Jianghu Qimen Lu

Gui Nan Na gave an awkward smile, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "May I ask which leader of the Red Flower Society you are? I've come to the county to pay my respects!" Before Xiang Quan could speak, Hong Quan roared in a loud, booming voice, "Are you blind?! Do you only see the Red Flower Society? Haven't you heard of the prestigious Southern Fist School? We are the heroes and warriors of the Southern Fist School, the leader of the Jiangnan martial arts world!" Gui Nan Na quickly bowed respectfully, forcing a smile, and said, "Oh, so you're our neighbors right outside the door, masters of the renowned Southern Fist School! My apologies for my rudeness!" Hong Quan glared at him, annoyed, and said, "Get to the point! I don't have time for idle chatter!"

Gui Nan Na pondered for a moment before smiling slightly and saying, "It's a misunderstanding, actually it's a misunderstanding!" Pointing to the peasant woman's corpse on the ground, he continued, "There's a reason for this, it's all because of this madwoman! This morning, she ran to our Yangzhou county government office, insisting that a group of bandits had come to Daming Temple and killed her second daughter, and she sealed off the temple gates, preventing anyone from entering or leaving freely. That's why our county had to send troops here to suppress the bandits. Who would have thought that a short boy dressed in children's clothes would run out of the temple? He explained the truth to me. It turns out this madwoman was talking nonsense, suspecting the short boy had killed her second daughter. Seeing that he had been kidnapped by you heroes, she didn't dare offend you, so she came to our county government office and told a colossal lie, hoping to use the government to deal with you heroes, so she could capture the short boy and avenge her second daughter!" Upon hearing this, the county official was extremely... Enraged, he loudly reprimanded her for her eagerness for revenge and for lying! He then ordered to capture the short, ugly man alive and take him to the county office for questioning. Unexpectedly, the short, ugly man was incredibly agile. In a flash, he was in front of me, and in a blur, he drew his sword and, with a swift stroke, stabbed the peasant woman through the heart! Then, with a somersault, he leaped onto a horse and galloped away! All of this happened... His appearance was so sudden, like a fleeting glimpse of a startled bird, catching everyone off guard. By the time they came to their senses, the short, stocky man had already vanished in a cloud of dust. The county magistrate hurriedly sent men in pursuit, but the mountain roads were winding and crisscrossed with countless paths; where could they possibly find him? They had no choice but to return empty-handed! The clerk chuckled to himself, thinking, "Our county magistrate accused the peasant woman of lying, yet his own colossal lie is so perfectly crafted, it's truly astounding!"

Xiang Quan chuckled coldly, staring at the magistrate's thin face as he asked, "Since it's a misunderstanding, why are you still heavily guarding the mountain gate and blocking it?!" Gui Nan Na laughed, "Having paid my respects to all the heroes, I'll immediately transfer the troops back to the county." He then waved his hand and shouted loudly to the bandit-suppression soldiers, "All assemble! Form two long lines and turn back to the county government!" His troops were indeed quite peculiar, dressed in a variety of colors and uniforms, representing all sorts of social classes. Moreover, they stood and sat haphazardly, wearing their hats askew and glaring, completely at ease. It was obvious they hadn't received any formal military training.

Seeing this, Xiang Quan finally felt a huge weight lifted from her heart. She thought to herself, "No wonder that Yangzhou magistrate left without firing a single shot. He's not stupid; he figured it out long ago. Knowing he wouldn't stand a chance in a fight, he decided to make plans early!" At this moment, the Red Flower Society heroes arrived. Seeing Gui Nan Na and the others' departing figures, Chou Jiao was somewhat surprised and asked, "Sister, what happened?" Xiang Quan smiled, but before she could say anything, Hong Quan said triumphantly, "That Yangzhou magistrate was probably terrified by our Southern Fist Sect. He fled in panic without uttering a sound!" The Southern Fist Sect members burst into laughter.

White-Eyebrow Fist, standing to the side, sighed with some concern, saying, "In my humble opinion, this Ghostly Arrestor is using a delaying tactic! Didn't that monk just report that Shadowless Sword went to Hangzhou to fetch reinforcements? This Ghostly Arrestor is so cunning; seeing that they couldn't gain any advantage in the fight, he pretended to leave, but secretly sent people to monitor our every move!" Stinky Feet laughed heartily, "In that case, the government troops don't pose any threat to us for the time being. Why don't we bury Fifth Brother and the other two now? Let the deceased rest in peace. This place is beautiful, and it will be a good final resting place for Fifth Brother and the others." Fragrant Fist and the others all nodded in agreement.

That evening, illuminated by candlelight and the smoke of incense, the heroes buried Penglai Wuyingdi, Heartbroken Blade, and the Three Young Masters of the Tang Clan one by one beside Shi Tao's tomb. With famous figures by their side, the heroes had no regrets. Finally, under the cover of night, the heroes of the Red Flower Society and the disciples of the Southern Fist School quietly left Daming Temple and arrived at Shi Gong Temple at Meihualing in the suburbs of Yangzhou.

The Shi Kefa Ancestral Hall is a cenotaph and ancestral hall for Shi Kefa, a national hero who resisted the Qing dynasty at the end of the Ming dynasty. Shi Kefa was born in Xiangfu County, Henan Province (now KF City) in 1602 (the 30th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty). He was an honest and upright official with outstanding political achievements, and was a famous politician in the late Ming dynasty. In 1645 (the first year of the Hongguang reign of the Southern Ming dynasty), Shi Kefa was appointed Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion and Minister of War, and was in charge of the army in Yangzhou. The Qing regent Dorgon attacked Yangzhou with tens of thousands of troops and tried to persuade him to surrender many times, but Shi Kefa refused to surrender. In the end, due to being outnumbered, Yangzhou fell. He attempted suicide but failed and was captured. He died a martyr at the age of only forty-four. Yangzhou was the first city in Jiangnan where the people fiercely resisted the Qing army, and it was also the first time the Qing court had encountered such a united and resilient resistance from the military and civilians since entering the Central Plains. In retaliation against the people of Yangzhou, and as a deterrent, General Dodo ordered the burning, killing, and looting of Yangzhou for more than ten days—the infamous "Ten Days of Yangzhou" massacre. After the city fell, Shi Kefa had already been executed for twelve days. Due to the hot weather, his body was already decomposed and unrecognizable. Moreover, the entire city of Yangzhou was littered with corpses and rivers of blood; where could one find Shi Kefa's body? The following year, Shi Kefa's adopted son, Shi Dewei, buried a cenotaph for Shi Kefa at the foot of Plum Blossom Ridge in Yangzhou.

Due to the Qing army's entry into the pass and the turbulent situation, Shi Dewei dared not openly state that it was the tomb of Shi Kefa, only referring to it as the Shi family ancestral hall. Therefore, the Shi family ancestral hall is divided into two parts: Shi Kefa's cenotaph and the Shi family ancestral hall. The cenotaph is further divided into above-ground and underground structures. Above ground, it is just an ordinary tomb, bare and empty, without even a tombstone. By going around to the back of the tomb and pressing the only recessed blue brick on the third layer of bricks on the tomb platform, a mechanism can be activated. A rumbling sound immediately echoes from behind the tomb, creating a cavern. Descending the steps, one enters the underground cavern. Turning left, a large cavern suddenly appears. Above the entrance is a stone plaque inscribed with "Xiangtang" (a type of ancestral hall). Pressing a recessed area on the left side of the entrance opens the cavern wide.

Upon entering the ancestral hall, one is greeted by a towering statue of Shi Kefa seated in the center, dressed in Ming Dynasty official robes and wearing a black gauze hat. His upright posture and resolute gaze emanate a fierce and righteous spirit, inspiring awe. Behind the statue is a couplet: "Unforgettable ten days atop the Crane Tower, revered for a thousand autumns by Plum Blossom Ridge." Above the couplet is a plaque: "His spirit is as magnificent as mountains and rivers." Behind the statue is a screen carved with plum blossoms. The branches are vigorous and unyielding, blooming alone in the cold, undaunted by power.

Behind the large cave were several smaller caves, all where Shi Dewei and his family lived. In the midst of chaos, this place was ingeniously designed; once the outer secret door was closed, it was completely isolated from the world, a veritable paradise. After Shi Dewei's death, his descendants were a mixed bag; most disliked the desolate and remote place and moved to Shijia Village at the foot of the mountain. Only his third son was devoted to overthrowing the Qing dynasty and restoring the Ming dynasty. He gradually came into contact with the Red Flower Society and joined the organization. This secluded place thus became a secret contact point for the Red Flower Society.

When Xiang Quan and Chou Jiao led the heroes to the Shi Family Ancestral Hall, it was already late at night. The area was already remote and sparsely populated; the heroes looked around and saw only desolate fields and scattered graves. The dark, moonless night made it even more eerie! Taking advantage of their numbers, the heroes bypassed Shi Kefa's cenotaph and arrived at the entrance of the ancestral hall. This hall was merely a three-room tile-roofed house facing south, clearly dilapidated from long neglect. They knocked on the worn iron rings of the old door dozens of times before the light inside finally came on. With a voice calling, "Who is it?", footsteps slowly approached, and with a creak, the door opened a crack, revealing a gaunt old man with white hair and beard. Seeing that it was split in two, he hurriedly opened the door with a smile. When he saw Stinky Feet and the others, he became even more excited, like a child, saying, "Chief! It's you! What brings you all here? Is there something important to do?" Stinky Feet laughed and said, "Old Shi, it's admirable that you've respected your grandfather, the venerable Shi Kefa, all your life, guarding his tomb without complaint. In this chaotic world, in the wilderness, that's truly commendable!"