Chapter 44: Iron Palm Lotus, An Arrow Splits the Flag
Two figures, one after another, whether it was the whistling sound when their bodies were stretched out, or the skill of their rapid sprints, clearly displayed an outstanding martial dao cultivation realm.
Zhou Yan recognized the other party as Sun Buer, so he was astonished. How could he encounter one of the Seven Immortals of Quanzhen, Qingjing Sanren, in the suburbs of Xiangyang? However, upon further thought, it seemed there were reasons for it.
Traveling south along the water from Xiangyang, one could reach Baoying County in Yangzhou. Qingjing Sanren had a disciple named Cheng Yaojia who was there. Perhaps she encountered enemies while traveling from Zhongnan Mountain to the Cheng family, or on her way back north from Jiangnan.
The distance closed as if an illusion; the two figures descending from the steep cliff instantly reached the valley.
“Move aside!” Sun Buer shouted urgently, the whistling sound that tore through the air behind her intensifying.
Sun Buer landed on the escort chest, her body twisting with Swift Wind Returning Snow, her longsword pointing forward, and she thrust out.
Zhou Yan had never seen Quanzhen Swordplay before, but he felt this sword strike was like a silver bottle shattering, or iron cavalry charging. Even from a distance of ten feet, it gave a sense of pressure like a surging tide.
The woman pursuing Sun Buer was not afraid of Qingjing Sanren’s sword style. As her body swayed, it seemed chaotic but was actually extremely precise. Dodging the sharp thrust with left and right movements, she rapidly advanced, her palms striking in succession, each move flowing into the next. With the powerful energy of a storm, she alternately gathered and released her palm techniques, launching an astonishingly powerful attack towards Sun Buer.
The Seven Immortals of Quanzhen were renowned throughout the land, and their martial arts cultivation went without saying. However, in Zhou Yan’s eyes, the woman in green surpassed them. As she unleashed her palm techniques, every movement was seamless and complete, her palm shadows fluttering like a blooming blue lotus.
If Sun Buer hadn’t relied on the evasive maneuvers of the Golden Goose Skill, she would have already fallen into a disadvantage and been suppressed.
Zhou Yan truly couldn’t imagine which woman in the Jianghu of Legend of the Condor Heroes was this formidable. Time did not allow for contemplation; even without the guidance of Yuyangzi and Wang Chuyi in cultivation techniques, he had to help her in the current situation.
“Protect the escort cart,” he shouted, bending his arm and drawing his bow.
Bang, the air vibrated with a ripple from the bowstring, and the first arrow shot out, followed closely by the second, and the third like a shadow.
Zhou Yan’s arrow speed was so fast that to the runners a short distance away, the three arrows seemed to have been fired with a single sound.
He shot three consecutive arrows, and Huyan Lei began to understand.
Brother Zhou intended to help the Taoist Nun. Traveling south, he had always seen Zhou Yan practicing the Taoist Sect cultivation techniques mentioned by the escort leader, so this was helping a friend.
Because the two were looking to see what trouble had arisen ahead of the escort team, they naturally carried weapons. The escort’s wrist flicked, and the spear with the gold-inlaid tiger head emitted a faint trembling sound in the dust and smoke. The next moment, the spear, like splitting waves and cutting through water, lunged directly towards the woman’s location.
Escort Shi Baichuan was also a discerning person. Zhou Yan and Huyan Lei were attacking the woman in green, so it was easy to choose. The moment he unfurled his iron fan, it spun in the air like an umbrella, its dazzling cold light seeming to arrange itself impossibly in an instant, its blade slicing towards the woman’s feet.
Several runners who lacked foresight drew their steel knives and attacked Sun Buer at this moment.
The woman in green casually slapped out, and the first long arrow Zhou Yan shot suddenly flew into the sky. The woman kicked out with her left and right feet in succession, breaking the other two arrows.
Taking advantage of the woman in green blocking the arrows, Sun Buer’s center was wide open. Her longsword flickered, and she unleashed the move “One Qi Transforms into Three Purities” from Quanzhen Swordplay, shaking out three sprays of sword rain.
Facing the attacks from Zhou Yan and the other three, the woman in green dared not be careless. Her body sank and she leaned back, her spine not touching the escort chest. With a move that drew gasps of admiration, “Iron Plate Bridge,” she evaded the assaults from Huyan Lei and Sun Buer.
The escort’s tiger head spear passed above her face, causing her black hair to fly. The woman clapped the escort chest with both hands, her delicate feet kicking upwards and striking the spear. The moment the gold-inlaid tiger head spear was deflected, the woman flew backward like an arrow.
Shi Baichuan’s iron fan attack, which was originally aimed at her feet, missed instantly.
However, this created a considerable distance between the woman and Sun Buer. Qingjing Sanren turned and leaped up, soaring over the attacking runners. Her movement was as graceful as a goose flying in the blue sky. With a few leaps, she ascended the cliff.
“Get lost!” the woman in green shouted angrily. She did not engage with the escort team, avoiding Zhou Yan, Huyan Lei, and the others, and charged through the runners. On the trajectory of her extended body, there were several “bang bang bang” sounds as three runners were knocked down by her palm strikes.
The woman in green’s momentum was too fast, like a shuttle or a bullet. One moment she was in the canyon, and the next she appeared on the steep cliff. The power she carried directly stirred up fallen leaves and dead grass, forming a straight line behind her. In about ten breaths, she disappeared from Zhou Yan and the others’ sight from the clifftop.
Zhou Yan ran towards the three runners to check their injuries.
Fortunately, despite being bruised and battered, the other party had not intended to kill them.
He let out a long sigh, his heart filled with shock, emotion, and excitement.
He had never seen Hong Qigong or Wang Chuyi fight for real. His own fight with Ouyang Ke was a close-quarters battle of fists and flesh due to prior planning. The current exchange between Sun Buer and the woman in green, from their lightness skills to their swordplay and palm techniques, perfectly matched his imagination of wuxia.
The martial arts of the woman in green clearly surpassed that of Qingjing Sanren, but compared to the Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar, Western Venom, and Eastern Heretic, she was certainly still far behind. How magnificent would their battles be, and how could it not make one’s blood boil?
The sudden fight brought the dispute ahead to a halt. Zhang Wangyue arrived at the escort team’s location with a few leaps. Zhou Yan stepped forward and said, “It was Qingjing Sanren, one of the Seven Immortals of Quanzhen, fighting a woman in green. They have already departed. By chance, I once received guidance in martial arts from True Person Yuyangzi Wang, so I recognized the Quanzhen techniques and guessed their identities.”
In terms of maintaining an impassive expression, Zhang Wangyue, as the escort leader, was no ordinary person. Zhou Yan, with his keen insight, could not detect the fleeting, indescribable emotion in Zhang Wangyue’s eyes when the Seven Immortals of Quanzhen were mentioned.
Huyan Lei reacted, exclaiming, “It was True Person Sun of the Quanzhen Sect! Brother Zhou also has a connection with True Person Yuyangzi. If I had known, we would have joined forces with Qingjing Sanren to keep that woman here no matter what.”
Zhang Wangyue’s thoughts quickly returned. “This place is not suitable for lingering. After we leave the valley, I will arrange for people to search around and see if we can help True Person Sun.”
Zhou Yan didn’t find anything wrong with that statement.
Putting aside his own connection with Wang Chuyi, the Seven Immortals of Quanzhen were famous righteous individuals. Given Zhang Wangyue’s character, offering assistance was reasonable.
He then asked, “What’s happening up ahead?”
“I didn’t recognize that escort, and there was some verbal conflict.”
“He was clearly arrogant. The escort leader said, ‘To make way is to scatter the goods,’ which is clearly sophistry. I think he just wants to suppress our Fu’an Escort Agency.” Shi Baichuan, who had put away his iron fan, said, “And the escort called us running dogs of the Jin soldiers, making me want to slap him. Everyone here is risking danger to transport military horses.”
A clamor like boiling water erupted from ahead at this moment. Zhou Yan leaped onto a mule pulling the escort cart, stood on its back, and looked into the distance. In front of his vision, a man dressed in luxurious clothing was charging forward, kicking over an escort and snatching the escort flag from a runner, throwing it on the ground.
Zhou Yan’s gaze was sharp. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, his cheek steady against the bow, finding the optimal shooting distance. The bow was like a full moon.
“Bang,” the bowstring vibrated, and the triangular arrowhead pushed through the air, heading straight for the Dragon Gate Escort Agency’s escort flag a hundred paces away.
I will add an extra chapter for your monthly votes tomorrow. I will try to add more chapters next week to thank you for your support.
