Chapter 175: Hengyang Iron Sword, Yanbo Diaosou
Like a rabbit fleeing an eagle’s dive, a flash of lightning crossing a gap, pearls rolling on lotus leaves.
Zhou Yan was in the inn, the two people fighting across the long street only a few dozen feet away, clearly visible. The figure who rushed out from inside the building was about thirty years old, tall and thin, wielding an iron sword. His movements were as swift as a rabbit fleeing an eagle’s attack, his sword light flickering and dazzling, like twisted snake lightning crisscrossing.
He himself used a sword and had seen skilled swordsmen like Qiu Chuji, Ma Yu, and Wang Chuyi. He had also experienced the Jade Maiden Swordplay. He considered his judgment to be sharp.
However, the swordplay he was witnessing now was something he had never heard of or seen before.
Quanzhen Swordplay emphasizes momentum, with continuous, grand, and powerful sword styles.
The Ancient Tomb’s Jade Maiden Swordplay is elegant and gentle, with broken moves and connected intent, continuous and unending, graceful and free-spirited.
But the swordsman’s style before him was about surprise, with unpredictable sword moves, both real and illusory, like winding mountain paths around peaks, truly difficult to grasp.
Zhou Yan wondered if the man was from the Hengshan Sect.
As he thought this, the swordsman was sent tumbling out with a spin.
With a “swish,” the man sheathed his sword and said in a deep voice, “Scram!”
This man could clearly have taken the other’s life with ease, but he showed restraint, which was honorable.
As he thought this, his pupils suddenly contracted. He saw a figure break through the dense curtain of rain, rushing rapidly towards the swordsman. From twenty feet away, a wax pole was swung horizontally, trembling like a strange snake, and with powerful strength, it struck towards the swordsman.
Zhou Yan was greatly surprised.
The swordsman’s style was surprising, but the weapon of the approaching figure was even more astonishing.
It was a fishing rod.
Quan Jinfu, one of the Six Heroes of Jiangnan, wielded a large steelyard scale with a hook and weight, which was already remarkable. To use a fishing rod as a weapon was eye-opening. Moreover, judging by the approaching figure’s movements, his cultivation was likely superior to that of the swordsman.
The Jianghu is vast, and there are wonders everywhere.
Zhou Yan suddenly felt the same sensation as when Zhang Wuji, in the Legend of the Condor Heroes trilogy, night-raided the Shaolin Temple and was besieged by eight people including the Three Swords of Qinghai, fighting evenly with Du’e, Du’nan, and Du’jie. Because Zhang Wuji couldn’t discern the origins and sects of the eight people, he lamented the vastness of the world, the hidden dragons and crouching tigers among the common folk, and the countless unknown heroes and good men lurking within.
With a “creak,” the wooden door opened, and Huang Rong walked in.
Zhou Yan didn’t turn around; he knew it was Huang Rong by the sound of her footsteps.
“We just arrived in Hengyang and saw people from the Jianghu fighting. Do you think the swordsman is from the Hengshan Sect?”
Huang Rong had gathered information about the Iron Palm Sect and naturally knew about Qiu Qianren’s “annihilation of the Hengshan Sect.”
“It’s highly possible.”
Huang Rong leaned against the window, watching the fight in the street, and said with a smile, “You’re not going to help the swordsman? If he really is from the Hengshan Sect, you could inquire about the specific location of Iron Palm Mountain.”
“I was thinking the same thing, but it’s hard to tell who will win anytime soon, so there’s no need to rush.” As Zhou Yan said this, he looked towards the long street. Suddenly, the white wax fishing rod pointed, poked, flicked, and struck, its silver light like snow, and there was a crisp sound of metal clashing, like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate.
Within Zhou Yan’s sight, the swordsman grunted, and a splash of blood bloomed from his shoulder. In an instant, more blood light exploded one after another in the misty rain, tragically beautiful.
“You misjudged,” Huang Rong said with a smile.
Zhou Yan gave a wry smile. The man holding the fishing rod had an unknown material woven into his fishing line, which was extremely difficult to detect in the misty rain. It was only when the fishhook and the iron sword collided, sparking, that he noticed the anomaly.
Zhou Yan’s body suddenly retreated and advanced agilely, and he was already holding the Ox Horn Giant Bow.
In a flash of lightning, Zhou Yan drew his bow and nocked an arrow, pulling it into a breathtaking arc within Huang Rong’s sight.
“Take this!”
Zhou Yan had felt a good impression of the swordsman for showing mercy earlier, but he knew nothing of their enmity, so he didn’t deliver a fatal blow. He spoke before releasing the string.
With a “bang,”
In the heavy rain, the long arrow flew out with unparalleled beauty. The rainwater in front of the arrowhead seemed to be forced to stop for a moment in mid-air before parting. A gray streak shot towards the man wielding the fishing rod.
Zhou Yan had spoken first. The man who was about to attack the swordsman sucked in his abdomen and caved in his chest. With just a small movement, he propelled himself into the air, flipping back more than twenty feet.
The man cursed loudly, “You despicable Liu Qingzhou, to set such a trap!”
With a “whoosh, whoosh,”
Two arrows pushed aside distinct ripples in the rain, striking towards the man.
The man, using the fishing rod as his weapon and the silver line as hidden weapons, was clearly an expert. He could see the power of Zhou Yan’s consecutive three arrows and knew he was a formidable opponent.
Facing two opponents, he had no chance of winning. He swung his fishing rod, half-turning his body, and with a horizontal sweep of both hands, he managed to deflect the two long arrows into the rain. Then, with a strange cry, he flipped onto the roof of the tea house, his figure flickering as he disappeared into the dimming sky.
The swordsman quickly sheathed his long sword and his gaze fell upon the inn where Zhou Yan was. He cupped his fist and said, “I am Liu Qingzhou of the Hengshan Sect. Thank you… Young Hero for your assistance.”
Liu Qingzhou had intended to say “Thank you, Great Hero,” but seeing Zhou Yan’s appearance, who seemed to be only around twenty, and being quite shocked by his excellent archery that repelled his enemy, he addressed him as “Young Hero.”
He really is from the Hengshan Sword Sect, Zhou Yan thought. He said, “You’re too polite. Senior, would you like to come upstairs for a chat?”
“Certainly.”
Liu Qingzhou first went to the tea house and said something to the shopkeeper, which Zhou Yan guessed was about compensation. Afterward, he quickly came to the inn. When footsteps echoed in the corridor, Zhou Yan went out to meet him, only to see him carrying a wine jar.
Ha, truly open and aboveboard, he cupped his fist and said, “I am Zhou Yan. I am passing through Hengyang and am fortunate to make your acquaintance, Senior.”
“So you are Young Hero Zhou.” Liu Qingzhou said heartily, “A cup of wine under the peach and plum spring breeze. Since we’ve met by chance, there’s no need for formality. What should I call you, brother?”
“Respect is better than obedience. Brother Liu.”
“Brother Zhou.”
“Please.”
“Excellent!”
The three sat down. Huang Rong introduced herself. Liu Qingzhou did not realize Huang Rong was dressed as a man and directly called her Brother Huang.
Huang Rong demurred, smiling and saying she was young and that the senior should call her as he pleased.
Liu Qingzhou then complied.
The wine was Ling wine. The *Book of the Later Han Dynasty* records: “Ling Lake is three li in circumference. Wine is made from the lake water, and it is extremely sweet and delicious.”
Its fame was no less than that of Du Kang of Luoyang.
The wine warmed their bodies and minds, making it easy to start a conversation. Zhou Yan said, “What is the origin of that person just now? His weapon is quite unusual.”
“The Yanbo Diaosou from Dongting Lake.”
Since Zhou Yan’s transmigration, he often recalled the plots and characters from the Legend of the Condor Heroes and the Divine Condor in his spare time. Perhaps due to his cultivation, his memory was astonishingly good, and he could gradually recall sects and masters he hadn’t remembered before.
He always felt the name “Yanbo Diaosou” was very familiar, and that he should be an extraordinary figure, but he couldn’t recall if he was from the Legend of the Condor Heroes or the Divine Condor. After thinking fruitlessly, he asked, “Hengyang is still some distance from Yueyang. How did you become enemies?”
“This person has a strange temper and is unpredictable. You might not believe it, Brother Zhou, but years ago, my junior brother and I were passing by Dongting Lake. I was in a small boat enjoying the lake and the moon. He was fishing alone in his boat. I just glanced at him a couple more times, which displeased him, and we exchanged a few words.”
Zhou Yan inwardly scoffed, a typical “What are you looking at?”
“What if I look?”
“Take my hook.”
“And then?” Huang Rong asked curiously.
“Then I announced my name, and that person actually mocked me, saying ‘A light boat for a fishing old man.’ How could a true man endure such insult?”
“That’s understandable,” Zhou Yan nodded.
“At that time, my three junior brothers and I fought. The ‘Yanbo Diaosou’ was defeated. Since then, he has come to Hengshan City to cause trouble at intervals. The enmity has deepened.”
Zhou Yan sighed, a life-and-death confrontation stemming from a mere glance and a few words.
“By the way, Brother Zhou, you said you were passing through Hengyang. Where are you headed? I feel an instant connection with you, Brother Zhou. If you’re not in a hurry, why not stay for a few days? The spring rain is falling now, and when the weather clears, it will be a perfect time for mountain climbing and spring outings.”
Huang Rong said, “Senior, do you know how to get to Iron Palm Peak?”
“From here, head northwest, through Changde and Chenzhou, then go up the Yuan River. Between Luxi and Chenxi, there is a tall mountain shaped like five fingers pointing to the sky. That is Iron Palm Mountain.”
After Liu Qingzhou finished speaking, he asked, “Why are you two brothers going to Iron Palm Mountain? Do you know it’s a dangerous place?”
