Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 77 Regrouping

Thousand-Hand Guanyin scoffed coldly, "You think you can wade into this mess all by yourself? You've really got a death wish!" Suddenly, she raised both hands, and the iron caltrops in her palms instantly transformed into countless flashes of cold light, shooting towards the seven-colored cloud! Without any visible movement, her hands danced wildly, gathering all the caltrops into her long sleeves! With a whoosh, her sleeves flicked out, instantly transforming into a wisp of smoke, drifting like lightning to Thousand-Hand Guanyin's nose! A delicate fragrance of roses wafted into her nostrils, refreshing and intoxicating… Thousand-Hand Guanyin was intoxicated by the scent, suddenly feeling her vision blur, and before she knew it, she collapsed to the ground, falling into a deep sleep!

Qi Caiyun flicked her long sleeves again, and a pigeon suddenly flew out, startling everyone. It flew straight to Tie Suanpan's shoulder and stood there, refusing to leave. Tie Suanpan caught the pigeon, wanting to get a better look, but unexpectedly, it exploded with a bang. After a cloud of smoke cleared, Tie Suanpan looked as if he had just crawled out from under a stove, covered in soot and his hair was disheveled! He looked down and was immediately horrified to find that the brocade box and the emperor's edict in his hands were gone!

"Don't bother looking for the second-in-command, I've taken it! I'll run a errand for you and Lord Bai to release your leader! As for you and your three friends, rest here for now." Before Seven-Colored Cloud finished speaking, Iron Abacus, Tornado, and the three split-half-person suddenly felt drowsy and collapsed to the ground, falling into a deep sleep. It turned out that the flying pigeon was just an illusion; the smoke that exploded was actually a drowsy inhaler, which would immediately put anyone who smelled it into a deep sleep. White Lightning felt his eyelids drooping and couldn't control himself, wanting to lie down and sleep, but Seven-Colored Cloud supported him and quickly put a small pill in his mouth! White Lightning melted in his mouth, and soon his mind cleared up, and he woke up.

Qi Caiyun laughed, "Lord Bai, shall we hurry and rescue your wife and brother-in-law?" Bai Shandian said with a hint of anger, "Who exactly are you? What kind of evil tricks did you use? How did you manage to subdue all four masters of the Moqing Society in one fell swoop!" Qi Caiyun smiled slightly, "Chinese ancient magic tricks are unpredictable. I have learned them and applied them to martial arts, gradually making a name for myself in the martial arts world. I am known as the leader of the Caimen, one of the Ten Great Schools of the Martial Arts World. What are the Ten Great Schools of the Martial Arts World? They are martial arts sects under the slang of the martial arts world, namely Bee, Hemp, Swallow, Sparrow, Comment, Gold, Skin, Color, Hang, and Group. Among them, the Gold School is Huang Miwu's fortune-telling and divination school, and the Group School is the Beggars' Sect of Fire Cloud and Empty Escape. My ancient magic tricks are the Caimen under the slang of the martial arts world!" Bai Shandian said coldly, "Martial arts tricks." "Nine out of ten are scams. People die for money, birds die for food. You Jianghu people will fight and kill each other for a little profit. I despise you!" Qi Caiyun waved the brocade box and the imperial edict in his hand and said with a sinister smile, "Lord Bai, don't you want to go save your wife and brother-in-law?" Bai Shandian secretly channeled his internal energy, glided forward silently, and suddenly punched him in the chest. There was a loud thud, but although he hit his body, it was like hitting a cotton ball, soft and weak. Just as he was wondering, a person behind him said in a sinister tone, "Lord Bai, you are so insidious! Why did you suddenly punch me without saying a word?!" Only then did he realize that he had only hit his outer robe. The real person had already slipped away and was standing behind him!

"Are you human or a ghost? Your movements are so swift, like lightning, like a phantom!" Bai Shandian was somewhat terrified. Qi Caiyun laughed, "Lord Bai, do you know why I'm known as Qi Caiyun in the martial arts world? As the name suggests, clouds are changeable, and seven-colored clouds are even more ever-changing, beautiful and colorful! Some say I have seven lives, and even if you cut off my head, you might not be able to take my life! Therefore, I advise you to save your trouble, obediently come with me, release your wife and brother-in-law, and then obediently hand over the 'Complete Book of the Martial Arts World' to me! Or, this might work too: let me first deal with the Mo Qing Society members in the cave and rescue the Emperor, then you can give me the 'Complete Book of the Martial Arts World'." "Give me the 'Complete Works of Jianghu'!" Bai Shandian didn't want the Emperor to know about this, so he said, "Let's go to the Hangzhou prison first." Qi Caiyun was somewhat disappointed and asked, "Didn't Lord Bai say that we should go to the General's Mansion in Hangzhou first to rescue your brother-in-law? And while we're at it, get the 'Complete Works of Jianghu'..." Bai Shandian said, somewhat bewildered, "Did I say we should go to the General's Mansion in Hangzhou first?" Qi Caiyun blushed and said with a forced smile, "I was just imagining things. Lord Bai definitely didn't say that." Bai Shandian's expression changed drastically and he said, "Don't be so impatient! What makes you so sure?" "Is the 'Complete Book of Jianghu' in the General's Mansion in Hangzhou?" Qi Caiyun sneered. "Since you obtained the 'Complete Book of Jianghu' last night, have you been anywhere else besides the General's Mansion?" Suddenly, she thought for a moment and exclaimed, "Oh, right! This morning, you rode here at a leisurely pace to this Yue Fei Temple! But the hall is empty, and there's hardly any place to store the book..." As she spoke, her triangular eyes darted around, and she began to look around the hall. Finally, her gaze settled on the large plaque that read "Return My Rivers and Mountains," and she sneered, "Behind this plaque..." "It's a wonderful place to hide books!" These words immediately made Bai Shandian tense, his heart pounding wildly. "This old man is incredibly sharp; he'll see right through me!" A sudden idea struck him, and he quickly said, "Let's hurry and rescue my wife. Once the matter is settled, I'll present the 'Complete Book of Jianghu' with both hands!" The Seven-Colored Cloud had only made a casual guess, and immediately laughed, "Excellent! That's exactly what I wanted to hear, Lord Bai! Let's hurry then, lest we alert the Mo Qing Society members below the cave and cause further trouble!" Bai Shandian hurriedly followed him out the door.

When Bai Shandian and his companion arrived at the Hangzhou prison, they were astonished to find that Xiang Quan, the leader of the Southern Fist School, was not in the prison! According to Warden Yue Zhongyun, Xiang Quan was a highly skilled martial artist who had appeared out of nowhere, and the guards knew nothing about it! If Bai Shandian and his companion hadn't come to retrieve him, they would still be completely unaware!

It was lunchtime, and a ray of sunlight shone through the iron bars into cell number 16, where Xiang Quan was held. More than twenty disheveled and filthy female prisoners were each drinking thin vegetable soup from a broken bowl. Some held a cornbread in their hands, taking bites now and then. With the keen information-gathering ability unique to a top-secret imperial agent, he searched the cell inside and out. He found the doors and windows intact, the walls undamaged, and no signs of digging or excavation. His expression instantly changed. He grabbed the warden's collar and roared, "Tell the truth! Where are you keeping her? If you don't tell the truth, I'll kill your entire family!" With a clang, he drew the imperial sword from his waist; a flash of cold light, the gleaming blade pressed against the warden's neck! Although the warden was a descendant of Yue Fei, a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty, he lacked Yue Fei's composure in the face of imminent danger, and even more so, his heroic and fearless spirit. He panicked immediately, turning ashen-faced and trembling like a leaf. He honestly confessed, "Lord Bai, actually, your...madam requested...to be released! How could I...dare to stop her? She repeatedly assured me that...after finishing one matter, she would return to the prison and would never...implicate me..."

"What is she doing out there?" White Lightning interrupted him.

"This..." Warden Yue Zhongyun hesitated, looking embarrassed and as if he didn't want to say it.

"Speak!" Bai Shandian tightened his grip, squeezing Yue Zhongyun's neck so tightly that he couldn't breathe! He suffocated, his face turning red and his eyes rolling back! He struggled to speak, "Lord Bai, please don't hold me... so tightly, I'm almost... suffocating, how can I speak..." Bai Shandian released his grip, but with a swift movement, the blade pierced Yue Zhongyun's neck, drawing blood! He roared, "Releasing a criminal is already a serious crime. If you utter another lie, don't blame me for being ruthless!" The implication was clear to the guards: in front of everyone, they mustn't utter any private matters concerning Xiang Quan, lest they embarrass Bai Shandian in public and lose face! But Yue Zhongyun, feeling guilty and knowing Bai Shandian's reputation for meticulous observation and brilliant investigation, dared not utter a single word of denial under the ruthless authority of Bai Shandian, blurting everything out!