Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 11: Defeating the Enemy in One Move

At that moment, the leader of the Moqing Society, Stinky Feet, sneered coldly, and a cold light flashed from his fan, sweeping towards Hongchen's eyes! Hongchen hurriedly lowered his head, but the other party was too fast. With a hiss, the ruby ​​on his head feather was cut off by the sharp fan and fell to the ground with a clatter, rolling away to who knows where!

Hongchen was not afraid at all, knowing that he was no match for the other party. He hurriedly thrust his sword randomly, jumped out of the circle, and shouted to the guards: "Brothers, let's go side by side! Capture the wanted criminal and there will be a big reward!" The guards were all martial arts masters, and they were all extraordinary people he had recruited in the martial arts world.

A man swung his broadsword with tremendous force, splitting Mount Hua in two, creating a chilling gust of wind. The stinky-footed guard dared not take the blow head-on, staggering as if he had lost his footing and nearly fell. But he managed to dodge the deadly broadsword, sliding behind the man and using his feather fan like a blade to lightly slice away... A scream rang out, and the guard wielding the sword was decapitated. Blood gushed from his bald arm!

Two guards, each wielding a wrought iron rod, were brothers known in the martial arts world as the "Twin Heroes of Yanshan." Seeing everyone stunned by Stinky Foot's attack, they were indignant and leaped forward. The elder brother swung his rod down on Stinky Foot's head, while the younger brother, not to be outdone, swung his rod like a whirlwind, aiming straight for his legs! The brothers' coordination was flawless, but when they struck, their opponent had vanished! Just as they were still bewildered, a sharp pain shot through their necks, and they lost consciousness… With a gurgling sound, everyone looked and saw two bloody heads rolling to the ground!

The stinky feet struck, killing three people in a flash, leaving everyone utterly horrified. Seeing all the guards retreating, none daring to advance, Hongchen roared, "You've been training your troops for a thousand days, only to use them for one! You eat and drink the best food you can, and boast like the moon, but why are you all chickening out today! Is this all you've got? Anyone who dares to resist, don't blame me for being merciless! Anyone who retreats even a step will be executed on the spot! A reward of three thousand taels of silver will be given to anyone who catches the culprit!"

These words truly proved the adage that a great reward will surely attract brave men. The four guards wielding spears, as if they had planned it beforehand, scattered and charged forward menacingly from the four outer directions. With a flick of their spears, they unleashed a spectacular display of power, sending out four streams of icy lightning that enveloped the stinky foot in a net of cold energy from all four directions!

Suddenly, they heard a soft hissing sound behind them, followed by several cries of pain. The four guards dropped their spears, clutched their heads, and collapsed to the ground, their faces instantly turning a horrifying blackish-purple! Even with their high level of martial arts, they couldn't help but wail in agony, clearly suffering immense pain! They immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, regulating their breathing and internal energy to expel the poison and prevent it from spreading and attacking their brains and hearts!

Stinky Feet walked up to Fragrant Fist, beaming, "I knew you had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, you're actually close to me!" Fragrant Fist rolled her eyes at him, playfully scolding, "It's not like that! Resisting arrest is one thing, but killing is another! I was afraid you'd hurt someone again in my secret chamber!" She pulled a small white porcelain bottle from her waist, poured out a few small black pills, walked over to the four guards, gave each of them two, and whispered, "Take the antidote quickly, you'll be fine soon!"

Then, her beautiful eyes widened, and she scolded, "You are all renowned martial arts figures, yet four of you fought one! How shameful! Winning was one thing, but if you were to lose, wouldn't that tarnish the heroic reputation of the Yang family's 'Four Soul-Chasing Spears'?" Those men were actually four brothers from Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song Dynasty, descendants of the famous Yang family generals. Initially angered by her underhanded tactics, they were all deeply grateful to her for providing the antidote and for teaching them a lesson in conduct.

She hurriedly swallowed the antidote, and sure enough, she vomited a mouthful of black blood a moment later. Her complexion improved slightly, and she gradually regained her health. She quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Madam!" Seeing her actions, Hongchen cursed inwardly that Xiangquan truly lived up to her reputation as a leader of the martial arts world. She took advantage of others and then acted innocent, doing it flawlessly. You really couldn't afford to turn against her!

"Stinky Feet!" Bai Shandian stepped forward, coldly saying, "We're all family, so there's no need for formalities. You resisted arrest and committed murder, and you're a wanted criminal. No one can help you. You have to take responsibility for your actions. I hope you understand the current situation! I guarantee that as long as you come with us, I will ensure that no one is implicated!" Upon hearing this, Hongchen secretly admired him. It seemed that this top imperial spy was indeed extraordinary. When he did act, it was always a decisive move, defeating his enemy in one strike! He had grasped the weakness of Stinky Feet, the weakness of Fragrant Fist, and the weakness of everyone else!

Sure enough, without saying a word, Stinky Feet put the folding fan into his waistband, stretched out his hands, smiled slightly and said, "Alright, I'll listen to my brother-in-law!" White Lightning gave him a look, and two guards ran over, took out iron chains from their waistbands, and locked Stinky Feet's hands tightly.

Two children ran over crying, grabbing him and shouting, "Uncle, where are they taking you? We don't want you to go! We want you to play with us!" His nose stung with tears, and he choked out, "Children, your uncle will be back soon, don't cry!" Little Baijin looked up at him, wiping away his tears, and said, "Uncle, you told us not to cry, but why are you crying too? Is it because if you leave, Father and the others won't let you come back?"

Stinky Feet was speechless, only lowering his head in dejection. Little Platinum ran to White Lightning's side again, grabbing his collar and shaking him violently: "Father, please let Uncle go, I beg you! I beg you!" White Lightning was speechless for a moment. Little Platinum burst into tears, pleading with his father between sobs. Everyone present was deeply moved and saddened.

Bai Ge Lao quietly approached Hong Chen and whispered in his ear, "Go and talk to that Bai fellow, and ask him to release my son. I'll have someone send you a priceless ruby ​​to be re-set into your official hat and plume." Hong Chen, still furious after losing three of his fiercest generals, was horrified that Bai Ge Lao, a high-ranking official, dared to bribe an official in public. He coldly replied, "Lord Xiang, my son-in-law's handling of this matter is already more than enough for your Xiang family! If you ask me to beg for anything more, wouldn't that be asking for trouble? Besides, if you want us to reduce Stinky Feet's punishment when reporting the case to the Grand Council, that's possible! For example, we can tell our superiors not that Stinky Feet resisted arrest and killed someone, and we can also not say that he's your son—hehe, you understand!"

Xiang Ge Lao couldn't help but curse the fat old man inwardly; not only did he refuse to do his job, but he also took the opportunity to extort money! He really couldn't do anything about it at the moment. He could only say, "Alright then, I'll leave everything to Lord Hong! Don't worry, I've specially saved that ruby ​​for you!"

Bai Shandian immediately ordered, "Go, let's get out and go back to the General's Mansion!" He had several guards carry the corpse and they immediately fled like a whirlwind!

Back at the General's Mansion, Hongchen didn't dare let Bai Shandian throw the stinky foot into the Hangzhou prison. Instead, he imprisoned it in a specially designed underground water dungeon within his own mansion! This dungeon was about ten feet deep underground, with thick steel plates on all four sides and the floor. It was filled with water and was about half a person's height. The stinky foot was thrown in, pierced through the shoulder blade, and its limbs were chained with steel chains, which were then locked to steel rings on the iron walls! No matter how skilled in martial arts it was, escape was impossible!

Bai Shandian and Hongchen stood atop the steel fence above Choujiao's head, exchanging a glance and both letting out a long sigh. Hongchen said, "Lord Bai, your judgment and decisive action were truly remarkable!" Bai Shandian replied with lingering fear, "The situation was extremely unfavorable for us. Even if Xiangquan and Choujiao joined forces, let alone those six famous martial arts styles, we wouldn't have been able to leave that gate! When we captured Choujiao, I was genuinely afraid that Xiangquan might change his mind and try to rescue him!"

Hongchen stroked his plump chin, smiled slyly, and asked, "It seems Lord Bai and your wife don't have a good relationship! What happened? Tell me. Oh, by the way, your wife revealed that her entire family of three was wiped out. What does that mean?" Bai Shandian was somewhat angry and retorted, "I'm busy with official duties in the capital, right under the Emperor's nose, while you're in Hangzhou every day. Such a big thing happened in the city, and I haven't even asked you about it yet, but you're already asking me! What do you mean, Lord Hong!" Seeing his anger, Hongchen quickly laughed it off and said, "I apologize for asking, Lord Bai! Actually, I have no right to interfere in Lord Bai's family affairs. Come on, let's go have a drink and have some fun."