Chapter 37: Kill One in Ten Steps, Thousand Li Without Staying
“This is where the Yellow River turns east, a strategically important location, a vital pass for Guanzhong, and a place fiercely contested by military strategists. In the first year of Shengli during the Tang Dynasty, a pass was established here, originally called Fengling Pass, also known as Fengling Ferry, or Fengling Crossing.”
“Night-Shining Jade Lion” and the Wuzhui horse stood by the river. Huyan Lei, on the horse, spoke as if listing treasures.
Zhou Yan looked at the surging water near his line of sight and thought of the Jin soldier Zhao Zizhen’s poem about Fengling Ferry: “One river divides north and south, the Central Plains’ spirit is complete. Cloud mountains connect to Jin lands, misty trees enter Qin’s plains.”
Thinking this, he suddenly felt that an escort truly possessed the bearing of someone from a general’s family.
The two emerged from the “An Du Old Inn” and still needed to go to the wharf to finalize the boat charter.
The wind blew from the river surface, cold and distant, exuding an aura of “stay away” in the air, while the Yellow River surface before Zhou Yan and Huyan Lei presented a scene of bustling activity.
The moon, missing a bite, hung in the sapphire blue sky. Visibility was quite good. The Yellow River was in its dry season, its flow gentle, making crossing at night not an issue.
Zhou Yan thought this was a good thing, as the escort team’s mules and horses were too conspicuous.
Neither of them hurried to dismount and find the innkeeper. The wind howled, and people in the wind were silent.
Zhou Yan’s voice broke the silence, “Old Brother, are you thinking about that father and daughter?”
“Yes, that man uses the Yang Family Spear Technique, and I can tell it’s inherited from a military lineage.”
“You’re wondering if the man is a descendant of the Yue Family Army?”
“That’s right.”
Huyan Lei’s thoughts were direct and simple. The head escort, Zhang Wangyue, was originally named Zhang Tailai, and his ancestor was Zhang Xian. If that man were a descendant of the Yue Family Army, he would most likely be from Yang Zaixing’s lineage.
“Go back and tell the head escort,” Zhou Yan said.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Zhou Yan chuckled, “Do you think that man could be a descendant of General Yang Zaixing?”
Huyan Lei let out a laugh and said, “Brother Zhou always says what’s on my mind.”
Zhou Yan said casually, “If he’s truly from the Yue Family Army lineage, and a descendant of General Yang, I think it would be good for him to be an escort at the escort bureau.”
“Good idea, much better than a martial arts competition for marriage.”
Zhou Yan said with a refreshed spirit, “Let’s go, to the horse market.”
“Night-Shining Jade Lion” trotted out, followed by the Wuzhui horse. Zhou Yan added, “The escort bureau’s rules state that we must not cause trouble while on an escort mission. I thought Old Brother would lecture me a bit, but I didn’t expect you to act as well.”
“I was just worried you’d go too hard and kill someone, causing trouble. Of course, I had to act. We are escorts, but we are also martial artists. If we don’t have the spirit to draw our swords when we see injustice, what’s the point of practicing martial arts? The rules and limits are in our hearts; just judge for yourself.”
Zhou Yan said, “Those are good words. ‘Though thousands of men stand in my way, I will go on. Though I face death nine times, I will not regret it.'”
“Haha, well said.”
“But the attacker was an Iron Palm Sect disciple.”
“What are you afraid of? The Iron Palm Sect is in Xiang territory; how could they come to Daxing Prefecture for revenge? At worst, we’ll follow the rules of the Jianghu…” Huyan Lei suddenly turned to stare at Zhou Yan, “You’re not thinking of rooting them out, are you?”
“If the Iron Palm Sect weren’t in Xiang territory, there would be no need for this. But we are currently escorting a shipment through Jingzhou, and the further south we go, the closer we get to the Iron Palm Sect’s sphere of influence. Those people haven’t been gone long; we can catch up.”
Huyan Lei stroked his jaw in thought.
“I’ll go take care of things. Old Brother, you go to the boat company.”
“Alright, be careful.”
Zhou Yan patted his quiver, “With this, Old Brother can rest assured.”
With that, he turned the horse at the wharf and galloped away.
Huyan Lei sighed, “Silver saddle reflects white horse, swift as a shooting star. Kill one in ten steps, thousand li without staying. I’m impressed, Brother Zhou.”
…
A campfire burned in the wilderness, with a white-robed young master and Iron Palm Sect disciples sitting around it.
The group did not linger in Fengling Ferry Town, but they also did not travel at night to get far away.
The Iron Palm Sect disciple, who had long since woken up, said venomously, “Those two stayed at the inn. After they left, I asked the shopkeeper for their identities. If this revenge is not taken, I am no gentleman.”
“Master is right. You go ahead and gather men from the sect. The money is on me.”
“Disciple is willing…”
“Pfft!”
The sudden turn of events was so unexpected. The tip of a long arrow grazed past the young master’s side and directly into the face of the Iron Palm Sect disciple. With immense penetrating force, his head was thrown back, and the man who had been speaking harshly fell backward.
“Bang, bang…” The twang of bowstrings repeatedly echoed in the night. In just a few breaths, several henchmen by the campfire were impaled on the ground by long arrows.
The young master was terrified and fled towards the dense mountain forest ahead, with shrill screams echoing behind him.
…
Footsteps sounded urgently, the night wind rustled through the trees.
The audacious young master, who had pursued Mu Yi and his daughter, gasped for air, his stamina rapidly draining. However, fear drove him to continue to push his body to its limits in a desperate flight.
Zhou Yan, rushing from behind, moved like lightning.
The sound of breaking wind intensified. The wicked young master turned in despair and swung his fist at Zhou Yan. The next moment, a flash of bright saber light suddenly bloomed, filling his entire vision.
The straight saber in Zhou Yan’s hand descended like thunder.
Astonishing blood sprayed out like fireworks.
Zhou Yan squatted down, fumbled through the opponent’s belongings, found a money pouch, weighed it, and turned to leave. He roamed around, pulled a long arrow from a corpse lying on the grass, then left the mountain forest, mounted his horse, and rode away.
…
The moon sets, crows cry, frost fills the sky; at dawn, the clear dew carries a heavy chill.
Zhou Yan, covered in frost and dust, arrived at the escort team and headed straight for Zhang Wangyue.
The escort team had traveled at night and was less than five li from Fengling Ferry. Zhang Wangyue, riding a qingcong horse, and Huyan Lei rode forward. The head escort looked at Zhou Yan’s clothes, saw no bloodstains, and asked, “It’s handled.”
“Old Brother Huyan has told you everything.”
“What do you say?”
Zhou Yan chuckled.
“We’ve been waiting for you. Let’s go see that man together.”
“Alright!”
Zhou Yan turned his horse, and the three of them, on three horses, rode ahead towards “An Du Old Inn.”
…
The horse whinnied. Mu Nianci pushed open the window and glanced outside the inn. Her eyes widened slightly, and she said in surprise, “Father, those two escorts are here.”
The guest rooms were tight, so the father and daughter shared one room, which was fine. Mu Yi quickly stepped forward. Zhou Yan’s back in his line of sight flickered and disappeared under the eaves.
He pondered whether to go and greet them again when footsteps sounded from the corridor, followed by a question: “Master, have you rested?”
The question came from Zhou Yan, who knew that Mu Yi and his daughter had not yet gone to bed; the lamp was still lit.
Mu Yi hurried to open the door. With a creak, Zhou Yan, Huyan Lei, and Zhang Wangyue entered his sight.
“Apologies for disturbing you so late at night.”
“Not at all. If it weren’t for you two escorts, my father and I would have been in dire straits and unable to escape.”
Zhou Yan smiled slightly, “Master, there’s no need to be polite. Let me introduce you, this is our head escort.”
Mu Yi quickly cupped his hands, “I am Mu Yi, greetings, Head Escort.”
Zhang Wangyue let out a slight breath.
As he had come, he had been thinking whether the other party was a descendant of the Yue Family Army, a child of General Yang Zaixing. With this preconceived notion, how could the head escort not guess after Mu Yi introduced himself? The man’s name was derived from the decomposition of the character “Yang.”
“Your surname is Yang, isn’t it?”
Mu Yi was stunned.
Zhang Wangyue walked directly into the room and looked at the iron spear standing in the corner. He picked it up, suddenly twisted his waist and extended his arm, turning and thrusting the spear. This thrust was fierce and swift, a move from the Yang Family Spear Technique used to break enemy lines and kill many generals, known as “Returning Spear.”
“How does the Head Escort know the Yang Family Spear Technique?”
Zhang Wangyue held the spear with one hand, the spear tip touching the ground, and asked:
“What relation is General Yang Zaixing to you?”
