Chapter 160: A Man’s Path, Not Defined by Poverty or Success
The evening air carried a chill, and the dirt road and houses were a mix of gray and white.
The Yang family lived by the river, with about a dozen other scattered courtyards nearby.
It was the time when “evening smoke rises, and children are called to close the door,” but within Zhou Yan’s sight, there was no sign of cooking smoke. Perhaps the heads of those households had already entered Zhongdu City, or they had gone to relatives, or even fled the famine.
The Quanzhen Three Masters, Guo Jing, and Zhu Cong saw Zhou Yan off. He cupped his hands and said, “Three Taoist priests, Great Hero Zhu, and Brother Guo, please return.”
“Take care, young friend.”
“Alright.”
Zhou Yan turned and walked against the wind. Based on his understanding of the Legend of the Condor Heroes world and Yang Kang, he reasonably analyzed and boldly speculated, telling Qiu Chuji, Guo Jing, and others about the drastic changes that might occur in Yang Kang’s storyline. The rest would be left to time to verify.
He also had many questions to ponder slowly. What role would Ouyang Feng play in this event? Would the Vajra Sect from the Western Regions launch a large-scale southward invasion due to Wanyan Honglie’s ascension to the throne, leading to a conflict between the Vajra Sect and Shaolin Temple in the martial world?
And then there was the Changfeng Escort Agency.
In his original plan, once Wanyan Honglie left the capital or was assassinated, he would directly attack the Changfeng Escort Agency. Now, due to many unpredictable variables, his strategy would need to be adjusted accordingly.
“Benefactor, please wait.” Suddenly, a voice called from behind. Zhou Yan turned to see Zhu Cong and Guo Jing walking towards him.
Zhou Yan had read Legend of the Condor Heroes and was deeply impressed by Zhu Cong. Besides his “Masterstroke” skill, which even Ouyang Feng admired, he was incredibly intelligent.
“Great Hero Zhu, from now on, you can just call me brother. It’s our duty to draw our swords and help the weak when we encounter injustice. I cannot accept the title of ‘Benefactor’.”
“Alright, Brother Zhou,” Zhu Cong said.
“Second Brother Zhu, are you going to ask about Yang Kang?” Zhou Yan also changed his address accordingly.
“I have one thing I don’t understand.”
“Please speak?”
“Did Yang Kang have the intention to kill the Jin Emperor from the start?”
Zhou Yan carefully chose his words and said, “Taoist Priest Qiu said Yang Kang was greedy for wealth. I believe this was the previous cause. The subsequent cause should be related to everyone asking Yang Kang to cooperate from the inside and outside to kill Wanyan Honglie.”
“But if that were the case, why not use ‘borrowed knife to kill’ more decisively, recruiting more experts? If so, it would be extremely difficult for us to escape today. Yet, he specifically told Jing’er, ‘As long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn’.”
Zhu Cong’s question was also what Guo Jing wanted to know, and he immediately listened attentively.
Zhou Yan said, “What if Yang Kang seeks to achieve his goals through ‘righteousness’ in the future?”
Zhu Cong was stunned, pondered for a long time, and suddenly understood.
Guo Jing didn’t understand the situation and didn’t want to ask. Suddenly, he heard Zhou Yan say, “Brother Guo, a man’s path is his own; do not judge by poverty or prosperity. We shall meet again.”
“Benefactor, travel safely,” Guo Jing said quickly.
“Second Brother Zhu, farewell.”
“Brother Zhou, take care.”
Zhou Yan left. Guo Jing asked, “Second Master, Jing’er didn’t understand what Benefactor said to you.”
Zhu Cong asked, “If events unfold as predicted, and one day we meet Yang Kang again, and he says he wants to kill Wanyan Honglie, while Yang Kang says he is the Crown Prince, the future emperor, and can persuade Wanyan Honglie to implement benevolent governance and treat the people well, and when he ascends the throne, the Jin and Han people will be like brothers. Jing’er, should we kill Wanyan Honglie or not?”
Guo Jing honestly replied, “If that were the case, we shouldn’t kill him, but the revenge for my father’s death cannot be ignored.”
“This is Yang Kang’s brilliance.”
“Will it truly be as Benefactor said?”
“We will have the answer soon.”
“What does ‘a man’s path is his own; do not judge by poverty or prosperity’ mean?”
“As a man, the key lies in the correctness of his actions and conduct, not in judging success or failure by temporary hardship or prominence.”
Zhu Cong sighed, “Actually, Jing’er should have sworn brotherhood with someone like Benefactor.”
“Jing’er will swear brotherhood with Benefactor next time.”
“Silly Jing’er, Benefactor is like a friend of many years with the Taoist priests, and you regard Taoist Priest Qiu and Taoist Master Ma as your masters. Wouldn’t that disrupt the seniority? Let’s go.”
As dusk deepened, an old man and a young man walked towards the Yang family courtyard. Guo Jing, who greatly valued seniority, didn’t dwell on the idea of swearing brotherhood. His mind kept replaying Zhou Yan’s words, “A man’s path is his own; do not judge by poverty or prosperity.”
Zhou Yan continued on his way and arrived at the horse market where Merchant Lu had twice purchased mules and horses.
The shopkeeper of the horse market had already entered the city to take refuge, and all the mules and horses had been sold. In the vast horse market, only a few shop assistants were on duty. Zhou Yan, familiar with the shop assistants, drank and chatted with them. When the night had completely deepened, he borrowed a hemp rope and headed straight for the city wall.
Because the city was sealed off to search for Qiu Chuji and others, the city defense was not tight. He found a secluded spot, tied a slipknot to one end of the hemp rope, and threw it up. With his iron arms and grappling hook skill, after several attempts, he found the feel and accurately hooked onto the battlement.
He climbed up and entered the city without a sound.
…
The lamplight was orange, making the scene in the study of the Zhao Wang Manor after nightfall soft and warm. When the wind blew through the doorway, it swayed the lanterns.
Yang Kang watched as Baoxiang opened the cloth bag and took out the Jin Emperor’s head.
On that face, which looked majestic and somewhat resembled his father’s, there was still a lingering look of fear and shock.
When Zhou Yan returned from his escort mission in Luoyang, Yang Kang had a conversation with Wanyan Honglie in the manor. The Great Jin Prince said that once he held power, Yang Kang’s wealth would be limitless.
Wanyan Honglie also told Yang Kang to pack his belongings and prepare to leave the capital. After their conversation, Yang Kang went to the study to find Baoxiang of the Vajra Sect, and they discussed the assassination of the Jin Emperor.
Baoxiang, a disciple of Huo Gong Toutuo, had a ferocious temperament. His sect was in the Western Regions, far from the emperor’s reach, and he was unrestrained. Yang Kang had once begged Ouyang Feng to save his life. With this previous cause, Baoxiang readily agreed to Yang Kang’s request to assassinate the Jin Emperor, and finally succeeded in one blow.
Yang Kang gazed at the head for a long time and said, “Once the great matter is accomplished and everything is stable, I, as the little prince, will fully support the conflict between Master and Shaolin Temple.”
“Thank you, Little Prince,” Baoxiang said joyfully.
“I have another request. I want to arrange personal guards for my father. May I ask if Master can make an introduction?”
“What difficulty is there in that? Leave it to me, little monk.”
Yang Kang’s plan was clever. After Baoxiang killed the Jin Emperor, he would then request an introduction for personal guards for Wanyan Honglie. If they were from the Vajra Sect, it would completely bind the Western Regions sect to the Zhao Wang Manor.
If they were someone else, Baoxiang would be loyal to him in the future. This was called exchanging trust for loyalty.
Overjoyed, Yang Kang and the monk from the Vajra Sect drank tea and chatted. After finishing a cup of tea, he took his leave to visit Ouyang Feng.
…
On a dark and windy night, Ouyang Feng moved through several residences of the Wanyan imperial clan.
While two princes of the imperial clan were asleep, he respectively pressed their “Fengchi” and “Shufu” mortal points.
The next day, one of the two imperial clan princes had bloodshot eyes, ringing in his ears, and a swollen lump on the back of his head, forming a qi bulge. The qi and blood surged through the acupoints, and the qi bulge exploded, causing his death.
The other prince’s eyes suddenly shed bloody tears. The qi energy transmitted by Ouyang Feng passed through the mortal point and clashed with the qi and blood injected into the “Shufu” acupoint, affecting the “Huagai” and “Tiantu” acupoints above and the “Shenque” and “Qihai” acupoints below. The man’s life force was depleted, and within half a day, he appeared to have aged considerably.
There was no one left in the imperial clan to contend for power with Wanyan Honglie.
The Mongol army was about to reach Zhongdu, leaving no time to delay. Wanyan Honglie had previously traveled to Mongolia and instigated disputes within Genghis Khan’s clan. He was considered shrewd and capable, deeply popular among his clan. He shouldered the mission to turn the tide in the face of crisis and became the Jin Emperor.
Yang Kang got his wish.
The storyline of the Legend of the Condor Heroes world had undergone a huge change.
This deviation, in essence, all originated from Zhou Yan. He encountered Yang Tiexin and Huang Rong at Fengling Ferry on the Yellow River. Yang Tiexin and his daughter settled in Fu’an, and Huang Rong pursued Hou Tonghai to Lin’an.
Without Mu Nianci’s martial arts competition to recruit a husband, Guo Jing met Huang Rong in Zhangjiakou. Truly, “The shimmering ripples ebb and flow, a butterfly’s wings gently stir a slight cause,” a single move affects the whole body. The Jianghu of Legend of the Condor Heroes had all changed, and storms were brewing.
Three days after the Jin Emperor was assassinated, Wanyan Honglie ascended the throne.
In the world of Legend of the Condor Heroes, a Great Jin Prince once told Yang Kang that he would be Li Yuan, and Yang Kang would be Li Shimin.
In the Jianghu that Zhou Yan transmigrated into, everything had come true.
Wanyan Honglie’s ascension also made the stagnant imperial clan appear revitalized. He promoted military officers and deployed city defenses for Zhongdu.
…
When the night stove is set and the wine is warm. Let the flying snow sprinkle the river and sky.
Inside the hall of the Fu’an Escort Agency, the stove burned brightly, and the aroma of wine filled the air.
Zhang Wangyue sighed, “It’s just as Brother Zhou predicted, Wanyan Honglie has become the Jin Emperor.”
“Brother Zhou is as if he has divine foresight.” Huyan Lei then said to Mu Nianci, “Escort Mu is also considered a Jin princess.”
Mu Nianci and Shagu now lived at the escort agency. Wang Kui and Shi Baichuan had not yet returned from their escort mission. With the major changes in Zhongdu City, the four of them gathered together, and their conversation naturally revolved around Yang Kang becoming the Crown Prince.
Mu Nianci was Yang Tiexin’s adopted daughter, and Yang Kang was her sworn brother. Huyan Lei calling her a Jin princess was just a jest.
“Escort Captain Huyan, please don’t tease me,” Mu Nianci said, a little flustered.
Zhou Yan said, “Old Brother Huyan is just joking.”
Mu Nianci said seriously, “Once Zhongdu calms down, my adoptive father and mother will also come to Fu’an.”
“Not going to Niu Family Village?” Zhou Yan asked.
“My adoptive father values righteousness. Being able to reunite with my adoptive mother was all thanks to Fu’an, so why would we leave?”
Zhang Wangyue and Huyan Lei thought of Yang Tiexin’s decade-long search for the Guo family descendants, and they couldn’t help but sigh.
The word “righteousness” was fully embodied in Yang Tiexin.
Huyan Lei changed the subject, “I wonder what’s happening at Changfeng now. Will Helian Chuncheng continue to run the escort agency or defect to Yang Kang?”
This was another variable.
When Zhou Yan and Huyan Lei returned from their escort missions in Luoyang and Kaifeng, Zhang Wangyue, who had scouted Changfeng at night, said that the Changfeng Escort Agency was planning to set up a branch office in Kaifeng Prefecture.
At that time, let alone Helian Chuncheng, even Zhou Yan had not anticipated that Yang Kang would commit regicide.
High or low, noble or humble, everyone is striving. If Helian Chuncheng were to abandon his escort agency now and defect to Yang Kang, it would not be surprising.
“Let’s go and scout around at midnight,” Zhou Yan said.
“I’ll go with Brother Zhou,” Huyan Lei said.
Zhou Yan smiled, “It’s not time to make a move against Changfeng yet. It’s just scouting, Old Brother, you don’t need to worry.”
Huyan Lei chuckled, “Alright then.”
At midnight, Zhou Yan changed into his night-traveling clothes and disappeared into the pitch-black night.
