Chapter 108: Iron Palm Lotus Leaves the Valley, Fireworks in March Jiangnan
The scarlet clouds burned in the sky, and Gongsun Zhi’s heart was also ablaze with a fire.
He had never imagined the scene before his eyes.
The Valley of Unfeeling was isolated from the world, and outsiders could hardly find it. How did this little thief track them here?
The little thief was eloquent and loved to sow discord. He didn’t know what he had said to Qiu Qianchi.
Gongsun Zhi was uneasy, but with the Old Valley Master present, he dared not act rashly.
He landed beside Qiu Qianchi and said, “Miss Qiu, is this little thief and his group a problem for you?”
Qiu Qianchi was skilled at hiding her emotions. After Zhou Yan’s sincere advice in the mountains and fields of Xiangyang, she reflected on her initial intentions for venturing into the Jianghu. Her heart stirred with emotion, and she said she wouldn’t make things difficult for Zhou Yan. However, her words shifted, giving Gongsun Zhi a way to save face.
When Gongsun Zhi asked, Qiu Qianchi replied, “It’s fine, Valley Master, you don’t need to worry.”
“Then I can rest assured. This little thief is cunning.”
Qiu Qianchi nodded but said no more.
Seeing this, Gongsun Zhi felt it inappropriate to ask further and could only act according to the situation.
The Old Valley Master glanced at Zhou Yan and said, “This valley is isolated from the outside world, and our disciples live in peace. A guest has come to the valley and injured my disciple. May I ask why?”
Zhou Yan only half-believed the other party. Although his memory of the Divine Condor world wasn’t perfect, he knew some of the history of the Valley of Unfeeling. They had migrated from the Tang Dynasty’s Tianbao era and had lived here ever since. When Qiu Qianchi arrived at the Valley of Unfeeling, an enemy had come to their door. If not for Iron Palm Lotus’s timely intervention, the valley would have been wiped out. If they truly lived in peace, why would they have enemies?
This thought flashed through his mind. Zhou Yan said, “The reason for all this started with Miss Qiu. However, Miss Qiu is righteous, and the misunderstandings between me and some people in the valley had already been resolved. Unexpectedly, some people in the valley captured a Strange Eagle that had been kind to me, so I acted to help the Strange Eagle escape. However, people from the valley then captured my companion, which is why I pursued them here.”
Upon hearing this, Old Valley Master Gongsun looked at Qiu Qianchi.
Iron Palm Lotus said, “This is indeed true, but I am unaware of what has happened recently.”
Old Valley Master Gongsun asked Gongsun Zhi in a deep voice, “Is this true?”
“It is indeed so.”
“Nonsense, release them at once.”
Gongsun Zhi did not dare to disobey and said to the valley disciples behind him, “Bring them here.”
Two disciples in green robes quickly departed. Zhou Yan said to Old Valley Master Gongsun, “Thank you.”
“The fault lies with the valley. Guests need not be polite.”
“You’re welcome!” Zhou Yan observed that Old Valley Master Gongsun’s complexion was sallow and expressionless, making it difficult to discern anything from their conversation. However, he surmised that with Qiu Qianchi present, no underhanded tactics would be employed. He then went to Fan Yi Weng’s side and said, “I apologize for my rudeness earlier. I am sorry.”
As he spoke, the runner sheathed his straight saber. Fan Yi Weng cupped his hands and, without saying much, walked to Gongsun Zhi’s side and stood there dejectedly.
Old Valley Master Gongsun said, “Today’s events are truly the valley’s fault. It is best that the guests can resolve this matter peacefully.”
“Indeed.”
“From today onwards, the valley will no longer trouble the Strange Eagle, and we hope the guests will strictly guard the valley’s secrets to avoid being disturbed by curious individuals.”
“Valley Master, please rest assured, I will keep my mouth shut.”
Huang Rong thought to herself, *You’ll keep your mouth shut, but I won’t. My father loves exotic flowers and plants, so I must tell him.*
The Old Valley Master was unaware of Zhou Yan’s clever reply or Huang Rong’s thoughts. He said, “It is best that all misunderstandings are resolved. It is getting late, guests might as well stay the night.”
Zhou Yan cupped his hands and said, “I have urgent matters to attend to and cannot stay long. Please forgive me, Valley Master.”
“Since that is the case, guests are free to do as they please.”
As they exchanged words, Gongsun Zhi and Qiu Qianchi did not interject.
During the time it took to drink a cup of tea, two valley disciples arrived with Liang Xiaowu and the Medicine Boy.
The Medicine Boy was young and his emotions were evident on his face. The runner, however, was mature and said to Zhou Yan, “We are fine.”
Zhou Yan nodded.
Liang Xiaowu brought the Medicine Boy to stand behind him.
“Thank you, Valley Master, for your righteousness. I bid you farewell.”
“You’re welcome. Yi Weng, escort the guests.”
Qiu Qianchi suddenly said, “This matter ultimately started because of me. Yi Weng and I will escort the Head Escort out of the valley.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
After Zhou Yan spoke, he cupped his hands to the Old Valley Master and said, “Farewell!”
“Guests, please go slowly.”
Zhou Yan did not linger. Mei Chaofeng carried Huang Rong on her back, and the group departed.
Gongsun Zhi watched Zhou Yan and the others gradually move away and said, “Father, you’re just letting them go?”
“What do you want?” The Old Valley Master said, “How much older are you than this young man? Your actions are not as shrewd as his. Let me ask you, how did this young man track us here? How did he enter the valley? Did he have any backup plans? And regarding the eagle the young man mentioned, if the beast has intelligence, how do we know it isn’t being kept by an expert? You are in charge of the valley’s affairs, how can you act so rashly?”
“Father’s teachings are correct.”
“This young man knows when to advance and when to retreat; he is better than you. Zhi’er, you should reflect.”
“Yes!” Gongsun Zhi replied, but his heart harbored even more resentment towards Zhou Yan.
…
As dusk began to fall, Zhou Yan and Qiu Qianchi descended together, reaching the stream.
Fan Yi Weng prepared to share a boat with Zhou Yan.
Huang Rong chuckled and said, “Long-bearded fellow, come here.”
Fan Yi Weng grumbled, “What do you want?”
“I want to reason with you. Are you afraid?”
Fan Yi Weng said angrily, “What am I afraid of?”
“Then come over.”
“I’m coming!” Fan Yi Weng leaped onto the small boat where Huang Rong was.
Zhou Yan, the runner, and Qiu Qianchi shared a boat. Qiu Qianchi rowed, and they moved away from the shore.
“How did you find this valley?”
“The runner had lime on him and left traces along the way, so we tracked you here.”
Qiu Qianchi was stunned for a moment. Recalling Zhou Yan’s past tactic of tying lime bags to arrows to attack people, she smiled bitterly, “You seem to like doing this.”
“If the world were peaceful, escorts would rely on relationships when transporting goods, and there would be no need for this. But in these chaotic times, long-distance escorts are plagued by bandits, and few people show mercy. To protect the goods and preserve our lives, we must have some extraordinary methods.”
“That makes some sense. How did you enter the valley?”
“We came from the cliff top and used rope descent.”
Qiu Qianchi remembered the scene of Zhou Yan escaping from a cliff in the mountains and fields of Xiangyang. He indeed possessed such skills.
“Will Miss Qiu remain in the valley from now on?”
“Speak your mind.”
Zhou Yan no longer spoke to Qiu Qianchi about Gongsun Zhi not being a good person, as saying too much would only be met with annoyance.
“The Old Valley Master said that the Gongsun lineage migrated here and has lived here for a long time.”
“Yes, it’s been over a hundred years.”
“What is the Old Valley Master’s name?”
“Gongsun Li.”
“The Gongsun Old Valley Master’s lineage has lived in seclusion in the valley for over a hundred years, so they have naturally cut off ties with collateral relatives. But Miss Qiu still has parents and siblings; you must go out of the valley to visit relatives.”
Qiu Qianchi’s thoughts stirred. Her martial arts were taught by her second brother, but she was emotionally close to her eldest brother. Her pursuit of Sun Buer was also because of her eldest brother. If she had time, she would go see her eldest brother and tell him about her settling in the Valley of Unfeeling. An elder brother is like a father; she would listen to her eldest brother’s opinion.
Thinking this, she said, “I will indeed go out of the valley to visit.”
“Very good.”
Having said this, Zhou Yan said no more on the topic.
The two small boats flowed downstream at an astonishing speed. In half an hour, they exited the canyon. When the view opened up, they had reached the stream valley where everyone had climbed the cliff.
Zhou Yan and the others disembarked from the boats. He thanked them and departed.
Dusk gathered. At the valley entrance, they hitched the horses and carriages in the woods and headed straight for the Snake Valley camp.
…
The bean lamp flickered like a firefly. Qiu Qianchi was in a stone room, studying a cultivation technique, when Gongsun Zhi entered with ginseng soup.
“How about you study the cultivation technique after drinking the ginseng soup, Miss Qiu?”
“Thank you, Valley Master Gongsun.”
“It’s a small matter, not worth mentioning.”
Qiu Qianchi took the soup bowl and stirred it slowly with a spoon, when she heard Gongsun Zhi say, “How did that little thief and his group track you here?”
“The runner had lime on him and left traces along the way.”
Gongsun Zhi suddenly realized, “That runner must have learned that technique from the little thief.”
Qiu Qianchi did not respond.
“But how did that little thief enter the valley? There are clearly no boats on the water route.”
“They traveled along the cliff top and used rope descent.”
“Cunning and treacherous,” Gongsun Zhi said indignantly. “Given that little thief’s nature, he must have stirred up trouble and said a lot of gossip.”
“No.”
Gongsun Zhi looked at Qiu Qianchi in surprise, then his expression returned to normal.
Iron Palm Lotus put down the porcelain bowl and said to Gongsun Zhi, “Since arriving in the valley, I haven’t seen any strangers. Today, their intrusion reminds me of my elder brother. I should leave the valley that day to see my elder brother.”
Gongsun Zhi instinctively wanted to stop her, but thinking of her resolute nature, he said apologetically, “The valley is busy, and I have neglected this matter. Let Yi Weng accompany you.”
Qiu Qianchi nodded, “That’s fine!”
The stars shifted, and the sun and moon alternated.
Two days later, Zhou Yan, Huang Rong, Mei Chaofeng, and the others arrived at the Snake Valley camp. Qiu Qianchi was also there at this time, and she left the Valley of Unfeeling with Fan Yi Weng.
…
“Brother Eagle, we meet again.”
With the disturbance from the Valley of Unfeeling disciples gone, Zhou Yan saw the majestic Divine Condor upon entering the Snake Valley.
Huang Rong had consumed snake gallbladders and could now circulate her qi to relax her muscles and activate her collaterals. Zhou Yan thought about staying for another day or two to collect more snake gallbladders before heading south to Taihu Lake.
Reuniting with the condor, he greeted it.
“Caw!” The condor replied with a cry and gently flapped its wings.
“I want to collect some snake gallbladders. Would you like to accompany me?”
The Great Eagle was very pleased.
As they traveled together, Zhou Yan said, “The people from the Valley of Unfeeling will no longer harass you, Brother Eagle. You can rest assured from now on.”
“Caw.”
“Brother Eagle, I have had a fortunate encounter and am not afraid of snake venom. How about we cooperate? You lure the large snakes, and I will seize the opportunity to kill them?”
The Divine Condor stopped, its scarlet eyes gazing for a long time. It nodded and let out a “Caw.”
…
Shade covered the ground, and the sun was high at noon.
Zhou Yan and the Divine Condor reached the depths of the Snake Valley.
Along the way, neither the condor nor the human had any intention of harming the small snakes.
This part of the valley was deep and secluded, and the air was filled with the scent of decaying leaves and soil.
The Divine Condor flapped its wings, signaling Zhou Yan to stop. He moved about ten feet away and stood under a tree with dense foliage.
For the first time in his life, he was scheming against a beast, and he felt a bit excited.
The Divine Condor moved forward several yards, cawing continuously. In just over ten breaths, a fishy smell spread through the air, and more than ten large poisonous snakes emerged.
Zhou Yan was overjoyed. Holding his Qinggang Sword, he moved swiftly.
With One Sword, Three Purities, three large poisonous snakes were struck at their Seven Inches by the sword sheath and collapsed on the ground. He moved again, his sword styles continuous, stabbing each large poisonous snake to the ground, far more efficiently than the Divine Condor.
In less than a moment, more than ten large poisonous snakes met their demise.
Zhou Yan used a dagger to extract two purple snake gallbladders and put them into an earthen jar, then threw the large snakes to the Divine Condor.
“Brother Eagle, catch!”
The condor’s head shot out, its beak striking like lightning. Two large poisonous snakes were swallowed by the Divine Condor one after another.
The man and the condor cooperated with tacit understanding.
After Zhou Yan packed the snake gallbladders, he stood up and said, “Brother Eagle, I have urgent matters to attend to and cannot stay long. I will visit you again when I have free time.”
The Divine Condor tilted its head up, let out three loud cries, and slowly walked to Zhou Yan’s side, extending its wing to pat him gently on the shoulder a few times.
“A gentleman’s word is his bond.”
Zhou Yan stroked his back. The Divine Condor cried a few times, clearly reluctant to part.
A gentle breeze and the warm glow of the setting sun. Zhou Yan left the Snake Valley and arrived at the camp. Over the past two days, he had gained a great harvest, collecting over thirty purple snake gallbladders, enough for Huang Rong to take along the way to regain her vitality.
Liang Xiaowu had already hitched the horse carriage as Zhou Yan had instructed.
The carriage rumbled, and the horses whinnied. The carved carriage departed, and the Divine Condor cried out in farewell. Huang Rong lifted the carriage curtain. It was the first time she had seen the Great Eagle, and she was quite surprised by its ugly yet strange appearance. She had many wild thoughts, imagining that if Zhou Yan were to escort goods in the future with the Great Eagle accompanying him, it would be truly majestic, and its momentum alone would make ordinary bandits retreat three miles.
After a night of travel, Zhou Yan arrived at the Xiangyang wharf as the dawn light was faint.
While he was hiring a large boat, Huang Rong had the Medicine Boy buy writing materials. As the carriage was being loaded onto the boat, Zhou Yan completed his qi interception treatment. Huang Rong took a snake gallbladder and circulated her qi to relax her muscles and activate her collaterals, then began to transcribe the cultivation technique she had obtained from the Valley of Unfeeling from memory.
