Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 78 Sudden Changes

Yue Zhongyun said in a trembling voice, "Your Madam said she went to the General's Mansion to seek revenge on the young lady, Hong Yueliang! She said Hong Yueliang is her rival in love, and she has a grudge against her for stealing her husband!" Bai Shandian's face changed drastically upon hearing this, and his heart suddenly trembled: "Xiang Quan found out about what happened at the General's Mansion last night so quickly? Impossible! There were no members of the Southern Fist Sect present at the time, and the time was so short! Who sowed discord and deliberately told Xiang Quan about this?" Immediately observing the situation, he turned his attention to Yue Zhongyun and said loudly, "As a mere warden, why did you dare to release the wanted criminal on your own? Who gave you such audacity? And why did you hide the truth for the wanted criminal, deceiving your superiors and subordinates? There must be a hidden story! Well, I will let you off the hook for now, but I will settle accounts with you later! I must rush to the General's Mansion immediately to prevent any further major incidents!" He sheathed his sword and strode away with Qi Caiyun. Yue Zhongyun watched their departing figures, a sinister smile barely perceptible to outsiders appearing on his face. He thought to himself, "This is going to be interesting! Bai Shandian, don't be so arrogant and bullying anymore. This family war is about to erupt, and you'll be in for a world of trouble! Haha—"

Bai Shandian and Qicaiyun rode swiftly to the General's Mansion. Just as they reached the gate, they heard the sounds of fighting coming from the courtyard. Bai Shandian dismounted and asked a sergeant guarding the gate, "Who's fighting whom?" The sergeant replied, "It's your wife, Lord Bai, and Huang Miwu, the leader of the Golden Gate, locked in a fierce battle. You should go in and see for yourself; they've been fighting for most of the day!" Bai Shandian strode quickly into the courtyard, where he saw Hong Yueliang and her parents, along with a group of guards, anxiously watching the fight from the courtyard.

Xiang Quan, dressed as a village woman, had likely disguised herself to enter the general's mansion. She was locked in a fierce battle with Huang Miwu, whose left eye was covered by a black cloth! Seeing herself, the dignified head of the Southern Fist School, struggling against the gaunt Huang Miwu, Xiang Quan grew impatient. Suddenly, her fist style changed, unleashing a powerful punch, her body swaying wildly, seemingly drunk and staggering, appearing mad and insane; yet, a fierce glint lurked within, her reactions swift, her feints concealing deadly attacks! She dodged Huang Miwu's flying kick with a swift, graceful movement, landing hard on her back. Then, with a swift, powerful thrust, she rose to her feet, pointing a single finger at Huang Miwu's occipital bone acupoint at the back of his head! Using this momentum, Huang Miwu suddenly slammed forward like a stone tablet, his body straight as a monument. Just as his lips were about to touch the ground, he slammed his palms down, his legs bending and straightening, his feet kicking out with explosive force! This move is the "Rabbit Kicks Eagle" technique from the "Wu Song Escapes Shackles" boxing style, a signature move of Wu Song, a hero from the Water Margin of the Northern Song Dynasty. The power of this move lies in the word "kick," which catches the opponent off guard and is often a sure thing, defeating the enemy in one move! It is comparable to the "Returning Spear" from the Yang Family Spear style of the Yang Family Generals!

However, Xiang Quan was incredibly clever. Seeing Huang Miwu suddenly use a strange move, she swiftly swept her leg along the ground, creating a cloud of smoke that rose from the ground with crackling energy. Huang Miwu's feet missed the target, and before he could recover, a cloud of smoke quickly blinded his intact right eye, leaving him in complete darkness. In that split second, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in both wrists. Before he could understand what was happening, a powerful force struck him, sending him flying more than ten feet away!

With a sharp cry, Xiang Quan moved with lightning speed, striking three major acupoints on Huang Miwu's body, causing him to collapse to the ground, incapacitated! Then, with a somersault, she appeared before Hong Yueliang, seizing her left wrist with lightning speed, and shouted, "You daring and lewd maid, how dare you seduce my sect leader's husband! Are you truly tired of living?!" Hong Yueliang sincerely wanted to awaken him, to make him wake up from the maze of love, and to return to the right path, no longer clinging on. She said sincerely, "Sister Xiangquan, we sisters haven't had time to chat for a long time. It's rare for us to get together today, so let's have a heart-to-heart talk! Some say that marriage is a grave, without love. Sister Xiangquan, after so many years of marriage, have you ever felt a heart-wrenching loneliness and isolation? What else is there besides pain when you're with someone you don't love? The final outcome is always the same: mutual destruction! Rather than clinging on and hurting each other, it's better to let go gracefully and give each other space. This shows magnanimity and uprightness, and it also liberates yourself, giving yourself a chance for a better tomorrow. Sister Xiangquan, don't you agree?" Her words were eloquent and thought-provoking. Bai Shandian listened, mesmerized, while Xiangquan was furious and slapped her across the face, blood immediately flowing from the corner of her mouth. She didn't know that Hong Yueliang's martial arts skills had been completely transferred into Bai Shandian's body, rendering him an ordinary person. He was already astonished that she had been so easily caught by his pulse, but now, seeing that she didn't dodge or flinch and actually took the slap head-on, he felt something was amiss. So he shouted angrily, "What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for? Fight back!" With a flick of her wrist, she delivered another slap—

Unexpectedly, her jade-like wrist tightened, gripped firmly by a large hand. She tried several times, but no matter how much she exerted her internal energy, she couldn't break free! Turning around in annoyance, her rage intensified, she roared, "What? Your wife isn't dead yet, and you're already impatient! You, surnamed Bai, let me tell you, today, in front of me, if you don't explain your affair with that vixen Red Moon, I won't let you off!" Bai Shandian forcefully pried her hand off, also angrily saying, "Do you know that she has transferred all her internal energy into me? Now I'm just an ordinary person, powerless to even kill a chicken! As the dignified head of the Southern Fist Sect, how can you bully a weak woman? Wouldn't that make us a laughingstock in the martial arts world?!"

"You need to figure out who's bullying whom, White Lightning!" Xiang Quan was furious and on the verge of tears. At this moment, she angered someone nearby! He suddenly rushed to Red Moon, grabbed her hand, and dragged her away, shouting, "I told you so, but you wouldn't listen! Now look what's happened! My silly girl, how could you be so naive, actually passing on all your profound skills to someone like that! What kind of bewitching drug has turned you into this? No wonder they say a woman in love is most easily deceived; you've been so badly fooled! It seems if you don't stop now, you'll be the one suffering for the rest of your life! You were just now eagerly lecturing Master Xiang, silly girl, the one who's truly pitiful is you!"

Upon seeing that it was General Hong Chen of Hangzhou, Bai Shandian felt ashamed and immediately lowered his head in silence. Xiang Quan, however, rushed in front of Hong Yueliang, blocking her path, and said in a harsh voice, "No one can leave here until things are cleared up!" Hong Chen immediately shielded his daughter, shouting, "Master Xiang, you are now a wanted criminal who has escaped from prison! According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, you must be arrested immediately! If you openly resist arrest, you will be executed! Soldiers, arrest her immediately!" A group of guards behind her drew their swords and brandished their spears, rushing forward to surround Xiang Quan! It seemed another battle was about to break out, and countless innocent lives would be sacrificed…

"Stop! Listen to me!" Bai Shandian hurriedly stepped forward and whispered to Qi Caiyun behind him, "You can take out both imperial edicts and read them aloud in public!" Qi Caiyun agreed and immediately took out the two edicts, beginning to read them aloud. When she read the part about being released on the spot, Xiang Quan was stunned, almost unable to believe her eyes! A flood of emotions overwhelmed her, and she felt gratitude and trust towards Bai Shandian. Yes, to make the emperor's mind change and his words change, besides Bai Shandian, who else in the world could do this? If he didn't love her, why would he go to such lengths, even resorting to unscrupulous means, to get her out of prison? Could it be that Hong Yueliang only had a one-sided love for her man? And he only responded with a contemptuous smile? He was a secret agent of the imperial palace, she was the leader of thieves; one was a cat, the other a mouse. Since ancient times, we've only heard of cats catching mice, never of cats and mice marrying! It was a fantasy, an utterly bizarre tale!