Chapter 74: Danyangzi Observes the Sword and Discusses Escorts
The Taoist priest whom Yuyangzi called Senior Brother was precisely Danyangzi Ma Yu.
The two of them had arranged to meet Zhongdu with Changchunzi Qiu Chuji to discuss the martial arts competition with the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. However, the Seven Immortals of Quanzhen usually resided in different Taoist temples, and messages were conveyed by disciples traveling back and forth.
Zhou Yan encountered Zhao Zhijing and Yin Zhiping of the Quanzhen Sect at Songhe Tower, and it was through this that the two were heading to Zhongdu.
Wang Chuyi arrived at Daxing Prefecture the earliest and, by chance, met Zhou Yan. He taught him Quanzhen Internal Energy to heal his injuries.
While Zhou Yan was escorting goods southward, Wang Chuyi visited several old friends and arrived at the agreed meeting time with his Senior Brother Ma Yu. He waited outside the city and escorted Danyangzi in.
As they traveled, Ma Yu inevitably asked Wang Chuyi about his experiences and observations in Zhongdu. Yuyangzi did not see the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan or Guo Jing and his companions. Instead, he inadvertently helped Zhou Yan out of a predicament and encountered Wanyan Kang and Ouyang Ke.
The White Camel Mountain lineage and the Quanzhen Sect had always harbored grudges. While they were talking, Wang Chuyi mentioned these matters, and the conversation eventually turned to Zhou Yan.
Wang Chuyi, with his honest and sincere nature, admired Zhou Yan’s character. He took Danyangzi directly to Zhou Yan’s residence. One reason was to see what level he had reached in cultivating Quanzhen Techniques, and another was to inquire about the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan and Guo Jing, as Zhou Yan was an escort based in Zhongdu and well-informed.
Ma Yu knew his Junior Brother’s character. Seeing his high praise for Zhou Yan, he assumed Zhou Yan was a person of noble character like Guo Jing. He agreed with the plan to gather information and followed Wang Chuyi.
Little did they know they would witness such a perplexing scene on the long street.
Yuyangzi Wang Chuyi pondered left and right, unable to figure out where Zhou Yan’s Quanzhen Swordplay came from. While he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard Ma Yu say, “His move ‘Dingyang Needle’ is full of spirit and energy, with perfect control over strength, attack, posture, and force. He has not only put in hard work but also possesses talent in swordsmanship.”
Wang Chuyi nodded, “Senior Brother is right, but I still can’t figure out how Escort Zhou learned Quanzhen Swordplay.”
Danyangzi chuckled, “Let’s watch and see.”
“Mm!”
…
Zhou Yan didn’t notice Danyangzi and Yuyangzi on the street. He threw Lei Luo onto the ground. Two escorts from the Changfeng Escort Agency chased after him. He caught the straight saber thrown by a runner and repelled the opponents with a move called ‘Dingyang Needle’.
The escorts from the Changfeng Escort Agency who accompanied Helian Chuncheng to Zhongdu were all experts, far superior to the likes of Escort Su and Escort Lu from the Four Seas Escort Agency.
Zhou Yan used his straight saber as a sword to repel the escort in front of him. The escort behind him, with a high nose and deep-set eyes, crouched down and surged forward with immense force. The saber light in his hand erupted like thunder, fierce and overbearing.
Zhou Yan had never witnessed such saberplay. There were no superfluous movements; it was simple and powerful, as if created specifically for killing.
He sneered and unleashed a move from Quanzhen Swordplay, ‘Sad Song of the Lute’, thrusting his straight saber forward in a direct, flat stab.
This thrust was like a silver bottle bursting, its momentum shattering all resistance. The Hu People escort from the Changfeng Escort Agency could no longer execute the two killing moves hidden within his saberplay. He sidestepped and changed his move, evading the path of Zhou Yan’s sudden thrust. His long saber swept upwards from below, like a lone wisp of smoke rising from the desert, its tip aiming for Zhou Yan’s abdomen.
If it landed, it would disembowel him.
Watching from afar, Danyangzi Ma Yu couldn’t help but say, “‘Hu Frost Thousand Li’ can be broken.”
Wang Chuyi replied, “Exactly. With another move, ‘Cloud Waves Touching the Sky’, one can instantly suppress the opponent’s saber momentum and gain the advantage.”
A vast, snow-white radiance suddenly filled the vision of Wang Chuyi and Ma Yu. The saber light danced and swirled, seemingly everywhere, like frost scattering across a thousand li. The straight saber was used as a sword, and the saber light swept across the entire area where the Hu People escort stood.
Amidst the dense, snowy air, fierce sounds of metal clashing echoed, and sparks flew. With a “clang,” the long saber was sent flying. The Hu People escort’s chest and clothes were torn, and he stumbled backward.
The escort from the Changfeng Escort Agency, who had been forced back by Zhou Yan’s ‘Dingyang Needle’, brought his saber up with his wrist, his blade moving with his elbow, and a cold light like an arrow descended with a violent chop towards Zhou Yan’s waist.
Before Wang Chuyi and Ma Yu could speak, Zhou Yan’s straight saber rose like a rainbow piercing the sun, or like a sudden flash of lightning. From bottom to top, it blocked the saber aimed at his waist and, following the momentum, as it descended towards the escort’s neck, the straight saber, with a flick of Zhou Yan’s wrist, changed from a cut to a slap.
With a “bang,” the escort’s shoulder and neck swelled up red, and he stumbled back several steps, crashing into the wall.
Wang Chuyi said to Ma Yu, “It’s ‘Lone Light Illuminating Itself’ and ‘Throat of Ten Thousand Li’ from the seventh form of Quanzhen Swordplay.”
Danyangzi nodded, “Indeed. Moreover, no disciple in the sect can wield it so smoothly and naturally, flowing like water.”
“But how did he learn Quanzhen Swordplay?”
Wang Chuyi’s question circled back.
The two escorts from the Changfeng Escort Agency had fierce expressions, mixed with shock and disbelief. Hurried footsteps then whistled from the porch. Huyan Lei, Wang Kui, Mu Nianci, Shi Baichuan, and others appeared one after another at the gatehouse.
Huyan Lei looked at the two weary-looking escorts from the Changfeng Escort Agency, his lips twitching slightly. Was it over already?
Mu Nianci was also a bit dazed. Just a moment ago, the sounds of clashing weapons were dense and intense; how could the two opponents be defeated so quickly?
Wang Kui said with dissatisfaction, “Brother Zhou, why didn’t you let us stretch our muscles?”
Zhou Yan tossed the straight saber to a runner and said with a smile, “Next time!”
More noisy sounds came from the porch. Helian Chuncheng, Yin Kexi, Zhang Wangyue, and others hurried out one after another.
The young master of the Changfeng Escort Agency saw the two disheveled escorts and then looked at Lei Luo, who was exposed in the snowdrift on the opposite side of the long street. He laughed twice, “Escort Zhou has great skill. Let’s spar when you have time.”
“Alright!” Zhou Yan nodded.
“Courageous!” he said, then turned to Zhang Wangyue, “Head Escort Zhang, I’ll take Manager Lei back with me to inquire if there was a heavy bounty hired.”
“No problem!”
“Farewell!”
A Changfeng escort leaped across the street, picked up Lei Luo from the snowdrift, and stuffed him into the horse carriage. Helian Chuncheng descended the steps and walked over slowly. He walked at an unhurried pace, leaving distinct footprints on the bluestone ground wherever he stepped.
“I’ll escort Young Master Helian.”
Zhang Wangyue called out and followed him. His steps seemed to be wiping mud and snow from the soles of his shoes. With a few quick movements, the footprints left by Helian Chuncheng on the bluestone were completely erased by the head escort.
Zhou Yan watched this and thought to himself, “The head escort is truly admirable!”
Helian Chuncheng glanced back, his expression suddenly changed, then he gave a low laugh, “Head Escort, there’s no need to be polite. We’ll meet again often in the future; there will be plenty of opportunities to interact.”
With that, he lifted the carriage curtain and entered the horse carriage.
The carriage rumbled, the wind whistled. Zhou Yan’s gaze followed the Changfeng Escort Agency’s horse carriage, and then he was stunned. The Taoist priest standing by the roadside was Yuyangzi Wang Chuyi.
The other person had white hair and a white beard, clearly older than Yuyangzi. Was it Qiu Chuji or Ma Yu?
As he thought this, the Changfeng escorts on horseback had already ridden up to Wang Chuyi. The Hu People escort, who had been defeated by Zhou Yan in the meeting hall, saw the two Taoist priests seemingly pointing and mocking. Malice surged, and he clenched his legs slightly. The Yellow Spotted Horse charged directly towards Wang Chuyi and Ma Yu by the roadside.
Danyangzi Ma Yu said to Yuyangzi Wang Chuyi, “Initially, I felt that Escort Zhou’s character did not match what my Junior Brother described as gentle, respectful, and virtuous.”
“And now?”
“Free-spirited and outstanding, I quite like him.”
