Jianghu Qimen Lu

He hurriedly and quietly approached the ancestral hall door, peeking through the crack. He was shocked and thought, "Why has Uncle gathered so many people in the dead of night? What are they planning? Could it be that Uncle hired them to deal with us seven brothers?! I heard that Uncle was furious when he heard that we agreed to the county magistrate's unreasonable demands. He kept cursing us for betraying our master and ancestors, and for selling out our master for personal gain. He said we had disgraced the Shi family ancestors! Humph, I'll see what kind of schemes they have up their sleeves!" He focused his mind and listened intently. A steady male voice said, "Old Shi, if the Red Flower Society hadn't encountered this once-in-a-century calamity, and dared not cause any further trouble, how could we ignore something like this happening to your family? As the saying goes, if the road is uneven, someone will smooth it; if there is injustice, someone will take care of it. Our Red Flower Society has always been chivalrous, upholding justice, eliminating evil, and protecting the people. We must severely punish scum like the Yangzhou magistrate and the Seven Heroes of the Shi family to serve as a warning to others!" Hearing this, Shi Qian's heart skipped a beat: "What? They're from the Red Flower Society?! The Red Flower Society is famous throughout the martial arts world, renowned throughout the court. Its leader, Stinky Feet, and his twelve hall masters and one incense master are all incredibly skilled in martial arts, their chivalrous reputations spreading far and wide. Their heroic deeds of upholding justice and protecting the people are widely known among the common folk. Today in Yangzhou, I heard the magistrate say that the imperial court has..." "Wanted notices have been issued throughout the prefectures and counties of the country, and the Red Flower Society, an anti-Qing organization, is being hunted down with all efforts! My third uncle is usually crazy and lives in this desolate wilderness, like a wandering ghost. How did he get involved with the rebel Red Flower Society? This is a capital offense!" He thought for a moment, "These rebels are actually in cahoots with my third uncle, and they even want to punish us seven brothers and the county magistrate! Humph, fine! A petty person is no gentleman, and a ruthless person is no hero. Since your Red Flower Society was unjust first, don't blame us seven Shi brothers for being unjust later! I'll go to the authorities right now tonight and have them arrest you all. Let's see what ability you have left to meddle in our Shi family's affairs!" Fearing that he would disturb the heroes inside the house, he quietly slipped away to the path outside the ancestral hall. Only then did he muster his courage and use his lightness skill to throw a flying ball towards Yangzhou County.

When he arrived at the county government office, he saw it brightly lit, as if it were daytime, and a contingent of Eight Banner soldiers stood guard at the entrance! Horses galloped like dragons, swords and spears gleamed like a forest, their cold light dazzling, their military discipline impeccable! The leader, a man in his thirties, had a face like jade, eyebrows like silkworms, and eyes like lightning, making one afraid to look him in the eye; his figure was tall and imposing, like a jade tree in the wind, truly elegant and dashing. He wore a three-eyed peacock feather on his head and a robe embroidered with a qilin, clearly a high-ranking official from the capital! At this moment, the Yangzhou county magistrate, along with all the staff of the county government office, prostrated themselves on the ground, kneeling and paying their respects to this high-ranking official. The magistrate, Gui Nanna, cautiously said, "We were unaware that the Imperial Envoy had personally come to inspect our county; we have failed to greet you properly, please forgive us." That Imperial Envoy was undoubtedly Bai Shandian, followed closely by Hong Yueliang and Huang Miwu.

After the failed siege of the Red Flower Society and the Southern Fist School in Hangzhou, Emperor Qianlong was furious and immediately ordered Bai Shandian to lead a large contingent of Eight Banners cavalry in hot pursuit! Bai Shandian, a former imperial spy, was naturally an expert at tracking enemies! But this time, he wasn't chasing outsiders, but his wife Xiangquan and his brother-in-law! He was torn by an internal struggle: he didn't want to catch up with them too soon and create an awkward situation, yet he also didn't want his current wife, Hong Yueliang, to suspect anything and cause further trouble. However, Hong Yueliang, from the Rong family, was a master of martial arts, and her ability to accurately pinpoint enemy locations and directions was quite adept! Along the way, she offered Bai Shandian numerous feasible plans for locating the enemy. Bai Shandian pretended not to understand, letting her lead him by the nose, which was why the journey had been delayed until now.

Bai Shandian coldly rebuked, "Inspection? Have you ever heard of an imperial envoy coming to inspect in the dead of night?" Gui Nanna hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly, utterly terrified, saying, "This humble official knows his mistake! I have misspoke, please forgive me, Your Excellency! May I ask why you would grace our county with your presence so late at night..." Bai Shandian then said seriously, "I am ordered to investigate the remnants of the Red Flower Society, and I have heard that they have fled into your Yangzhou territory! As the magistrate of a county in Yangzhou, have you seen them?" Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Gui Nanna's face lit up with a smile, as if he had struck gold, and he said, "Now Your Excellency has really hit the nail on the head! This humble county does indeed know about this matter! Not only do I know about it, but I also know where the members of the Red Flower Society are hiding!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Shandian was greatly surprised, thinking to himself, "It's fortunate I came to the Yangzhou county government office; otherwise, wouldn't they have leaked the news? Once the Emperor finds out, with a formidable enemy pressing in, Xiangquan and the others would truly be doomed!" Hearing this, Hong Yueliang asked with great joy, "Where are the Red Flower Society members now? Please tell me quickly!" Gui Nanna laughed, "They're gathered together now, hiding inside the Daming Temple!" He then vividly recounted the events leading up to their encounter with the Red Flower Society at the Daming Temple that morning. However, he remained silent about the peasant woman's death, as if it had never happened.

Upon hearing this, Bai Shandian not only failed to praise him but also became enraged, saying, "How could you... as the head of a county in Yangzhou, facing the vicious Red Flower Society rebels, not even fight a single round before fleeing?!" Gui Nanna was taken aback, then explained with a sob, "My county knows very little about the Red Flower Society, but I've long heard of the martial arts of the Southern Fist School. Dragon Fist, Tiger Fist, White Crane Fist, Eagle Hand Inch Fist, Chopping Leg... I often see their martial arts school practicing right outside my door, and I've heard so much about it..." "Terrifying! Who dares to confront them? It would be suicide! It's true that I led my men back, but I kept a watchful eye, sending men to secretly keep an eye on them! I'll be on the lookout for any developments. That little dwarf, Wuyingjian, didn't he go to Hangzhou to report to Governor Zhang of Zhejiang? I used a delaying tactic! Hey, the Imperial Envoy has arrived like a divine intervention, just in time! Allow me to lead the way, let's hurry and wipe out the bandits!" For a moment, Bai Shandian was truly helpless against him. Hong Yueliang laughed, "Alright, Shandian, we need to get down to business. Let's quickly march to Daming Temple!"

Bai Shandian tried to find some objective reason to deliberately delay, hoping to find an opportunity to inform Xiang Quan and Chou Jiao so they could escape quickly! Unfortunately, Hong Yueliang had already seen through his intentions, but she didn't say it out loud out of consideration for their relationship. Having no other options, she could only order, "Let's go, to Daming Temple!" Gui Nan Na hurriedly stood up and said to a constable in a commanding tone, "Quickly prepare a sedan chair for me! I want to personally lead the Imperial Envoy to Daming Temple to suppress the bandits!" Unfortunately, Bai Shandian overheard this. He saw that this guy was two-faced, treacherous, and cunning. Just now he acted like a grandson in front of him, but in the blink of an eye, he was acting like a wolf in sheep's clothing in front of his men. Truly: wagging his tail for the rich and baring his teeth at the poor! A spitting image of a despicable, petty scoundrel!

"Time is of the essence! Stop with the bureaucratic airs and putting on airs. Take your men and lead the way at the front of the group. Let's move out immediately!" Bai Shandian shouted, startling Gui Nan Na, who hurriedly nodded and bowed in agreement. Just as he was about to lead his men to the front, a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows and shouted, "Sir, wait! I have something to say!" Bai Shandian looked down from his tall horse and saw a thin man dressed entirely in black, like a night thief, carrying a bulging bundle on his back! Judging from his attire and his wretched appearance, one immediately thought: this man is probably a thief!

Bai Shandian coldly sized him up and said, "Who are you? What business do you have with me? Speak quickly!" The man hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, reporting, "My name is Shi Qian, from Shi Family Village, Meihualing, Yangzhou. I discovered traces of the Red Flower Society rebels tonight and rushed here to report!" Not only was Bai Shandian shocked, but even Gui Nan Na was greatly surprised. He rushed to Shi Qian's side and shouted, "You scoundrel surnamed Shi, don't talk nonsense! You say you discovered traces of the Red Flower Society rebels, where are they? You can't just say it's at Daming Temple after the fact!" Unexpectedly, Shi Qian turned his head and smiled coldly at him, mockingly saying, "Which one of us is talking nonsense will be judged by the Imperial Envoy in a moment! The county magistrate is truly blinded by a leaf, not knowing Mount Tai!"