Jianghu Qimen Lu

Song 21: Beauty and Glamour

When Bai Shandian found Xiang Quan, he was met with a firm refusal! Xiang Quan righteously and sternly refused him: "Look at you soldiers! These past few days you've turned the whole of Hangzhou into chaos! What a mess you've made! Even worse, some of you have taken advantage of the chaos to steal and plunder the people's property—you're a pack of wolves in sheep's clothing! Asking me to help them catch fugitives? No way! Our Southern Fist Sect can't afford that!" Seeing that he was determined to stop, Bai Shandian had no choice but to say, "To tell you the truth, I lost the 'Complete Guide to the Martial World'!" Upon hearing this, Xiang Quan flew into a rage and immediately turned hostile: "What? You…you really have disappointed me! How could I have been so blind to entrust my life to you! Why…for so many years, have we always been like strangers, unable to get along? And why have I always liked to oppose you, favoring…" Wearing Hanfu? To be honest, my ambitions are higher than the sky, but my fate is as thin as paper. I often lament that I wasn't born a man. If I were a dignified man, I would definitely rally all my Han compatriots to unite as one and drive you barbarians out of the Central Plains, and reclaim our beautiful land! In my mind, your Qing Dynasty has always been a bandit, a demon! A beast that eats people without spitting out the bones!" Seeing that she was indeed angry, Bai Shandian was not offended. Instead, he stepped forward, affectionately took her hand, and made her sit down. He said slowly and softly with a smile, "Let me finish what I have to say. Look how impatient you are! Actually, the matter is like this, it's not as simple as you think..." He then told her the whole story, of course omitting the part about killing the groom to cover it up.

"So that's how it is." Xiang Quan let out a sigh of relief, then, filled with righteous indignation, slammed her hand on the table and stood up, shouting, "That Japanese pirate deserves to die! With a formidable enemy before us, we, the descendants of Yan and Huang, should put aside our past grievances, unite, and fight together against this common foe! Well, if you had said so earlier, not only would I have entrusted the Six Great Fists to your command, but I myself would have gone without hesitation!" Bai Shandian was overjoyed, grabbed his wife, kissed her, and said with unrestrained delight, "Then I couldn't be happier! Let's go, let's go together!"

The Misty Rain Brothel was located near the Broken Bridge in Lingering Snow, one of the Ten Scenic Spots of Hangzhou, on the shore of West Lake. When Bai Shandian led a large number of soldiers to surround the Misty Rain Brothel, Xiang Quan and his six most famous boxers rushed straight to the most luxurious brothel in the back courtyard! Bai Shandian hurriedly ordered Hong Chen to guard outside the door, and led Zhang Kuang to rush in, following closely behind!

A mournful, plaintive sound, like a lament, drifted over, followed by a clear, melodious tune: "Life is full of countless sorrows, falling into this world, one cries. Begging for scraps barely fills the stomach, and even when well-fed and warm, one longs for a beautiful woman."

A cheating husband delights in seducing married couples; an official prefers bribery. The emperor has barely settled into his throne when war drums sound again on the frontier!

The poignant and moving melody of "Xi Jiang Yue: The Bitterness of Life" fully expresses the hardships of life and sings of the world's sorrows. Truly, the music is gentle and beautiful, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, melodious and clear. Like the tinkling of a spring, its lingering sound is melodious and lingering. Such a melody seems to exist only in heaven; how often can it be heard on earth?

Faced with such heavenly music, these once-powerful figures of the martial world stopped in their tracks, completely mesmerized! Indeed, spending their days licking blood from the edge of a knife, braving mountains of knives and seas of fire, when could they ever find a moment of peace to listen to a song, watch a dance, and truly enjoy the happiest days of their lives? Life is short, and it's rare to seize the day. If you do the math, how many such good days do you have in your life? It's truly astonishing how many you realize when you do the math… The assembled heroes stood there, stunned!

While the front hall was bustling with singing and dancing, the inner hall was much quieter. Only the gentle, flowing sound of the pipa and the soft, melodious singing blended harmoniously, overlapping like budding peonies, their fragrance carried on the breeze, permeating the heart and soul.

Finally, the song ended. The lingering melody, echoing through the rafters, lingered for a long time. Only then did the crowd notice through the window that a beautiful young woman of about sixteen, dressed in red, sat alone in her boudoir. Truly, she possessed red lips and white teeth, willow-leaf eyebrows and almond eyes, a face so beautiful it would rival even Diao Chan. With a slender waist and full hips, her graceful figure surpassed even the imperial concubine Yang Guifei in beauty. She playfully patted Bai Shandian's shoulder with her fist and whispered, "Are you staring? Hurry up and get moving, or the Black Sun will run away!" Bai Shandian snapped out of his daze, beckoned, and went into the room first.

Seeing so many menacing martial arts figures suddenly burst in, the young lady put down her pipa, stood up gracefully, curtsied to the crowd, and asked in a soft, polite voice, "Esteemed heroes, what brings you to my humble abode?" Bai Shandian cut to the chase, "Is Black Sun of the Sun Gate here?" The woman looked blank, "What? What Sun Gate? What Moon Gate? I don't know anything about them." Seeing her feign ignorance, Bai Shandian sneered, "Aren't you called Red Moon?" The woman nodded, "That's me, your humble servant. I am Red Moon." Bai Shandian laughed coldly for a moment, then his expression changed, and he said seriously, "Fine, you won't admit to knowing Black Sun? I'll drag him out and let you meet him!" He immediately went behind the screen to the ivory bed with its carved dragons and phoenixes, opened the bedside table, lifted the bottom panel, and revealed a large, dark hole!

Red Moon was naturally taken aback, as were Fragrant Fist and the assembled heroes. They all wondered, "This cave is very well hidden; how did White Lightning know about it?" White Lightning grabbed Red Moon's delicate shoulder, intending to subdue her, but unexpectedly, she suddenly lowered her shoulder and slipped away like a nimble fish. Her left hand flipped and twisted, seizing his right wrist, while her right hand transformed into a blade, slashing straight at his pulse point! Fragrant Fist never dreamed that such a delicate little girl would know martial arts, and that she could subdue White Lightning with a single move! Startled, she quickly threw a punch, and with a wisp of fragrant wind, she unleashed her world-renowned, unique martial art—Fragrant Fist. It turned out that when she practiced martial arts, she often brewed various fragrant flower petals as tea, gradually emanating a rich fragrance from her entire body. Every punch and every step she takes carries a refreshing fragrance that makes people drowsy, intoxicated, and completely captivated. In the end, they fall into her trap without even realizing it, and are defeated or killed by her! As for death or defeat, that depends on her mood, so people in the martial arts world call her "Fist of Fragrance Killer"!

Red Moon knew that Fragrant Fist's fragrance was strange, so she quickly released White Lightning, gracefully dodged, and said with a coquettish laugh, "Master Fragrant, isn't it a bit petty to be so protective of your husband like this!" Fragrant Fist, seeing that she actually recognized her, couldn't help but scold, "Who exactly are you? How do you know we're family?" Red Moon smiled slightly, "That's not surprising. You and Lord Bai are a perfect match, deeply in love, and from a prestigious family, rare in Jiangnan. Just think, who in the world doesn't know you!" Seeing that her words were sharp, with veiled sarcasm beneath the veneer of praise, Fragrant Fist couldn't help but angrily shout, "Stop flattering me! I won't fall for that!" She spun around and launched a flying kick, aiming straight for her face. What a beautiful girl! Red Moon's feet remained planted firmly, but her body executed an extremely graceful iron bridge move, barely dodging the attack. When the swift kick narrowly missed her nose, her posture was so lifelike that the crowd erupted in cheers.

White Lightning dared not delay, and hurriedly drew his sword, shouting, "Block the cave entrance! Be careful that scoundrel Black Sun doesn't jump out!" The six famous boxers and the bearded martial arts master Zhang Kuang quickly brandished their weapons, surrounding the cave entrance! But to their surprise, there was no sound from inside the cave, as if there was no one there at all. It was pitch black and quite eerie! Relying on the strength of his numbers, White Lightning wanted to go down and take a look, so he quickly ordered Zhang Kuang to go outside and prepare torches.

Just then, the fragrance intensified, and the alluring fists flashed, enveloping Red Moon in a cold, gleaming light. Unexpectedly, Red Moon, like a red silk scarf, twirled and swirled within, like a small boat tossed about in turbulent waves. Seemingly dangerous, yet carefree, she moved about with her exquisite and unparalleled lightness skills. Perhaps in her haste, the alluring fists suddenly unfastened the gold ring on her right finger, and several fine silver needles shot out! The two were already quite close face-to-face, and the situation had escalated rapidly. It seemed the silver needles were about to strike Red Moon's delicate, flower-like face… The assembled heroes all sighed deeply; such a beautiful flower seemed destined to wither!