his gaze and said: “Hand over the escort cart, and I will leave your body intact.”
“Since death is inevitable, why not take you with me?” Zhang Wangyue said calmly.
Huang Rong cursed: “Shameless! What great ability you have!”
“Heh heh, you’ll find out.” The general gave a defiant smile and said to the burly Cavalry Captain behind him:
“Go and kill him, to honor my scout.”
