Jianghu Qimen Lu

Seeing the soldiers roar and depart, she took a deep breath and, like a dragonfly skimming the water, moved swiftly across the bamboo forest, using her superb lightness skill to survey the entire area from a high vantage point. Against formidable opponents, she could even unleash hidden weapons to strike first! Sure enough, seeing that her stealth technique offered no advantage, the Japanese ninja soldiers abandoned dozens of corpses and fled in disarray. Only then was the League of Legends army able to safely withdraw from the Xiaojinchuan official residence!

Upon hearing this, General Yue Zhongqi hurriedly clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Our escape from the underground labyrinth this time is all thanks to the venerable physician! If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word, and my men and I will brave any danger for you!" The Divine Physician King laughed heartily, stroking his flowing beard, and said, "General Yue truly lives up to his reputation as a descendant of loyal and virtuous officials. He is heroic, righteous, and worthy of our deep friendship!"

Yue Zhongqi struggled to sit up, but Bai Jin pressed the blanket down with his hand and said softly, "General Yue just had surgery, it's not good for you to move around! What is it? Just tell me." Yue Zhongqi stared intently into his deep eyes and asked anxiously, "Where is Commander Yu now? Is he alright?"

Before Bai Jin could reply, a hearty laugh came from outside the door: "Well done, General Yue! No wonder you risked your life to save me, it turns out you had such ulterior motives!" As the voices spoke, a group of people walked in from outside the door.

Yue Zhongqi looked up and saw his superior, Bai Shandian, approaching slowly, accompanied by Xiangquan and her daughter, surrounded by a group of maids. Surrounded by so many people, and hearing Bai Shandian's words, Yue Zhongqi's handsome face immediately flushed red. He stole a glance at Yu Ruyi, seeing her cheeks flushed, shy and timid, avoiding his gaze. He was momentarily speechless, and after a long pause, he finally broke the silence, stammering, "Bai... Lord, are you alright? Have you fully recovered?"

Bai Shandian laughed heartily as he walked to the bedside, his sincerity evident as he said, "General Yue, thank you for your kind words, I'm much better! We were both able to escape death, to be pulled back from the brink of death, all thanks to the great help of this renowned physician, the venerable Elder Wang!"

The Medicine King's expression suddenly turned serious, and he instructed, "Lord Bai, I dare not accept such praise. I must give you a few words of advice: Although you have drunk my treasured life-extending pill, and through these past few days of meditation and energy cultivation, you have regulated your internal strength. Moreover, your virtuous wife, Alliance Leader Xiang, has been using her internal energy to help you open your Ren and Du meridians, allowing your internal energy to flow through all the meridians and restore your power. However, your power is still shallow, and your blood and qi are insufficient. You must continue to cultivate diligently to regain your former vitality!"

Bai Shandian clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Thank you, Elder Medicine King. I will certainly follow your teachings and dare not slack off. I will practice my internal energy regularly from now on!" Yu Ruyi smiled and encouraged him from the side, "Father, keep going! I believe that with the effects of the miraculous medicine, as long as you persist in exercising, you will recover soon!" Bai Jin glared at his sister and said coldly, "Don't spout such irrelevant hindsight! If it weren't for you, how could our father have suffered such a transformative, hellish pain and torment?!"

"You—" Yu Ruyi's almond-shaped eyes widened, her nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes. She pointed at him angrily and said, "Why are you targeting me at every turn?! Do you think I wanted to? In that situation, I was forced into it; I had no other choice..."

Bai Jin interrupted her with a wave of her hand, coldly shouting, "From the very beginning, you disapproved of Father, rejecting him time and again. Now, with the two armies facing off, you keep rubbing salt into Father's wounds! In the underground labyrinth, I heard that you still harbored feelings for the Japanese invaders, your old flame rekindled, and you repeatedly tried to betray your country and seek personal gain! What's even more infuriating is that your lover, Liang Jier, dared to kidnap our Second Mother! He's got some nerve—he deserves to die!"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Yu Ruyi was nearly driven mad by her younger brother, looking at him in disbelief, thinking, "Is this still my own brother? Why is he always going against me? Do he really think I'm so worthless?!" Bai Jin smiled coldly and said, "I'm not spouting nonsense. According to my secret investigation, the mysterious disappearances of Teng Lin Piao Xue (藤林飘雪), also known as the 'Ghost Eye' (鬼眼), and Ze Wang Er Crimin (泽旺二犯), on the execution platform at the Qiongshan official residence's martial arts training ground, were your doing, sister!"

With a sharp, resounding slap, Bai Jin covered her throbbing right cheek, staring incredulously at her father, Bai Shandian, who was glaring at her. Tears welled in her eyes, and she asked in a trembling voice, "Father, you hit me? You actually hit me? Why? What did I do wrong? Why did you hit me?!"

Bai Shandian trembled all over, looking extremely angry. He roared furiously, "What's wrong with you today? What's wrong with you? Why are you accusing your sister like this! You weren't there at the time, do you even know what happened? Stop talking nonsense!" He looked around and saw that everyone was stunned, which made him even more nervous.

Xiang Quan suddenly walked up to Yu Ruyi, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, her jade-like face turning cold. She asked, word by word, "Leaving aside the matter of the underground labyrinth of Xiaojinchuan, I want to ask you: Did you send someone to secretly rescue the two death row inmates, Guiyan and Zewang, from the execution platform that time? Speak!"

Yu Ruyi looked up and saw her mother's eyes were bloodshot, filled with murderous intent. She knew her mother was truly enraged! As a child, she naturally understood her parents' tempers and habits. As for her father, Bai Shandian, Yu Ruyi wasn't particularly afraid. Although he was usually taciturn and always had a long face, he had never laid a finger on her and her brother, making him a complete spoiler! Her mother, Xiang Quan, was different. Although she was usually cheerful and kind, once angered, she would immediately turn on them and resort to family discipline, and no amount of persuasion would work! The most taboo thing for her was going against her wishes or opposing her!

Terrified, Yu Ruyi knelt before Xiang Quan with a thud, no longer daring to conceal anything. She spilled the beans, revealing everything without holding back: "Mother, please spare my life! It was indeed Teng Linjun who sought out my daughter. Out of our master-disciple relationship, I couldn't refuse, so I colluded with him, taking advantage of the thick fog that day to rescue Guiyan and Zewang..." These words shocked everyone present! They nearly dropped their jaws, scrutinizing Yu Ruyi from head to toe, thinking, "Who would have thought that the renowned battlefield commander Yu Ruyi would be so afraid of her own mother, publicly exposing such a shameful act of treason! Given Xiang Quan's decisive and ruthless nature, she should have killed her immediately!"

Sure enough, Xiang Quan's face was as cold as frost, and she shouted loudly, "Someone come here!" With a reply, two fierce chieftain soldiers walked in from outside the door, one in front and one behind. They were carrying iron chains and had swords hanging at their waists. They came to Yu Ruyi's side like fierce demons, one on the left and one on the right, waiting for an opportunity to make a move and make a move to capture her!

"Arrest her for me, the leader of the alliance, and immediately take her to the execution ground for beheading!" With a shout from Xiang Quan, two chieftain soldiers grabbed her shoulders and back, binding Yu Ruyi with iron chains until she looked like a dumpling! With a loud roar, they dragged her out the door and headed straight for the execution platform in the martial arts arena!

"No, Quan'er!" Bai Shandian rushed to Xiang Quan's side, reached out and grasped her soft, boneless hand, pleading urgently, "Our Yu'er commanded well in the battle of the Xiaojinchuan underground maze, always leading by example, bravely advancing, and demonstrating considerable leadership skills, which everyone has witnessed! Even if she made some minor mistakes in the past, they are enough to make up for them! Quan'er, please be lenient this time and forgive her."

Yue Zhongqi quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes! In our battles, through several engagements, I have come to admire Commander Yu immensely. Not only is she highly skilled in martial arts, surpassing all others, but she is also a master of military strategy, adept at troop deployment, astute in assessing situations, and farsighted. She often devises plans and wins battles from afar, achieving victories with fewer troops. She is a rare and invaluable commander! As the saying goes, a thousand soldiers are easy to find, but a good general is hard to come by. The Battle of Xiaojinchuan has just begun, and the confrontation with the brutal Japanese ninja forces will continue for a long time. Now is a crucial time for both our armies to rely on capable commanders. How can we kill our general before the battle even begins? This is a cardinal sin in warfare!"

Xiang Quan, with a dashing and spirited air, clasped his hands in a salute and said solemnly, "Thank you, General Yue, for pleading for my daughter. However, a country has its laws, a family has its rules, and our Eighteen Chieftains Alliance has thirty-six strict rules and regulations! According to the third of our thirty-six rules and regulations: anyone who colludes with the enemy and betrays the country for personal gain shall be executed without mercy! Strict military discipline is essential to winning the hearts of the people, and the key lies in impartiality and incorruptibility. Everyone is equal before the law! If the law is broken or favoritism is abused, General Yue, how will you explain this to the soldiers in the future? How will you command respect?!"

"This—" Yue Zhongqi was speechless, exchanging bewildered glances with Bai Shandian, unsure what to do. Bai Shandian glared fiercely at Bai Jin, growling, "Look at the mess you've made! How are you going to clean this up?" Bai Jin was filled with regret. He knew his mother was always upright and incorruptible, strict in disciplining her troops, and her words were law. Once her words were spoken, they couldn't be taken back. It was all his fault for always disapproving of his sister Yu Ruyi's actions, which led him to make a fatal mistake in a fit of anger! To be honest, he only wanted to vent his anger and express his personal grievances, but he truly didn't want his sister to lose her life because of it!

"Spare his life!" Just then, a commotion erupted at the door, and a large group of people rushed into the room! It was the heroes of the Emei Sect and the eighteen chieftains who had rushed over upon hearing the news. Led by Zen Master Qinxin, they all knelt down in the hall, pleading in unison for Yu Ruyi: "Please, Grand Alliance Leader, rescind your order and spare Commander Yu's life!"

Seeing the room filled with his various subordinate leaders kneeling, Xiang Quan felt deeply uneasy and hesitated. Suddenly, Liang Erji spoke loudly: "Although my colleagues have earnestly pleaded for Commander Yu, military regulations are strict and the law is unforgiving. How dare Alliance Leader Xiang bend the law for personal gain and rescind his order?"