Chapter 171: A Palm Crushes the Heart, Huang Rong Seeks Treasure
“Stages for dancing, pavilions for singing, their splendor is all swept away by the wind and rain.”
The lights were as bright as day in the meeting hall, and the steward of the Changfeng Escort Agency sighed.
Although it had changed its appearance, the Sihai Escort Agency had become the Zhongdu Branch of the Changfeng Escort Agency. However, Lei Luo, who had regained his position as Boss and resumed his identity as the Boss, also lamented, “That’s right. The Jin Dynasty is advancing south, with a galaxy of famous generals. Yan Zongbi, Yan Yinwuke, Yan Zongwang, Yan Zonghan, and others, who were not all heavenly prodigies, with ambitions like tigers, have now fallen to the point where Zhongdu is no longer secure, and their power is declining.”
Lei Luo changed the subject, “Fortunately, the Emperor and the Crown Prince are both talented, and there is still hope to turn the tide.”
The steward smiled, “Indeed, when the Little Prince visited the escort agency back then, I felt he was extraordinary just by looking at him. Setting aside his martial arts cultivation for the moment, he was kind, respectful, frugal, and courteous, loyal, filial, brave, and righteous. Fu’an has been eliminated, and Changfeng is the sole dominant force in Zhongdu. The Big Boss must be pleased, and Changfeng can also gather intelligence on the Mongolian army. Perhaps the Boss will be appreciated by the Crown Prince and gain fame.”
The steward of the Changfeng Escort Agency was transferred from Datong Prefecture. He was meticulous in his work, a good accountant, and possessed considerable martial arts skills. Lei Luo now managed the Zhongdu Branch, so he and the steward had no secrets from each other.
Lei Luo greatly appreciated the steward’s words, but he said, “It is enough to see the escort agency flourish and the escort business prosper throughout the land.”
“You are too modest, Boss.”
“What do you think is happening with Fu’an now?” Lei Luo asked.
The steward replied, “It should be over soon.”
Suddenly, in the courtyard outside the meeting hall, someone drew a saber.
“Who is it?”
“Someone who wants your life.”
“Ah!”
With a “bang,” someone seemed to be thrown out.
The steward was startled and hurried to the window. The carved window exploded in an instant, and a figure lunged in like a fierce tiger, thrusting a sharp spear.
The steward retreated, raising his hand and sending the wooden table in the hall flying towards the lunging figure. The thunderous sounds were like a storm. The thick wooden table was shattered into pieces by Huyan Lei’s Tiger Head Hammered Gold Spear, scattering in different directions.
The spearhead, as wide as a palm, pierced through.
The steward instinctively raised his hand, and the spear pierced his arm, passing through and shattering it. The spearhead then pierced his shoulder.
Huyan Lei pushed with his right hand, and the steward was pinned to the wall by the spear.
Lei Luo’s cry of “Ah” was choked in his throat as the lamplight flickered, and Zhou Yan appeared in his sight.
“It’s you… Zhou… Zhou Yan.”
“That’s right!” Zhou Yan chuckled in a low voice. As he replied, the sounds of fighting had already spread throughout the courtyard of the Changfeng Escort Agency.
For more than a year, the Fu’an escorts and runners, under Zhou Yan’s encouragement, had practiced diligently. They had also learned the art of joint attacks from Zhang Wangyue, and had long since undergone a transformation.
Although Fu’an was named an escort agency, its strength had surpassed that of gangs like the Yellow River Gang.
Mu Nianci and Liang Xiaowu led over thirty people in the attack. First, a large number of arrows, bone-piercing nails, and iron caltrops were used to kill. Mu Nianci and others with high cultivation fought individually, while the remaining two or three teamed up, throwing fishing nets, scattering lime, and attacking with sabers and spears. The escorts and runners of the Changfeng Zhongdu Branch were routed.
Lei Luo heard the increasingly fierce screams from all the courtyards. His body trembled, but he suppressed his fear and said, “Don’t do anything rash. You are about to provoke a full-scale conflict between Changfeng and Fu’an. The Young Master is on good terms with the current Crown Prince, and Ouyang Feng, the Western Venom, is also a guest of the escort agency.”
“Did Helian Chuncheng hire assassins to besiege and kill me and the Fu’an escort team at the Tong Pass wharf on the Yellow River?”
Lei Luo was stunned.
Zhou Yan caught the fleeting change in the other’s expression and knew that the other party was completely unaware of Helian Chuncheng’s actions. He didn’t need to ask further. He struck the opponent’s chest at the “Shanzhong” acupoint with his right palm using the “Heart Crushing Palm.”
The Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian connects to the “Shanzhong Acupoint” and branches out to the pericardium. Zhou Yan struck down with his palm, and his immense internal force surged through this meridian, crashing into Lei Luo’s pericardium and shattering his heart.
One palm strike to crush the heart.
“Old Brother, clean up the escorts and runners outside and then leave.”
Huyan Lei drew his spear, the spear edge slicing through the steward’s throat. Blood splattered onto the white wall.
“Just leave like this? Shouldn’t we search for some cultivation techniques?” Huyan Lei asked.
“Xiaowu will handle the aftermath.”
Huyan Lei laughed heartily, “That’s the spirit.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yan’s figure shot out like a roc. His Qingfeng Sword was unsheathed, and he joined the battle at extreme speed. The sword whistled and danced at high speed, and the air was cut into strips by the powerful force of the sword, revealing white lines. Crisp and piercing sounds intertwined with clanging and humming, as if without interruption, extending from the courtyard in front of the meeting hall to another area.
Huyan Lei’s mouth twitched. He muttered to himself, “Brother Zhou went to Zhongnan Mountain and his cultivation has improved significantly. I also practiced diligently day and night, but the gap is becoming more apparent. My brother is gifted and a martial arts prodigy. I think from now on, he shouldn’t be called ‘Taihang Sword God,’ but ‘Central Plains Sword God,’ or ‘Central God Sword.’ Haha, the nickname ‘Central God Sword’ is magnificent.”
The fighting in the Changfeng Escort Agency ended completely in less than half an incense stick’s time. Zhou Yan, Huyan Lei, and Mu Nianci left first, while Liang Xiaowu handled the aftermath, searching bodies for silver and obtaining cultivation techniques, which Liang Xiaowu, who had received Zhou Yan’s true teachings, was skilled at.
…
Shields, saber light, and long spears instantly transformed into a giant advancing wall. In Guo Jing’s sight, the Jin soldiers were forced into a dead-end alley. In the current world, he had not yet learned the “Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms,” but since his northward journey from Lin’an, guided by Qiu Chuji, his Quanzhen techniques had steadily improved, and his cultivation was indeed considerable.
As Guo Jing advanced, he picked up a long spear and used the “Huyan Spear Technique.”
He held the spear with both hands, and in the smoke, the spearhead leaped up, thrusting out like a phantom a few times. The Jin soldiers in front of him cried out in agony and fell backward.
“Oh, Huyan Spear Technique.”
The Mongolian soldiers who had attacked from the West Gate had advanced to the neighborhood where the Changfeng Escort Agency and Fu’an Escort Agency were located. Zhou Yan, Huyan Lei, and Mu Nianci moved through the streets and alleys. Suddenly, Huyan Lei saw Guo Jing leading his soldiers in a fight with the Jin soldiers, and seeing him use the “Huyan Spear Technique,” he couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
“Who is it? Fire arrows!” Mongolian was heard in the night. Guo Jing, who had just smashed the head of a Jin soldier with his spear, glanced into the distance.
He first recognized Mu Nianci, dressed in red, and then saw Zhou Yan and Huyan Lei.
“Benefactor, Sister Mu.”
Guo Jing quickly stopped his soldiers from firing arrows in Mongolian and leaped onto a nearby rooftop. With a few leaps, he arrived in front of Zhou Yan.
“Benefactor, Sister Mu, long time no see.”
“Brother Guo,” Mu Nianci greeted him generously.
“Long time no see, Brother Guo.”
“What is Benefactor doing here?”
“Handling Jianghu matters, returning to the escort agency.”
The fighting in the alley continued. Guo Jing said, “I’ll find Benefactor later.”
“Alright, the escort agency is just ahead.”
“Good.”
After a brief exchange, Zhou Yan and the others did not linger and headed straight for the Fu’an Escort Agency.
…
Zhang Wangyue was somewhat troubled about how to deal with the more than two hundred corpses of Jin soldiers. Zhou Yan’s figure landed in the courtyard and he walked over, saying, “The Mongolian soldiers are about to attack. The bodies can be moved directly to the street.”
“Excellent. Has the matter with Changfeng been resolved?”
“Yes, Xiaowu is handling the aftermath and will be back soon.”
“Good!”
“She’s waiting for you over there.”
“I’ll go over,” Zhou Yan glanced at Huang Rong and Mei Chaofeng, greeted Zhang Wangyue, and walked over.
The wind rustled past, carrying away the pervasive smell of blood.
Zhou Yan and Huang Rong strolled to the edge of the martial field.
“The Foolish Girl knows her father’s martial arts. What is her story?”
Zhou Yan replied, “When I was in Lin’an, I met Taoist Priest Qiu by chance at West Lake and learned about the descendant of Escort Yang’s old friend.”
Huang Rong smiled, “You told me about this. Is it related to the Taoist priests of the Quanzhen Sect?”
“Sort of.” Zhou Yan sat on a stone lock, and Huang Rong also sat down. He said, “The former residences of the Guo and Yang families were in Niu Family Village, on the outskirts of Lin’an. I went there out of curiosity. I met her at a hotel at the village entrance and encountered Ouyang Ke and others. We fought, and I brought her away from Niu Family Village. She has some mental issues and calls herself Shagu, unable to remember past events. There was a secret room in the hotel where we found two skeletons and an iron chest. One skeleton had a waist token, belonging to a palace guard. The other skeleton is speculated to be related to Shagu. Oh, and there was a long saber with the character ‘Qu’ engraved on it.”
With Qiu Chuji’s prior explanation, Zhou Yan’s account was flawless.
Huang Rong, being intelligent, could roughly guess some of Shagu’s identity from Zhou Yan’s account.
“What about the iron chest?”
“It’s in the courtyard.”
“Let’s go take a look together.”
“Okay.”
Huang Rong suddenly smiled.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just feel like you have a lot of stories.”
“Perhaps a little.”
“More than a little! The Iron Palm Sect, Ouyang Feng the Western Venom, the Strange Eagle of Snake Valley in the Xiangyang suburbs, Gongsun Li and his son in the Peach Blossom Land of the valley, the Vajra Sect of the Western Regions. How can so many strange and bizarre things and people be encountered?”
Zhou Yan smiled without speaking.
The two of them got up and went to the meeting hall. Zhou Yan informed Zhang Wangyue. He took Shagu, and Mei Chaofeng followed Huang Rong. The four of them left.
Upon arriving at the courtyard, Zhou Yan asked Shagu to make tea. He dug out the iron chest from the courtyard wall.
“This is what we found at the Niu Family Village hotel.”
The lamplight shone from the stone table under the ancient tree.
Huang Rong opened the iron chest. In the firelight, the treasures inside were dazzling. It was filled with pearls, jade, and precious artifacts.
Huang Rong grabbed a handful of jewels and let them slip through her fingers, one by one, back into the chest. The sound of pearls and jade clinking together was clear and pleasant.
“These are all extremely valuable treasures. Any single one of them is probably worth more than Fu’an’s entire year’s escort fees,” Huang Rong said, glancing at Zhou Yan out of the corner of her eye. However, she saw that his expression was calm, as if he regarded the treasures as dirt.
Huang Rong was initially curious about Zhou Yan’s attitude. Escorts worked hard, wasn’t it all for a meager escort fee? But with her sharp intellect, she then thought that since Zhou Yan could casually give her snake gallbladders, which were coveted by Jianghu people for relaxing muscles and strengthening bones, she understood.
People are divided into different classes, just as wood is divided into rosewood and sandalwood. The escort who saved my life had integrity.
Huang Rong continued to search. The iron chest had a false bottom. Beneath the jewels were ancient artifacts covered in verdigris. The more she looked, the more curious she became. She lifted another layer and saw scrolls of paintings and calligraphy underneath.
She casually picked up a scroll and unrolled it on the stone table. She saw a painting of steep, towering mountains, with five peaks in total. The middle peak was particularly high, standing erect and pointing to the sky, piercing the clouds.
To the west of the peak stood an old pine tree, straight and tall, majestic and elegant. Beneath the pine tree, a general in a red robe was painted, dancing with a sword in the wind. The face of the person in the painting was indistinguishable, but their robes fluttered, and their posture was ethereal. There was also a poem inscribed:
“Years of dust have filled my travel clothes, I specifically sought fragrance on the green hills. Good water and good mountains I cannot see enough of, my horse’s hooves urge me to return by moonlight.”
Zhou Yan’s heart stirred. He thought, what a coincidence. In the world of the Legend of the Condor Heroes, Huang Rong guessed the whereabouts of the Wumu’s Military Writings from this painting.
