Chapter 120: Kinship and the White Horse Seeks Its Master
The sunset dimmed the clear sky, and the mountain greens intermingled in light and shadow.
Two groups of people emerged from Cuya Mountain.
One was the Fu’an Escort Agency team, and the other was led by Yang Miaozhen with several hundred people.
The escort team headed for the Huai River, and the troops went to Xinyang.
“Esteemed Head Escorts, Youngest Sister Yang, if you pass by Cuya Mountain on your future escort missions, don’t forget to visit.”
“We certainly will.”
“Until we meet again.”
“See you in the Jianghu.”
Yang Miaozhen, astride a chestnut horse, clasped her hands together.
Zhou Yan saw them off with courtesy, while Hong Niangzi led the team straight to Xian Mountain in Xinyang.
Zhou Yan was not worried about Yang Miaozhen’s current mission; the Hall Master who defected from the Ming Cult had already become a ghost under his saber. The hundreds-strong team’s encirclement and suppression was like a strong autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
As expected, the gains were substantial. Over a hundred mules and horses, along with provisions, were easily obtained.
If Yang Miaozhen were to establish roots in Cuya Mountain in the future, she could discuss with the Chief Escort to deepen their ties.
“Brother Zhou, shall we make another trip to Jingzhou?” Huyan Lei’s sudden words interrupted Zhou Yan’s thoughts.
“It depends on the Chief Escort’s wishes,” Zhou Yan replied with a smile.
“I’ll speak to the Chief Escort.”
“Alright.”
Huyan Lei proposed, “For the past few days since the escort was robbed, everyone has been on edge. Now that we can finally rest easy, let’s take two days to recuperate by the Huai River and wait for the Chief Escort.”
Zhou Yan estimated that Zhang Wangyue would arrive in two to three days and said, “As the Old Brother arranges.”
“Excellent. When we reach the camp, have the runners catch a few fish from the Huai River, and we’ll have a few drinks with Young Master Lu.”
It was perfectly fine for the escort team to rest and await Zhang Wangyue, enjoying a few drinks for pleasure.
…
As the morning sun rose, illuminating the mountains and forests, the coolness of the previous night dissipated. Because they were pushing the escort carts and driving the mules and horses, and there was no rush, the team arrived at the Huai River in the morning.
The escort masters and runners who came to meet them were overjoyed.
Huyan Lei arranged for personnel to set up camp again with the escort carts as defenses, and drove the mules and horses to the banks of the Huai River to graze and build strength.
Zhou Yan asked Liang Xiaowu to fetch wine from the nearby market, and he took his iron bow towards the woods. Lu Beihe, unable to sit still, followed.
As the two walked, the grass and bushes rustled, and Zhou Yan’s eyes lit up.
“Where do you think you’re going, beast?”
He drew his dagger, took a few quick steps, and with a flash of his saber, chopped off the head of a large green snake.
Before Lu Beihe could react, Zhou Yan’s dagger suddenly swung, and with his left hand, he pulled, stripping off the snake’s skin.
The entire sequence was fluid and executed in one go.
Lu Beihe watched, dumbfounded.
Even the Young Master of Zhenwei didn’t know what to say. After a long pause, he remarked, “Brother Zhou has excellent saberplay.”
Zhou Yan chuckled. When he was in the Snake Valley in Xiangyang, he had no idea how many snake skins he had peeled.
“Later, I’ll shoot a pheasant and make ‘Dragon Phoenix Soup’ for Brother Lu to try.”
“I’m in for a treat,” Lu Beihe said, though he inwardly disagreed. He had eaten plenty of snake soup in Kaifeng Prefecture; could it possibly compare to a master chef’s skill?
The Young Master of Zhenwei Escort Agency underestimated Huang Rong’s method of preparing snake soup.
The two wandered through the woods. Zhou Yan shot two pheasants and gathered mushrooms, chrysanthemums, and wild orange leaves.
…
Bundles of firewood were gathered for the campfire, and wild vegetables were arranged on the plates.
Outside the camp, by the banks of the Huai River.
A bowl of snake soup entered the mouth, its taste lingering and infinitely delightful.
Huyan Lei and Wang Kui ate and drank with gusto, exclaiming that the taste surpassed any medicinal snake soup they had ever had. They praised his martial arts for improving and his culinary skills for growing even more.
Lu Beihe truly felt his horizons had been limited.
During the escort team’s travels, such leisure time was rare. Everyone gathered around the campfire, discussing matters and martial arts, and the topic inevitably turned to Yang Miaozhen.
After compliments like “Women are not inferior to men,” they spoke of the current state of affairs, inevitably denouncing the corrupt court in Lin’an Prefecture.
An ordinary escort would fear inviting trouble by speaking such words, but Huyan Lei, Wang Kui, and Yang Tiexin cared little for it, and Lu Beihe even less so.
Wang Kui said, “In these chaotic times, merchants from north and south all need escorts. It’s easy for escort agencies to take on jobs, but escorting them is becoming increasingly difficult.”
“Indeed,” Lu Beihe sighed. “Leader Yang is a heroine, but even so, to expand her forces and improve her strength, she had to rob Fu’an’s escort team. What about other bandits and outlaws?”
“In peaceful times, it’s about connections; in chaotic times, it’s about ability,” Huyan Lei said.
“That’s true,” Lu Beihe said, recalling the incident in Xinye where the escort was almost lost, and felt deeply moved.
“In the future, Fu’an and Zhenwei should support each other,” Huyan Lei proposed.
“Naturally. Brother Zhou mentioned this long ago.”
Zhou Yan said, “In fact, we could also include other escort agencies, large and small, in Kaifeng Prefecture and Daxing Prefecture.”
“What do you mean?” Lu Beihe asked.
“Old Brother Huyan and I once drank at ‘Songhe Tower’ in Zhongdu. He said that the Dragon Gate Escort Agency is the foremost among the escort agencies in Jiangnan. In the Central Plains, and north to Zhongdu, Fu’an and Zhenwei are the top.”
“In terms of strength, that is indeed the case,” Lu Beihe said.
Zhou Yan smiled and said, “I suddenly remembered what Qiu Qianzhang said: ‘When people are united, they can move mountains.’ The Yellow River’s two righteous armies and mountain strongholds were defeated one by one by the Jin soldiers precisely because of their insufficient strength. If a highly respected person were to rally them, and the various righteous armies could unite with one heart, the Jin soldiers wouldn’t have succeeded so easily. Taking this as a lesson, what if Fu’an, Zhenwei, and those other escort agencies with whom we have connections were to become like-minded?”
Lu Beihe, Huyan Lei, Wang Kui, Yang Tiexin, and others fell into thought.
A sudden voice rang out, “Well said!”
Zhou Yan looked over and saw Zhang Wangyue and Mu Nianci approaching in the silver moonlight.
Mu Nianci came closer and said, “The Chief Escort instructed us not to disturb you, so the night watch runners did not make a sound.”
Everyone rose to greet them.
Zhang Wangyue said, “I rushed here with all haste, only to find that the matter of the robbed escort had already been properly handled.”
Zhou Yan replied, “It was all a matter of chance.”
“Escort Mu has already explained the general situation, but if you and Young Master Lu had not stealthily investigated Cuya Mountain last night, there would not have been this happy outcome for everyone.”
After speaking, Zhang Wangyue clasped his fists and said, “Thank you, Young Master, for your righteous assistance.”
Lu Beihe quickly replied, “You are too kind, Chief Escort. Compared to what Brother Zhou did, what I did is hardly worth mentioning.”
“Young Master, please sit. Let’s talk slowly.”
“Alright.”
Zhang Wangyue then asked, “Brother Zhou, what do you see over there?”
Zhou Yan followed Zhang Wangyue’s gaze and saw a horse standing in the night, its whiteness making the moonlight seem dim by comparison.
“Night-Shining Jade Lion?”
“Precisely. The young master who borrowed the horse had left it at the ‘Tongfu Inn.’ That young master hadn’t visited the inn for a long time, and this horse, being intelligent, broke free from its reins and found its way to the escort agency. The innkeeper and shop assistants followed, and upon inquiry, they learned the previous cause, and ‘Night-Shining Jade Lion’ was recovered. This southward journey would not have been so swift to the Huai River without this horse.”
Huyan Lei exclaimed upon hearing this, “In ancient times, there was the idiom ‘an old horse knows the way.’ Today, Brother Zhou’s ‘Night-Shining Jade Lion’ found its owner. It’s truly eye-opening.”
Wang Kui, Yang Tiexin, and the others sighed.
Zhou Yan whistled. “Night-Shining Jade Lion” neighed, its sound echoing across both banks of the Huai River. In the moonlight, the white horse lifted its front hooves and then stomped them down heavily. Its tail flicked, and with its four hooves, its white form broke through the moonlight and rapidly approached Zhou Yan.
He leaped out, and the horse slowed down as it approached. When it reached him, it lowered its head and repeatedly nuzzled his clothes.
“I apologize for the inconvenience at ‘Tongfu Inn,’ but Miss Huang is safe, so don’t worry too much,” he said softly, stroking the ‘Night-Shining Jade Lion’s’ neck.
The horse seemed to have a connection, as if it were a divine condor, and neighed.
Zhang Wangyue walked over and asked, “Brother Zhou, what exactly is the story behind this?”
Zhou Yan sighed, “The young master I met at Fengling Ferry was actually a woman disguised as a man. She returned the horse in Zhongdu. On the Lantern Festival, the person wearing the Earth God mask was her. At that time, Hong Bangzhu and Ouyang Feng fought, and he was hit by a sedan chair pole, sustaining serious injuries. The personal safety escort I protected at Taihu Lake was her.”
The world is vast and full of wonders, but even so, Zhang Wangyue found this unbelievable.
He was stunned for a long time before quickly asking, “How is the young lady’s injury now?”
“She has recovered and is no longer in danger.”
“Excellent!” Zhang Wangyue sighed. “In all my life, the most extraordinary thing I’ve heard and experienced is this matter involving Brother Zhou and that young lady. I believe you and that young lady are destined for further encounters.”
“Heh heh…”
“Let’s go over and talk.”
“Certainly.”
Zhou Yan gently patted ‘Night-Shining Jade Lion,’ and the horse nuzzled his clothes before going to the riverbank to graze on its own.
After they sat down again, Huyan Lei said, “Chief Escort, why not let Brother Zhou accompany the escort?”
“Leader Yang has returned the escort goods, and I am also free. I happen to have some matters to attend to in Lin’an Prefecture. Brother Zhou will accompany me.”
Huyan Lei and Zhou Yan immediately understood.
The Imperial City Guard’s swift runner in Lin’an Prefecture had appeared in Zhongdu, looking for the Chief Escort. At that time, the Chief Escort had said he would visit Lin’an Prefecture when he had the time. Another matter instantly came to Zhou Yan’s mind.
Wanyan Kang and Ouyang Ke’s group were heading to Lin’an Prefecture to steal the Wumu’s Military Writings. Wouldn’t this mean they might encounter each other again?
Huyan Lei knew that Zhang Wangyue’s mission was important and immediately said, “Alright, Brother Zhou will accompany you.”
After he said this, he teased, “Brother Zhou just returned from Taihu Lake, and now you’re going to Jiangnan again.”
“Excellent!” Zhou Yan said with a smile.
…
Being like-minded is difficult to practice, but the intention is far-sighted.
Zhang Wangyue was the Chief Escort of Fu’an, Lu Beihe was the Young Master of Zhenwei, and Zhou Yan had put forward this idea.
With the embers of the night still glowing, Huyan Lei, Wang Kui, and others discussed the feasibility of this suggestion.
As the moon passed its zenith, the sound of a horse troop approached from afar.
The escort agency’s night watch outside the camp sounded the alarm.
Huyan Lei said, “More bandits have arrived.”
The horse troop stopped as it approached the camp. Shortly after, Zhou Yan saw a striking figure in red clothes on a red horse appear.
Why had Leader Yang returned? According to her travel pace, she should still be on her way to Xinyang? Zhou Yan wondered, his gaze sweeping past Yang Miaozhen to look at the two riders accompanying her.
He blinked, suspecting it was an illusion.
The two people riding with Yang Miaozhen were a man and a woman, one tall and one short. The woman wore black clothes, and the man had a long beard.
Qiu Qianchi and Fan Yi Weng.
