Jianghu Qimen Lu

Upon hearing this, even Zhang Kuang was greatly surprised, thinking to himself, "Could it be that these brothers aren't in cahoots with Xue Heng? Judging from their tone, they do have some backbone!" Xue Heng didn't dare look into his elder brother's piercing eyes, lowered his head, and stammered, "Actually, Sect Leader Xiang... is very difficult to serve. She's so arrogant and disdainful. I got so annoyed after just one day. Then we had some arguments, and in a fit of anger, I... hit her." Seeing that he wasn't telling the truth... Enraged, he roared in fury, his voice dripping with hatred as he hissed, "How long do you intend to keep this a secret?! Don't think I don't know your twisted schemes! Is your old habit acting up again? Sigh, I only blame myself for not planning properly. I thought your house was big and spacious enough to take in someone, but I forgot you're a ruthless woman who eats people alive!" It turned out that Xuehen had always enjoyed sadomasochism. Once he took a liking to a woman, he would stop at nothing to get her, then bind her, beat her with sticks and whip her, and torment her at will. He often beat people to death! Hearing the women's cries of agony, he felt an indescribable pleasure and satisfaction—in modern terms, this would be considered a manifestation of schizophrenia and a form of sexual perversion! It is said that his wife, Mengyouxian, was also a stunningly beautiful woman, but she couldn't endure his sadomasochistic behavior and chose to commit suicide.

Feng Leisan had already discerned something amiss from Xuehen's terrified and uneasy eyes. He inwardly berated himself for not thinking things through in the heat of the moment, letting the volunteer Xuehen carry Xiangquan away... He never expected things to turn out this way! Once Bai Shandian knew the truth, would he spare Xuehen? He feared it would even affect his own brothers! Truly, when the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer.

"One must bear the consequences of one's actions; whoever makes a mistake must take responsibility!" Feng Leisan coldly glanced at Xuehen in the iron cage, then turned and left. When he reached the bald monk, his nose suddenly stung, tears welled in his eyes, and he said in a trembling voice, "Fourth brother, you were a man of integrity and upright character, always chivalrous and fearless of authority. You stood out among the many martial arts schools in Yangzhou, renowned throughout the land. You were the only truly upright and just hero among our seven brothers! But today, in trying to save me, you accidentally killed a high-ranking official! Alas, fourth brother, you were too impulsive! You shouldn't have killed him with one blow. A lesson would have been enough! Alas, it's too late now. What can we do?" "Alright then, let your elder brother take the blame and accept punishment for you. Just say I killed him, and it has nothing to do with you!" The thief was deeply moved, patted his chest, and declared magnanimously, "A head lost is just a scar, what's the big deal! A true man doesn't change his name or his profession, and dares to take responsibility for his actions! How can I allow my elder brother to impersonate me and take the blame?!" He then roared at Zhang Kuang, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, deafeningly loud: "Governor, have someone tie me up! I'm willing to accept punishment!" Zhang Kuang was overjoyed and quickly ordered two soldiers to tie him up with ropes and throw him into the third prison cart. Then, with a command, the Green Standard Army escorted the prison cart, heading towards Hangzhou.

Upon arriving in Hangzhou, Zhang Kuang ordered Xuehen and Zei Meng to be thrown directly into the deadlock cell of the Hangzhou prison, Liusha Wall. He then took Xiang Quan alone and led his troops directly to the Hangzhou General's Mansion to meet with General Hongchen. They discussed how to organize forces to safely transport the *Complete Book of Jianghu* and Xiang Quan to the capital. Since the battle at Plum Blossom Ridge, Bai Shandian had witnessed the deaths and arrests of the Red Flower Society and the Southern Fist Sect, with those arrested being temporarily imprisoned in the capital by the Emperor. His wife, Xiang Quan, however, remained missing, her fate unknown. He was now powerless, publicly suspended from his post by the Emperor and ordered to return to his hometown. His Bai Mansion had been burned to the ground years earlier, leaving him nowhere to go but to mooch meals at the Hangzhou General's Mansion. Now, with the passage of time and the coldness of his past, Hongchen looked down on him even more, often making veiled insults, saying that Bai Shandian had ruined his daughter's life, leaving her with no hope for the future, and that marrying him was like jumping into a fire pit! Under such circumstances, Bai Shandian's living conditions can be imagined! Coupled with the constant pain of missing his wife Xiang Quan, he truly felt that life was worse than death and that every day was like a year! Fortunately, Hong Yue Liang was very understanding and often accompanied him to places to look for Xiang Quan, which gave him some comfort.

That day, while sitting idly in his study, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the gate, a cacophony of voices. Knowing that something big was about to happen at the General's mansion, he rushed out to see what was going on. When he spotted Xiang Quan in the Green Standard Army's prison cart, his mind went blank for a moment. Feeling dizzy, he shook his head from side to side to regain his senses. He cried out, "Quan'er, is that you? You've finally come! I've been waiting for you!" He rushed forward and knelt down outside the iron cage on the prison cart, screaming, "Quan'er, it's me, Bai Shandian, your husband! Open your eyes and look at me! What's wrong with you?" No matter how desperately he shouted, Xiang Quan remained motionless inside, her eyes tightly closed, her brows furrowed, her face expressionless.

Bai Shandian was terrified and hurriedly ordered the soldiers on both sides, "Quickly open the locks! I need to see how she is! Hurry!" However, none of the Green Standard Army soldiers moved, standing motionless. They all stared at him coldly, their meaning clear: "You are no longer the imperial envoy you once were, not even a minor official, just a commoner! What right do you have to make us open the locks? You should know that according to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, anyone who opens a prison cell without official documents or orders is guilty of the same crime as a prisoner raider, and should be executed! Who dares to defy the law?"

Bai Shandian flew into a rage. With a clang, he drew his sword from the waist of a captain, channeled his inner strength, and slashed at the iron chains of the cage! With a snap, the thick iron chains fell to the ground! The soldiers were shocked. In a moment of stunned silence, Bai Shandian opened the cage door, cradled Xiang Quan in his arms, and checked her breath. Thank goodness, she was still breathing faintly! He shouted to the soldiers, "Quickly go to the city and find a doctor to treat her! She's a serious criminal now. If anything happens to her, can you bear the responsibility?!" This was absolutely true. The captain from whom he had drawn his sword ordered, "Quickly find the most famous doctor in the city to treat Madam Bai!" Several soldiers hurriedly scattered.

Without a word, Bai Shandian picked up Xiangquan and rushed into the General's Mansion, arriving at his room. Hong Yueliang was reading inside when Bai Shandian suddenly burst in, carrying a tattered prisoner in shackles. She asked, "Who is she? She's so dirty, why did you bring her in?" Bai Shandian remained silent, placing Xiangquan on the large bed with its brocade quilts and colorful curtains. He then loudly summoned two maids, ordering them to quickly prepare a large basin of warm water and some bathing supplies for his beloved wife's purification. He then drew his sword from the wall and, with a few swift strokes, sliced ​​through Xiangquan's shackles as if they were made of mud!

"Who is she? How dare you break the law and cut her shackles! This is a capital offense!" Red Moon rushed forward to stop him, but it was too late!

"Take a look at who she really is," White Lightning said coldly, staring at Red Moon.

"Ah! Isn't this Sister Xiangquan? How come... what's going on?!" Red Moon was greatly surprised. He thought to himself, "So that's why you're in such a hurry, it's because your ex-wife has come!" A sour feeling welled up in his heart.

At this moment, two maids carried over a large basin, poured water into it, and sprinkled some plum blossom petals into the water. The two maids went to the bedside and helped Xiang Quan remove her old, tattered clothes, revealing numerous whip marks and welts, some of which were inflamed and festering, a truly shocking and chilling sight. Bai Shandian couldn't help but curse, "You arrogant bastard, how dare you treat my woman like this! You're tired of living!"

Just then, Hongchen and Zhang Kuang led a dozen soldiers and rushed in. Before they could even get through the door, they were stopped by the quick-witted Bai Shandian. He shouted, "Can't you see the woman taking a bath inside?! Why are you in such a hurry to barge in!" Although Zhang Kuang was quite arrogant outside, he was like a mouse seeing a cat when he saw Bai Shandian, and involuntarily retreated behind Hongchen! Hongchen cursed, "You're getting bolder and bolder! You even dare to save a wanted criminal designated by the court! Don't you want to live?! You have one incense stick's time to get Xiangquan back to his cage, lest the soldiers take action!" Bai Shandian, seeing his bullying behavior, became enraged and retorted sharply, "Xiangquan is so weak now. If something happens to him before he goes to the capital, who among you can take responsibility?" Hongchen, somewhat breathless, roared angrily, "That's true, but you can't cut the chains on your own! Your actions have violated the laws and regulations of the court!"