Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 89 Starting Over

"Stop, Quan'er!" Bai Shandian shouted, sliding to Xiang Quan's side and catching Hong Yue Liang in his arms. Hong Yue Liang, having narrowly escaped death, clung to him in fear, crying, "Shandian, she wanted me dead! It was terrifying!" Bai Shandian patted her shoulder, comforting her, "It's alright, don't be afraid." Xiang Quan, even more enraged, secretly unscrewed the ring on her finger. A flash of cold light, and countless silver needles shot out, instantly sealing Bai and Hong'er's entire bodies! Unexpectedly, Bai Shandian reacted swiftly, his figure disappearing behind the bridal sedan chair in a flash. With several hissing sounds, most of the fine silver needles struck the sedan chair! One of the sedan chair bearers was hit first, but some were also struck in the shoulder. His entire shoulder went numb and stiff, and he suddenly collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth and unconscious!

With a sharp cry, Xiang Quan unleashed a series of aerial kicks, shattering the large bridal sedan chair into pieces with a deafening crash! Bai Shandian, carrying Hong Yue Liang, quickly moved aside, landing gracefully and angrily shouting, "How can you be so unreasonable?" Xiang Quan coldly chuckled, "The bridal sedan chair is gone! Let's see how you get married now!" As she spoke, she shot to their side like an arrow, suddenly striking Bai Shandian's face with her palm! Seeing the swiftness of the force, Bai Shandian hurriedly parried with his left arm, but it was a feint. Xiang Quan quickly retracted her left palm, while her right hand, in a serpentine motion, climbed up his right arm and lightly tapped his elbow joint! Bai Shandian felt a jolt of electricity in his right arm, lost his grip, and released Hong Yue Liang. In that split second, Xiangquan seized the opportunity, flicking her tongue wildly and gesturing wildly in front of his face with her right hand, forcing him to take a step back. Taking advantage of this moment, she grabbed Hongyue with her left hand and pulled her towards him. Unexpectedly, in his excitement, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left hand. Looking down, he saw that Hongyue had cut his tiger's mouth with a blade hidden in her hand, and he had no choice but to let go of her!

Red Moon ran back to White Lightning's side, curled her finger to her lips and blew, sending out a sharp alarm. Instantly, countless Manchu soldiers sprang out from the shadows all around the street, each riding a horse and brandishing a spear, charging forward! Dust billowed up, obscuring the sky, iron hooves thundering, their imposing presence overwhelming! In a flash, they surrounded the entire funeral procession. A forest of spears stood, their cold gleam dazzling. The leading officer roared, "Remnants of the Mo Qing Society! Today, His Majesty has laid a net of heaven and earth; none of you will escape! If you want to live, surrender now! Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy!" Looking at the dark mass of cavalry, Xiang Quan realized that Bai Shandian's words were true. She looked at him with immense guilt and said sadly, "A woman deeply in love, once hurt by her feelings, often becomes mentally impaired! It's a pity that I, Xiang Quan, so intelligent all my life, have made such a foolish mistake. Today, because of my error, the brothers of the Southern Fist Sect have been implicated; my heart aches!"

Suddenly turning her head, she calmly asked Red Moon, "How can I let my brothers leave this place? Can you take me back to see the Emperor? The grievances have their perpetrators, and the debts have their debtors. I don't want to implicate so many innocent people!" Red Moon and White Lightning exchanged a glance, pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Actually, although the Emperor has issued an order to hunt down the remaining members of the Mo Qing Society, his main purpose is still the book 'The Complete Book of Jianghu'! If you can hand over 'The Complete Book of Jianghu,' the Emperor will probably change his mind and won't want to exterminate the remaining members of the Mo Qing Society!" Fragrant Fist smiled bitterly, finally took out the strange book she had written from her waist, and handed it to Red Moon. With sincere eyes and a earnest expression, she said, "As long as the crimes of the remaining members of the Moqing Society are pardoned, what does it matter if the Emperor executes me? Today, I led the brothers of the Southern Fist Sect here because I was tormented by love, and I was reckless! As the leader of a sect, to so rashly lead my brothers into this abyss without any ambition, I am unworthy to be the leader of a sect! If my brothers suffer any more misfortune because of what happened today, how can my conscience bear it?! Red Moon, you are also a woman, you should understand a woman's plight. I offended you a lot just now, I hope you can forgive me." Red Moon couldn't help but admire Xiang Quan's selfless spirit in her heart. She smiled slightly and said sincerely, "Don't worry, Sister Quan, I understand you and won't take it to heart! I will definitely plead for you when I see the Emperor, and try my best to make him not implicate those innocent people!" Only then did Xiang Quan smile with relief.

At this moment, the six famous boxers approached. Hung Kuen said, "Sect Leader, you don't need to think only of us. We're in the same boat, bound by life and death! How can we abandon you and leave on our own? Sect Leader, let's just fight those Eagle Claw Suns! Even if we can't break through their encirclement, we'll die together!" Fragrance Kuen roared, "What do you know? This is a society where the law is like a furnace. I don't want you all to be beheaded because of me! If that affects so many families, how will I face your families? One person does the deed, one person takes responsibility. This has nothing to do with you. Don't meddle!" Seeing her stubbornness, the others didn't say anything more and had to give up.

Just then, a commotion erupted behind the Eight Banners troops, followed by the sounds of fighting. A group of men charged in. Caught off guard, the heavily guarded Eight Banners army was forced through, allowing the newcomers to break in! Leading them was none other than Stinky Feet, the leader of the Moqing Society. His thirteen heroes were undoubtedly his twelve hall masters and one incense master. Each rode a tall horse, brandishing weapons. Stinky Feet reached Xiangquan and pulled his sister onto a horse, the two riding together. The brothers all rode magnificent Ferghana steeds, rented at great expense from a horse farm outside Hangzhou. Knowing the odds were against them, Stinky Feet was risking everything for his sister! He was deeply moved by his sister's courage, knowing the dangers ahead, and her desperate act of love. To ensure his sister had a protective charm, he had readily given her the hard-earned "Complete Guide to the Martial Arts World," repeatedly instructing her to sacrifice the book to save the king should anything change and they were outnumbered. However, to protect her men, his sister was willing to sacrifice herself, handing over the "Complete Guide to the Martial Arts World" and even allowing the soldiers to take him away! He, watching from the shadows, was furious and led the Mo Qing Society's heroes out to fight.

"Sister, don't get the wrong idea. Don't you know how cunning and unpredictable Qianlong is? Do you think it's possible for him to do things your way? He's the kind of person who eats people without spitting out the bones!" With a light flick of his folding fan, he had already injured the eyes of two Eight Banner soldiers with the fan bone halberd. He pulled on the reins, and his horse galloped to Red Moon's side. He leaned forward, and his left hand flashed out, grabbing her from behind, lifting her up, and holding her above his head. He coldly shouted, "Hand over the 'Complete Book of Jianghu'!" Unexpectedly, Red Moon agreed, quickly pulled the book from her bosom, and with a swift flick of her jade hand, threw it into White Lightning's arms!

Even more unexpectedly, Bai Shandian didn't hide the book in his pocket after catching it. Instead, with a whoosh, he hurled it straight at Stinky Feet's face! Stinky Feet, startled, quickly dropped Red Moon and, with a deft, yin-yang push-hands motion, skillfully deflected the book's momentum, smoothly catching the "Complete Book of Jianghu" in his hands! He casually flipped through a few pages, confirming it was indeed a remarkable book, before confidently hiding it in his pocket. In that split second, Bai Shandian glided forward, caught Red Moon, and held her in his arms. He then glided away, returning to the Eight Banners soldiers' formation. Red Moon said anxiously, "It's a pity the 'Complete Book of Jianghu' is lost again! Brother Shandian, don't just worry about my safety! To successfully complete the Emperor's mission, we can't let either of these groups escape!" Bai Shandian nodded, but then, still holding her, turned and left! Seeing his blatant protection of the Mo Qing Society's heroes, Hong Yueliang sighed helplessly to herself. She then shouted to the Eight Banners soldiers, "Brothers, the Emperor has decreed: anyone associated with the Mo Qing Society rebels must be arrested! Anyone who dares to resist arrest will be killed without mercy! Brothers, the perfect opportunity to serve the court has arrived! Charge! When the time comes, the Emperor will reward us according to our merits, granting us promotions and titles—we won't be shortchanged!" Sure enough, her words were like a shot of adrenaline, instantly invigorating the entire Eight Banners army, who fought with all their might!