Chapter 102: A Hundred Snakes Flee, Unrestrained Rampage
“The escort leader is here.”
Zhou Yan returned to the forest, and the runner Liang Xiaowu came to meet him.
Mei Chaofeng had already mentioned killing the enemy leader when she returned, and the tense atmosphere from before had completely vanished.
“Mm.”
“When do we depart?”
The caravan had stopped precisely to rest. The people weren’t tired in the carriages, but the horses were. Zhou Yan, thinking that the Zhenwei Escort Agency’s team needed to bandage and treat the wounded, and also clean up the bandit corpses, said, “Let the horses graze in the forest. Everyone rest, and we’ll depart after noon.”
“I’ll make another bowl of noodles for the escort leader.”
“Just a meal before departure will suffice.”
“Alright!” Liang Xiaowu was now familiar with Zhou Yan’s personality and knew that his escort leader was a man of his word. He didn’t insist further and began to unharness the horses, driving them into the forest.
Zhou Yan, carrying his sword and bag, went to the riverbank. He found a secluded spot with deep water, took off his blood-stained clothes, washed them clean, and hung them on the river stones to dry. He bathed in the water, then sat on a flat stone on the bank, recalling Lu Beihe’s words.
The Zhenwei Escort Agency was in Kaifeng Prefecture. They frequently traveled south for escort missions and were well-informed. The other party mentioned a group of bandits from Jiangxi active in the Jingxiang area. This must be the same group the Fu’an Escort Agency encountered on their journey through Jingzhou last year.
In that case, Zhang Sanqiang still hadn’t thoroughly investigated this matter.
Emotionally, Zhou Yan was naturally disappointed. He had met Zhang Sanqiang in Xiangyang. Although they had spoken little and were not close, judging by his actions, Zhang Sanqiang could be considered a hero. However, his subordinates committing murder and robbery without investigation showed a lack of grace.
But rationally, there was nothing to complain about. Zhang Sanqiang was currently in a period of preparing for rebellion, moving around and developing followers. It was possible he was too busy. The Ming Cult was eager to develop its strength, and with a mix of people, it was like the Beggars’ Sect; it wasn’t pure and simple. Hong Qigong couldn’t manage everything perfectly.
Zhou Yan then thought about his fight with the bandits. Wielding a spear or a sword, he could handle either weapon with ease. But wielding both a spear and a sword simultaneously lacked any proper technique.
In the future, with the Mongols advancing south, there would be plenty of warfare and conflict. Encountering bandits and rogue soldiers, wielding a spear from horseback would show more might. But trying to engage in combat with both a spear and a sword would be restrictive. He wondered if Old Urchin’s “Left and Right Mutual Combat” could solve this problem. He chuckled. In truth, when reading Legend of the Condor Heroes and Legend of the Condor Heroes, he had always doubted this cultivation technique. No matter how one divided their attention, they couldn’t sprout extra arms. How could one guide energy to perform different techniques with each hand?
Without guiding energy, internal energy could not be externally projected, and fists and kicks would lose their power.
He pondered deeply but couldn’t come to a conclusion. He thought that with his disposition, if he truly had such an opportunity, he probably wouldn’t be able to learn it.
On both sides of the riverbank, new willow shoots hung like curtains, their tender yellow color in the spring sunlight resembling the beaks of sparrows.
Zhou Yan sat cross-legged, silently circulating the Quanzhen Cultivation Method to mobilize his inner qi to temper his meridians and nourish his viscera. As the sun moved across the sky, he used the Intercepting Qi technique to store the gentle qi emanating from Jade Guanyin into the opened meridians and acupoints.
There were fish in the river. Zhou Yan used Quanzhen Swordplay and, after considerable effort, speared several large fish onto the bank. He then found some wild scallions and took them back to the caravan for the runners to handle.
Liang Xiaowu made fish noodle soup. After everyone had eaten, Zhou Yan finished treating Huang Rong’s injuries. He found a spot to regulate his breath. Mei Chaofeng, under the guise of asking about Taoist cultivation methods, opened her mouth and said, “I saw you kill the bandit leader with your claw technique. How did you cultivate it? Your skill is quite good.”
Zhou Yan chuckled inwardly. Mei Chaofeng was clearly extremely curious but still maintained her composure while asking.
“Cultivate qi and return to the origin, following the method of circulating qi, through the arm meridians. Internal energy then erupts from the five fingers—Shaoshang, Shangyang, Zhongheng, Guangchong, and Shaoxuan—projecting outward.”
Mei Chaofeng was stunned and said, “Projecting power from the fingers, nothing is unbreakable, destroying the enemy’s head is like piercing rotten soil. How did you cultivate it?”
“This refers to the perfection of the cultivation technique, where nothing is unbreakable, and one can attack the enemy’s vital points as easily as a finger piercing rotten soil.”
Mei Chaofeng fell silent.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Yan looked at her.
Mei Chaofeng was blind, and her complexion was pale. Zhou Yan couldn’t discern any unusual emotions, but her silence of several breaths was enough to reflect her inner turmoil.
“Nothing’s wrong, you cultivate very well.”
Mei Chaofeng replied perfunctorily and slowly walked towards the carriage, her mind in turmoil. She couldn’t help but mutter, “That scoundrel, we’ve been cultivating the wrong techniques. If we hadn’t misunderstood their meaning, we wouldn’t have made enemies everywhere. The heavens truly can’t stand to see people do well.”
Suddenly, Mei Chaofeng stopped. The escort leader of Fu’an mentioned external projection of internal energy. If she cultivated according to this method, Nine Yin White Bone Claw could certainly be further improved over time. But which meridian did her qi flow through?
Mei Chaofeng hesitated whether to go back and ask again, but Zhou Yan’s voice had already sounded, “Xiaowu, hitch the horses.”
“Got it!”
The four runners busied themselves, and the medicine boy tidied the blankets spread on the ground.
Mei Chaofeng had no choice but to give up, thinking that there was still time until Taihu Lake, and she could ask on the way.
Zhou Yan rode his horse at the front, spear in hand, with Liang Xiaowu behind. They passed the place where the Zhenwei Escort Agency and the bandits had fought. Lu Beihe’s escort team had already departed, and the ground had been cleaned up. In the distance, in the forest, there were signs of freshly turned earth, suggesting that the deceased escort agency runners were buried there.
“The wilderness is full of white bones, and wives wait for their men to not return.” He sighed.
…
Green mountains remain, how many sunsets have turned red.
They traveled from Xinye through Nanyang to the mountains and fields of Xiangyang.
No further incidents occurred along the way.
The sunset hung over the distant mountains, and the carved carriage traveled along the edge of the forest.
Zhou Yan seemed to see the Night-Shining Jade Lion.
The fine horses and the divine condor had fought a battle at the valley entrance ahead.
Back then, when Zhou Yan traveled north from Jingzhou to find Snake Valley, his Yellow Spotted Horse waited for him for many days, grazing alone in the mountain forest. An old horse knows the way, let alone the rather intelligent Yellow Spotted Horse. Before the carved carriage even reached Snake Valley, the Yellow Spotted Horse was already excitedly snorting.
Zhou Yan was also quite excited.
The scene of the Divine Condor helping him repel Gongsun Zhi and Qiu Qianchi was vivid in his mind.
This time, upon meeting the Great Eagle again, they should be able to interact amicably.
Zhou Yan looked up. The desolation of his visit last year was gone. The green mountains were like dark eyebrows, and the green cypresses on the mountains, interspersed at various heights, along with waterfalls, strange rocks, wild flowers, and trees, displayed a brilliant array of colors. White clouds swirled around the distant peaks, each with its unique posture.
Such a scene was refreshing and exhilarating. Huang Rong even lifted the carriage curtain and leaned against the carriage, watching the peaks and ravines that looked like a landscape painting. Mei Chaofeng was blind and didn’t know the way. The medicine boy had good eyesight but didn’t know where they were.
Huang Rong saw clearly and, with her sharp mind, guessed that Zhou Yan’s arrival here was likely related to her injuries.
However, as they traveled, she had also experienced a pattern: when Zhou Yan treated her with inner qi, her essence, qi, and spirit would improve significantly. But after a while, her spirit would weaken again. And this phenomenon was becoming more severe.
To be precise, her life was like a flickering lamp, kept alight by Zhou Yan’s efforts, emitting a faint glow. Her knowledge of human physiology far surpassed Mei Chaofeng’s. Zhou Yan’s kindness was well-intentioned, but it only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. Over time, with insufficient Yuan Qi, Zong Qi, Ying Qi, and Wei Qi, and the meridians atrophying, she would turn into a dwarf and an ugly monster.
Huang Rong mused in this way. She saw Zhou Yan’s goodwill, but even with her sharp intellect, she couldn’t guess how Zhou Yan intended to treat her.
With two different sets of thoughts, Huang Rong’s and Zhou Yan’s, the carved carriage stopped in a mountain forest near Snake Valley.
Capturing Pusi Snakes in Snake Valley to obtain their gallbladders to treat Huang Rong would not be a matter of a few days. Zhou Yan instructed Liang Xiaowu to set up camp.
He was familiar with the surrounding terrain. He took some rough paper and drew a general map, marking where water could be obtained. He handed the sketch to the other party. He also gave some instructions to Mei Chaofeng, then took two signal flares, slung his quiver over his shoulder, held his sword, and carried a saddlebag containing snake repellent medicine and an earthen jar into Snake Valley.
The valley was deep and the forest was secluded. When the wind blew, the bushes and green grass rustled, as if thousands of snakes were moving around. Zhou Yan proceeded with practiced ease, guiding energy with his intent and amplifying his hearing.
After walking for about three li, the setting sun turned the cliff on his left into a dazzling golden yellow. A faint rustling sound came from nearby. He followed the sound and looked. On a bush about ten zhang away, a Pusi Snake, slightly thicker than a thumb, raised its triangular tongue, already in a defensive posture.
Zhou Yan observed his surroundings. He saw no other snakes. He turned back and slowly approached with his sword. The snake flicked its scarlet tongue rapidly, probing the air countless times in the blink of an eye. Then, before Zhou Yan’s eyes, it dropped from the entwined branches and was about to flee into the depths of the bushes.
Zhou Yan was quick. He moved like an agile ape through the forest. With a “crack,” his sword sheath struck the Pusi Snake’s seven inches. The snake immediately collapsed on the ground.
He didn’t rush to take the snake. He expanded his search range. After walking only three or four zhang, between the roots and stems of broad-leaved ferns, two Pusi Snakes tumbled and slithered for a while, fleeing in haste.
Zhou Yan reacted.
Guo Jing ate Liang Zi Weng’s Big Treasure Snake, and when he reached Peach Blossom Island, the snake slaves under Western Venom’s command and their hundred snakes avoided him. He was now facing a similar situation.
It was hard to say he was immune to all poisons, but he could certainly counteract snake venom.
The previous attack in Snake Valley was likely related to the vitality of the Pusi Snakes. That wrist-thick, sentient large snake had strong resistance. The insignificant Pusi Snakes he faced now could only retreat.
Zhou Yan’s spirits soared. He could move freely in Snake Valley.
Today, I checked the data, and the first subscription exceeded a thousand. I am extremely grateful to all the great readers who subscribed and supported me. There’s nothing more to say. I will try my best to add more chapters tomorrow, and I will definitely have a massive update on Saturday to express my gratitude.
