Chapter 1: Li Mochou’s First Steps
Dusk descended, and the clear, beautiful scenery was instantly obscured by dark clouds, shrouding the distant mountains and nearby waters in a mist and rain. As the rain intensified, water droplets fell like a beaded curtain from the eaves along the old tiles of the eatery. The rainwater rippling on the bluestone ground mirrored Zhou Yan’s mood at that moment.
Two sets of memories, like intertwined, cold, and biting rain, slapped wildly across his face.
One was about his past life.
After graduating from university, he became a delivery rider in the bustling world of food delivery. It was during a moment of thunder and lightning, wind and rain, that an out-of-control electric vehicle struck him, leading to this transmigration.
His current profession is that of an escort, commonly known as an escort or escort, employed by the Fu’an Escort Agency in Daxing Prefecture, Zhongdu, Jin Dynasty.
The original owner shared the same surname. His parents had passed away early. At seventeen years old, his ancestors were from the lineage of the martial arts master Iron Arms Zhou Tong. He was skilled in “Yanqing Fist” and “Taizu Long Fist.”
Zhou Tong was renowned for his archery. The original owner possessed a strong physique, exceptional arm strength, and was proficient in archery, having been promoted as the youngest escort in the agency.
“Yanqing Fist” and “Taizu Long Fist” were widely circulated. Even street performers would first demonstrate these techniques to attract onlookers before showcasing their eye-catching stunts for tips. However, the original owner had achieved profound mastery in both styles. Zhou Yan recalled that in Tianlong Babu, Qiao Feng once used “Taizu Long Fist” to contend with various heroes at Juxian Village.
The transmigration occurred in the morning. A clap of thunder, and souls exchanged. He spent the entire day adapting to this body and integrating the memories.
Relying on some memories from the original owner’s travels across the land, Zhou Yan confirmed that he had likely arrived in Mr. Jin’s Legend of the Condor Heroes world.
This was because the Beggars’ Sect and Quanzhen Sect, as well as the Eastern Heretic and Western Venom, were present. The original owner had traveled to Hengyang for an escort mission and had also heard about the Iron Palm Sect Leader Qiu Qianren “annihilating the Hengshan Sect.” However, Zhou Yan was unsure of the exact timeline.
The only thing he could ascertain was that the Jin Dynasty had not yet reached its decline, suggesting it might be the early period of Legend of the Condor Heroes.
Drawing upon fragmented memories of Mr. Jin’s Condor Trilogy, Zhou Yan roughly deduced that if his assessment was correct, the “Middle Finger Peak” of Iron Palm Mountain held the Wumu’s Military Writings. The Ancient Tomb on Zhongnan Mountain housed the Nine Yin Manual. Little Dragon Girl was undoubtedly a child. Li Mochou might still be cultivating martial arts in the Ancient Tomb, or perhaps she was already roaming the Jianghu, but she certainly hadn’t yet become the Red Practicing Fairy.
Furthermore, the Huo Gong Toutuo of Shaolin Temple should have reached the Western Regions. Whether Hundred Loss Taoist was present at this time was uncertain, but the Lankāvatāra Sūtra in the Sutra Depository of Shaolin Temple definitely contained the Nine Yang Manual. Near Xiangyang, there was also Dugu Qiubai’s Sword Tomb, though he couldn’t recall its exact location clearly.
In this martial world of “Half a lifetime of rivers and mountains, half a lifetime of love, heroes emerge at the Huashan Sword Discussion,” having transmigrated, Zhou Yan was unwilling to live an ordinary life. From the original owner’s memories, he saw a world of…
Chaotic times, rampant bandits, lives as cheap as ants. Even if he couldn’t become a great hero for the country and its people, being a wandering knight for friends and neighbors would suffice. Alternatively, martial arts were the foundation for survival in this world, especially for him, who was currently an escort.
Zhou Yan’s thoughts snapped back to reality.
The Fu’an Escort Agency was located in Changxing Prefecture, the capital of the Jin Dynasty. The agency handled various types of escorts, including letter escorts, silver escorts, grain escorts, and personal safety escorts. Letter escorts were for correspondence. Silver escorts were for money. Grain escorts were for food. Personal safety escorts, as the name suggested, were for protecting individuals.
Zhou Yan had only recently been promoted to escort. This trip was a letter escort mission to Guanzhong, with no significant risks. He was traveling alone. On the return journey, as he neared Datong Prefecture, the weather changed drastically, forcing him to seek temporary shelter at the eatery.
There were many rules in the escort business, such as the “three prohibitions” for escorts:
Do not stay in newly opened establishments. Do not stay in establishments that have changed ownership. Do not stay in brothels. There were also numerous other detailed regulations, such as not meddling in affairs while on an escort mission, sleeping fully clothed when staying at an inn, and keeping weapons close at all times.
The original owner’s ability to become the youngest escort at the agency at seventeen years old was not only due to his martial arts talent but also his meticulous and rigorous personality, adhering strictly to regulations throughout his journeys.
When traveling, there are always mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people. The original owner had also made numerous preparations, such as…
Zhou Yan touched the bag of lime powder mixed with ginger powder in his bosom with his right hand, then glanced at the quiver standing in the corner. He sighed inwardly, realizing that from this day forward, this Zhou Yan was not the same Zhou Yan. It truly echoed Red Practicing Fairy Li Mochou’s frequent lament, “Wind and moon, heartless, people secretly change.”
The heavy rain obstructed Zhou Yan, and also halted the hurried footsteps of pedestrians.
Suddenly, a crisp, sweet voice rang out, “Waiter, bring a few of your signature dishes and a pot of good tea.”
Zhou Yan followed the sound with his gaze. The woman who spoke had just removed her conical hat. She appeared to be around eighteen years old, dressed in a flowing green gown, with a white jade belt as wide as a palm cinched at her waist. Her demeanor was charming, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks flushed, and her skin fair and smooth.
“What a beautiful young lady,” Zhou Yan exclaimed inwardly. He then shifted his attention away from the woman, listening to the sounds of the wind and rain, and drank his tea, waiting for the downpour to subside.
As the sky grew hazy, the sound of hooves thundered. Zhou Yan saw over a dozen riders emerge from the rain and mist through the window. They stopped as they approached the eatery.
Four of them dismounted with agile movements, each wielding an iron whip, a short axe, a long saber, and a flower spear. Their voices carried in as they entered.
“In all my years of traveling north and south, I’ve never seen such a charming young lady. No wonder Young Master Ouyang took a liking to her,” said the tall, thin man holding the flower spear.
“Second Brother is right. That woman has the beauty to sink fish and fall geese, and it’s rare that she’s still a virgin. But that girl is quite skilled; she actually managed to escape. What a pity,” said the black-clothed big man with the axe. He spoke of their wicked act of abduction as if discussing an everyday, trivial matter.
The man with the iron whip said, “Don’t diminish the might of the Yellow River Four Ghosts. I think that girl’s martial arts are also mediocre. She merely took advantage of our lapse in attention. If we encounter her again…”
Suddenly, all conversation ceased. The Yellow River Four Ghosts, who had entered the eatery, stared intently at the woman in green.
Zhou Yan racked his brain but couldn’t recall any figures named the Yellow River Four Ghosts from the Legend of the Condor Heroes world. However, the “Young Master Ouyang” they mentioned might be the lecherous Ouyang Ke. A thought struck him: could the woman they were talking about be Huang Rong?
As the Yellow River Four Ghosts turned their gaze towards the woman in green, his heart sank. He had guessed wrong. This woman was in grave danger.
Among the patrons seeking refuge in the eatery were merchants from the south and north, as well as figures from the Jianghu. Zhou Yan overheard someone at the next table whisper, “Those are disciples of the renowned martial artist Ghost Gate Dragon King Sha Tongtian: Soul Severing Blade Shen Qinggang, Life Chasing Spear Wu Qinglie, Soul Seizing Whip Ma Qingxiong, and Doom Axe Qian Qingjian. It’s a pity for this woman, being targeted by those four.”
“Help her or not?”
“Can we afford to offend the Ghost Gate Dragon King?”
Zhou Yan clearly heard the conversation. So, they were disciples of Sha Tongtian. They were sworn enemies of Guo Jing when he first entered the Jianghu.
As he thought this, Doom Axe Qian Qingjian burst into laughter, “Haha, this is what they mean by a narrow road in the Jianghu. Little lady, we meet again.”
The woman was undaunted. She clenched her right hand, gripping the long sword placed on the table. Her almond-shaped eyes widened, “In broad daylight, bullying the weak and oppressing the innocent, is there no law?”
Life Chasing Spear Wu Qinglie sneered, “The law you speak of, is it the law of the Great Song or the Great Jin?”
The woman’s lack of experience in the Jianghu left her momentarily speechless.
Soul Severing Blade, being more seasoned, said, “Our four brothers were unable to subdue you earlier. We fear you might be from a prestigious sect. State your name. We are also well-known figures in the Jianghu. If we recognize your sect, we will let you go.”
“I am Li Mochou from Zhongnan Mountain. I am not afraid of you.”
Zhou Yan nearly choked on his tea.
Red Practicing Fairy Li Mochou? This was not the expected narrative.
He thought carefully and began to understand. Li Mochou must have just entered the Jianghu, traveling south from Zhongnan Mountain. She happened to encounter Ouyang Ke, who was lustful. The Yellow River Four Ghosts then conceived the idea of capturing Li Mochou as a gift to curry favor.
Soul Seizing Whip Ma Qingxiong heard this and asked, “Are you a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect?”
Li Mochou scoffed, “Who cares about the Quanzhen Sect.”
“If you are not a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect, then do not blame us brothers for resorting to force.” Soul Severing Blade Shen Qinggang’s heart settled. He addressed the other patrons, “Let’s speak openly and handle matters behind closed doors. When traveling, one seeks wealth and profit. Today, my brothers are acting, so please give us some convenience. Harmony brings wealth.”
As Soul Severing Blade finished speaking, everyone scrambled to their feet and rushed outside. At this point, they no longer cared about the heavy rain, wanting only to get as far away from this trouble as possible.
Through the curtain of rain, eight or nine men in tight-fitting clothes outside surrounded the eatery.
Zhou Yan remained still. With the original owner’s martial arts, dealing with the Yellow River Four Ghosts would not be a problem. Since Li Mochou had just entered the Jianghu and was in such dire straits, how could he stand by and do nothing?
In an instant, only the Yellow River Four Ghosts, Li Mochou, and Zhou Yan remained in the eatery, six people in total.
Li Mochou looked at Zhou Yan.
The young man’s face was chiseled, his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes exuded heroic spirit.
“Hey, why aren’t you leaving? You’ll get hurt when the fight starts.”
Doom Axe Qian Qingjian inwardly mocked Li Mochou, thinking that since this young man wasn’t leaving, he must have some backing. However, he didn’t believe Zhou Yan could make much of a difference, given his age.
“Grandpa will send you on your way.” Qian Qingjian strode forward and reached out to grab him. Zhou Yan extended his left hand simultaneously, firmly grasping the opponent’s fingers. With a pull and a drag, he swiftly retreated.
He already possessed immense arm strength. Qian Qingjian, caught off guard, was directly pulled up and landed on the table with a “bang.” Zhou Yan lightning-fast drew a dagger and stabbed him in the waist.
“Be careful!”
Wu Qinglie’s warning came too late. He attacked Zhou Yan with his spear. Li Mochou reached out and slapped the table. The square table silently shifted and then flew up, smashing towards Life Chasing Spear.
