Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 52 Blatant

Hearing this, Bai Shandian and Hongchen were also struck by the suddenness of the event; the loss of the strange book was rather bizarre! Bai Shandian, with the mindset of a professional spy, thought for a moment and asked, "Master, did you drop the *Complete Book of Jianghu* on the road while you were rushing?" Kong Dun, annoyed and embarrassed, said, "I had the same thought at the time, so I boldly retraced my steps, searching every inch of the way back. Even when I was almost at that inn, I still couldn't find it! Damn it, it's really strange! I hid on the rooftop and saw Mo Qing and his group of heroes in a frenzy, discussing how to search for the *Complete Book of Jianghu*. Afraid of being discovered and finding it difficult to escape, I hurriedly left. The next day, fearing I couldn't see clearly the night before, I specifically..." We searched the same route again, but still found nothing! Just then, the Four Fiends of the Underworld caught up. After I recounted what had happened, the Japanese ninja named Fujibayashi Jonin insisted that it must have been the world's number one thief, Red Moon, who stole the "Complete Book of Jianghu"! The shadowy figure last night was undoubtedly her! She deliberately dropped a smoke bomb, and while I was covering my mouth and nose, she stealthily approached and used her nimble hands to steal the "Complete Book of Jianghu" from my arms! Her words were a wake-up call. Reminded by Fujibayashi Jonin, I vaguely remembered seeing a figure in the inn last night that did indeed resemble Red Moon!

Upon hearing this, Hongchen slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Absurd! Utterly absurd! Without a single piece of solid evidence, relying solely on a vague feeling, they've already accused my daughter! They're utterly stubborn and should be arrested!" Hongchen turned to Bai Shandian for instructions, "Lord Bai, shouldn't such a mad monk, who's also secretly colluding with the Japanese pirates, be arrested?" Bai Shandian smiled slightly, "It seems Master has come with a purpose tonight!" Kong Dun's hoarse voice chuckled strangely, "That's right! I've come specifically for Lord Hongchen!" Suddenly, he lunged at Hongchen, his large, fan-like hand slapping him across the face—a resounding slap that drew blood from his mouth and nose! Hongchen's head spun, and he fainted. Kong Dun tucked him under his arm and ran away!

Bai Shandian was terrified, never expecting this mad monk to dare to openly abduct someone in the heavily guarded official residence! He shouted, "How dare you! Do you have a death wish?!" He leaped over the dining table, and in a few bounds, reached the inner gate of the courtyard, blocking Kong Dun's path! Unexpectedly, the monk, without hesitation, raised his large, fan-like hand, creating a gust of wind, and slashed at Bai Shandian's face! Bai Shandian, with a clang, drew his imperial sword from his waist and thrust it at the large hand! Seeing the monk's exquisite swordsmanship, Kong Dun dared not act rashly, quickly withdrawing his palm strike and changing to a serpentine, elusive hand, climbing up the sword's blade, aiming straight for Bai Shandian's pulse point! Bai Shandian slid backward, sweeping out countless sword nets in a sweeping attack! This move startled Kong Dun, who quickly somersaulted backward, leaping more than ten feet away, trying to dodge the cold light of the flying swords! Unexpectedly, the white lightning bolt followed like a shadow. As soon as one move was made, another followed, like a never-ending, endless, surging, and overwhelming force!

This was no small matter. Kong Dun used the Qiankun Great Shift technique to roam the courtyard. Although he narrowly dodged the flying sword shadows time and time again, he was exhausted, sweating profusely and panting heavily. Finally, he could not hold on any longer and had to abandon Hongchen's huge fat body on the ground.

Just then, a figure swooped down from the rooftop, grabbed Hongchen's burly body, and leaped back onto the eaves and brackets. He bent down, picked up a tile, and with a flick of his right hand, hurled it at Bai Shandian's head from behind! He shouted, "Master, run!" His body flashed a few times before disappearing into the night.

White Lightning, sensing the wind and pinpointing the location, ducked down, and the tile was cleaved into countless pieces by his sword rain. In that split second, the Void Escape Technique seized the opportunity to fly onto the roof and escape! White Lightning hurriedly followed suit, soaring into the sky and leaping onto the roof as well, but all he saw was a waning moon and a lone star, the night vast and desolate; there was no trace of the enemy.

Bai Shandian knew this was a well-thought-out and long-planned operation. Chasing after them alone would be futile; if the enemy became enraged, they might gang up on him, and he would be no match for them. He quickly leaped outside the gate, selected five hundred elite soldiers, each mounted on a tall horse, fully armed, and ordered them to search for the enemy. He also notified the four gates of Hangzhou to strictly check all those entering and leaving the city, and to arrest anyone with even the slightest suspicion!

When they reached a narrow alley, they discovered drops of blood beside the door of a wealthy family's house, extending across the ground and into the courtyard! Bai Shandian ordered a Manchu soldier to dismount and knock on the door. *Clap clap clap!* The soldier knocked a few times, and the gate creaked open, revealing a middle-aged man with a sleazy face, short and thin. He asked fearfully, "Sirs, what business do you have knocking at the door in the middle of the night?" The soldier shouted, "Our officers suspect your family is harboring rebels! Open the gate now and let us search!" The middle-aged man said with a miserable face, "My family has lived here for generations. How could we be colluding with rebels? Sir, you are joking!" The soldier became impatient, raised his whip, and lashed out, cursing, "You damn fool, what nonsense are you spouting? Get out of the way! Or your horse will kick you to death!" A bloody welt appeared on the middle-aged man's face. He quickly moved to the side of the door, his eyes filled with tears, a fleeting murderous intent flashing across his face.

The soldiers swore and flung open the gate. Bai Shandian led a troop of cavalry into the courtyard. With a wave of his hand, the Eight Banner soldiers dismounted and began searching room by room. Chaos erupted, with people and horses stumbling and falling. The entire family, including servants and maids, were dragged from their beds, some shirtless and shivering in the late autumn/early winter chill. Surprisingly, even the last room they searched yielded no suspicious persons!

Bai Shandian ordered the middle-aged man to bring several lanterns. He took one and carefully followed the bloodstains on the ground, searching for clues. The trail led to a pavilion in the back garden. Bai Shandian immediately ordered the Eight Banners soldiers to surround the pavilion, swords drawn, spears raised, ready for battle. Bai Shandian cautiously entered the pavilion and saw a stone table in the center, surrounded by five stone stools on each of the four sides. Eight round pillars stood around the pavilion's perimeter. The layout subtly conformed to the principles of the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams, carrying the mysteries of Yin and Yang. The entire structure was rigorous and awe-inspiring. For some reason, from the moment he stepped into the pavilion, Bai Shandian felt the surrounding pillars swaying and floating, a dizzying, overwhelming sensation. This was because most pavilions had four or six pillars; a design with eight was quite rare. This, under the misleading effect of eye strain, can indeed unknowingly cause a feeling of dizziness and mental fog.

Besides these, something even stranger and more bizarre was about to happen—with each step, Bai Shandian listened intently to see if there was any gap beneath his feet; if so, it undoubtedly meant a hidden cave or secret chamber was buried below! But after four steps, he felt no emptiness below. On his fifth step, the strange thing happened! Suddenly, with a loud crash, the entire pavilion floor began to spin, like a giant spinning top. It started spinning slowly, gradually increasing in speed, until it was spinning rapidly! Standing atop this enormous top, Bai Shandian felt the wind whistling past his ears, his clothes fluttering and rustling. Even with his superior martial arts skills and strong inner strength, such continuous spinning would eventually drive him mad!

Bai Shandian took a deep breath and leaped, trying to jump from inside the pavilion to outside—after all, it was solid ground outside, not so terrifying! But then something strange happened! It was as if there was a magnetic field underground, with a huge gravitational pull; no matter how hard he jumped, he couldn't move an inch off the ground! It was unbelievable. What had gone wrong? Was he going to just keep spinning like this forever? The thought was terrifying!

Bai Shandian suddenly recalled many things, including the Ten Cruelest Tortures of the Qing Dynasty that he had once experienced! He thought to himself, "This punishment can be considered the most cruel of the Ten Cruelest Tortures of the Qing Dynasty! It truly makes one wish for death but cannot die!"