Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 44 Internal Strife

Without further hesitation, he slipped into the room. Looking closely, he saw his wife lying on her back with her eyes closed, her face ashen and her jade-like features pale, behind a screen on a large, carved rosewood bed. A single tear lingered in her eye, a sight that evoked both pity and unbearable sorrow. Fortunately, Elder Xiang and the six renowned martial artists were also in the room. Upon seeing a masked man in black suddenly enter, everyone was startled. Hong Quan lunged forward, raising his fist to strike, but Bai Shandian waved him off, deliberately using a high-pitched voice to say, "I am a Southern Fist enthusiast. I saw a large number of soldiers surrounding the Southern Fist Sect, shouting that they wanted to arrest Master Xiang and Master Xiang, so I came to report this! I heard from the soldiers that this matter has alarmed His Majesty the Emperor, and even the six hall masters of the Southern Fist Sect are not spared; they are all to be arrested." Everyone was terrified. They were all local tyrants with considerable wealth and power. If they were arrested by the imperial court, they would surely have committed a serious crime, which would inevitably implicate their families! This was something no one had anticipated!

"Why is the court arresting us? What law have we broken?" Hong Quan shouted loudly. Bai Shandian said, "According to my inquiries, your case is related to the 'Complete Book of Jianghu' that has appeared in the martial arts world! The court says you are plotting rebellion and that being caught will be a capital offense!" Xiang Ge Lao could no longer bear to listen. He stood up from his seat by the bed, his eyes glazed over, his expression dazed. He muttered to himself, "I always advised my daughter Quan'er not to continue writing the 'Complete Book of Jianghu,' knowing it would be a disaster! See? I wasn't wrong, was I? Alas, I never thought that in my old age I would become a prisoner, a man on the execution ground! How shameful! How can I... how can I face the ancestors of the Xiang family? I am ashamed before my ancestors!" The more he thought about it, the more frustrated and resentful he became. Suddenly, he rushed forward, and with a loud bang, he crashed into the wall, his head bleeding profusely, and died!

This scene came too suddenly, changing in an instant, catching everyone off guard! Bai Shandian secretly beat his chest and stamped his feet, wanting to tell the truth so that the Southern Fist Sect's experts would obey and flee the Xiang Mansion. Who would have thought that Elder Xiang would be so foolish?

"Ah, I'm so angry!" Xiang Quan witnessed this scene from the bed, her heart burning with rage, her eyes wide with fury, and she screamed before fainting again! Bai Shandian could no longer suppress his grief and cried out, "Quan'er!" He rushed to the bedside, desperately calling out his wife's nickname, shaking her vigorously with both hands, hoping she would wake up quickly!

The six renowned boxers were utterly astonished to see a strange man suddenly approach their leader and act so intimately. Hung Kuen and Mo Kuen were particularly enraged; each extended a claw and swiftly seized Bai Shandian's left and right shoulder blades, almost simultaneously demanding, "Who are you?!" Caught off guard, Bai Shandian had no idea of ​​their sneak attack and was instantly captured, his mask ripped off!

"Ah, so it's you!" The six famous boxers were all shocked upon seeing you. Mo Quan cursed, "You treacherous villain! First, you angered Old Madam Xiang to death, then you disguised yourself and deliberately spread rumors that the imperial court was furious and wanted to arrest our Southern Fist Sect disciples, causing Old Master Xiang to die on the spot, and then you made our sect leader faint! You're truly vicious! What exactly do you want?" Hong Quan was even more furious. He grabbed Bai Shandian and slapped him across the face, scolding, "Don't pretend! Stay away from my sect leader, it's disgusting!" Bai Shandian felt a salty taste in his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood! It turned out that this shrew, with her large, fan-like hands, had used all her strength, knowing they all deeply misunderstood her and hated her. She hurriedly explained, "Calm down and think carefully. If I were truly evil, I would simply lead my troops to arrest people. Why pretend like this and explain so bitterly? Humans aren't plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? I, White Lightning, am also human. I know I'm close to my wife and children! I don't want my mother-in-law to die or my father-in-law to face setbacks! Alas, things have come to this, and further words are useless. The current emperor is in Hangzhou. He has ordered me and the Governor of Zhejiang, Zhang Kuang, to lead two thousand elite troops to besiege Xiang Mansion and arrest all your Southern Fist Sect disciples! Now you have two paths before you: one is to escape—where is home but the earth is home; as long as you're alive, you can always rebuild! The other is to remain stubborn and wait here! In the end, you will inevitably be arrested, thrown into prison, and punished by the court!" Upon hearing this, the six famous boxers all felt that what she said made sense. Hung Kuen and Mok Kuen looked at each other, just about to let go.

Suddenly, a sharp voice rang out, "None of us should listen to his nonsense! Tie him up! Hear my command!" It was Xiang Quan, slowly waking up under Liu Quan's manipulation of her meridians. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Bai Shandian, who was desperately trying to explain himself, which only increased her annoyance. After he finished speaking, she uttered a sentence that shocked everyone present. Mo Quan quickly took out a five-colored brocade rope from his waist. This was a strange rope from the Western Regions, exceptionally strong and resilient; once tied, it tightened only when someone struggled. It was a sacred object of the Miao people of Yunnan, and Mo Quan, as the head of his tribe, had mastered this rope into a unique martial art—the rope whip. Sweeping, thrusting, coiling, scooping, lifting, and slicing—the moves were extraordinary and incredibly powerful, making it Mo Quan's signature weapon. He pressed three major acupoints on Bai Shandian's body, and in no time, he was tightly bound. This was a terrible ordeal for the wealthy Bai Shandian; he had never experienced such treatment before, and was instantly bound like a dumpling!

Xiang Quan sat up, glanced around at everyone, and said calmly, "Now that my Southern Fist Sect has suffered this calamity, we must not panic, much less be afraid! My Southern Fist Sect is quite famous in the martial arts world, with a far-reaching reputation. Now that my father and elders have both died tragically, and I am leading the way, abandoning their bodies and fleeing for my own lives, is that something a human being would do? What will the martial arts community say? How will we face them in the future?" Upon hearing this, everyone, including Bai Shandian, lowered their heads in shame and remorse!

Xiang Quan continued, her words righteous and inspiring: "This sect leader has decided: today, we will escort Bai Shandian, the Qing court's henchman, to my parents' funeral! Rest assured, esteemed hall masters, although the Qing court is ruthless and cruel, Bai Shandian holds a high position in their hearts. They are hesitant to harm us! Let us act boldly!" With that, she leaped off the bed! Supported by a last breath, she quickly returned to normal. She then ordered everyone to lift Elder Xiang's body and escort Bai Shandian to the front courtyard.

Everyone was shocked by what they saw. The large courtyard was filled with Green Standard Army soldiers. The Governor-General of Zhejiang, Zhang Kuang, and four other strangely shaped men were directing the gathering of the Xiang family and hundreds of guests in the courtyard, giving them a collective lecture! Zhang Kuang shouted, "All servants of the Xiang family and guests who have come to offer condolences, listen up! These four gentlemen are imperial guards personally sent by His Majesty, here to assist in capturing the imperial traitors! Where are Xiang Quan and his followers of the Southern Fist School hiding? Whoever tells us will be released immediately. Anyone who deliberately conceals the truth will be beheaded! If no one speaks, well, then we'll have to execute them one by one on the spot!" Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtyard stammered in fear and trembling. Needless to say, the servants and maids of the Xiang family were also deeply regretful. They thought to themselves, "Everyone knows that the Xiang family of Jiangnan has always been favored by the Emperor, with countless members holding official positions in the court. They are a renowned family, famous both domestically and internationally. Normally, neighbors consider it an honor to even have a slight connection with them. Therefore, on the day of Madam Xiang's funeral, they all came to pay their respects. Who could have imagined that the Xiang family of Jiangnan would be embroiled in internal strife, instantly becoming traitors to the court! This is truly a case of a tall building collapsing from the ground, an ant hole causing floods, and a fire at the city gate affecting the fish in the moat! If only we had known this would happen! Why did we imitate those vulgar people in society, desperately trying to befriend them? Alas, it's all too late for regrets! But there's no medicine for regret in this world!"

"Weren't you looking for us? We're here!" Xiang Quan's sharp cry drew everyone's attention in the courtyard! Zhang Kuang and the Four Fiends from outside the pass, seeing that Xiang Quan and the others were actually holding Bai Shandian hostage, immediately led their troops to surround them! The Four Fiends from inside the pass saw that Bai Shandian's face was covered in blood, his expression extremely gloomy, yet he was wearing a tight-fitting outfit. Where was his official robe? They couldn't help but have some doubts, fearing that Bai Shandian might have betrayed them and conspired with the rebels. Zhang Kuang, however, had complete faith in Bai Shandian, believing that since he had even entrusted his two children to him, he must have turned against the Xiang family, which was why his face was bruised and he had run away alone... He didn't know why he had been captured by Xiang Quan and the others, and even his official robe had been stripped off! He was truly pitiful.