Jianghu Qimen Lu

Although the two had practiced Iron Head Kung Fu since childhood, the power of those two palm strikes was truly immense. Suddenly, everything went black, and they were knocked unconscious! It seems that no matter how skilled or capable the disciple is, he is still inferior to his master and cannot be compared to him! Because the master is not stupid and always has a backup plan!

Upon seeing this, Liang Erji was terrified. He quickly grabbed his crutches and began to fight wildly, attacking in all directions. He wanted to carve a bloody path through the chaos and force his way out of the musty dungeon, but Fujibayashi Shunke was too clever. With a wave of his hands, he commanded the ninjas to carry Yu Ruyi and her brother away! In a short while, they had all disappeared, leaving Liang Erji alone on the spot!

"What are the Japanese up to?" Liang Erji stared at the long, vast corridor, a sense of loneliness washing over him. Then, remembering an old saying, "Something unusual must be amiss," he suddenly snapped out of his daze, but by then it was too late to give chase!

With a loud clang, the gate to the outside world at the entrance of the passage slammed shut! Then, countless arrow slits suddenly opened in the walls on both sides of the passage, and at a command, a barrage of arrows shot out from them, like the forked tongues of venomous snakes, each one aimed at Liang Erji's entire body! Truly, a volley of arrows was launched, swift as thunder!

Liang Erji hurriedly brandished his two staffs, unleashing countless rays of cold light to protect his entire body. Although he temporarily repelled and broke the first wave of flying arrows, with another command, the second wave of arrows came like locusts, forcing him to retreat back to the cell where Bai Jin had been imprisoned while simultaneously deflecting the eagles.

Sure enough, once inside the cell, the arrows flying from the stone walls on both sides of the corridor could no longer harm him. Although he was temporarily safe, this was by no means a foolproof plan. Given enough time, the Japanese would surely devise even more vicious methods against him; he had to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible! Liang Erji hesitated, when suddenly a weak voice called to him from behind: "Ake (Tibetan for uncle), it's me, Senggesang! Come and save me!"

He hurriedly turned his head and saw two figures huddled in a corner of the dark and damp cell, nailed to the stone floor by two thick iron chains! He walked over and took a closer look. They were none other than his elder brother Zewang's posthumous son, Senggesang, and his widow, Meiruyan! They must have had a hard time being trapped here these past few days. They were disheveled, emaciated, and had completely lost their former arrogant and domineering aura!

"Why should I save you? So that you'll continue to wreak havoc on my little Jinchuan? You deserve it! You deserve to end up like this! Who told you to let the wolves into the house, to aid and abet the evildoers, and to collude with the Japanese invaders?!" Liang Erji cursed angrily.

Senggesang, being a child at heart, was immediately ashamed and speechless after being hit where it hurt, lowering his head. Mei Ruyan, however, was cunning and opportunistic. She lowered her eyelids, shamelessly flattering him with a beaming smile, saying, "My dear second uncle, you are a magnanimous man, please don't hold it against us, a widow and her son! We knew we were wrong long ago; we shouldn't have gotten involved with those damned Japanese devils just to claim our lineage! No matter what, we are still family! As the saying goes, even broken bones are still connected. Who told you to be Senggesang's uncle? Don't worry, once we escape this ordeal, we will be transformed, reformed, and ready to face any danger. The Shen family of the Emei Mountain Buddhist sect will be at your command!"

Seeing her pitiful expression, Liang Erji thought for a moment, "Now that this has happened, Xiang Quan hates me to death. We can't go back to Qiongshan. The Shen family of the Emei Mountain monks can help us avoid the storm. It's better to save them for now, just in case! It'll give us a place to stay for the time being." He then coldly laughed, "I'm soft-hearted, so I'll trust you this once. But if you dare to betray me in the future, be careful, I have a thousand ways to make you and your son wish you were dead!" Mei Ruyan and her son nodded obsequiously and agreed.

Liang Erji then drew his sword, channeling eighty percent of his inner strength, and pierced the blade with a shout: "Open!" With a few swift strokes, the shackles and handcuffs binding Mei Ruyan and her son snapped off, and the two sprang to their feet. Senggesang rubbed his hands together, saying, "My beloved Ak, I'll lead the charge! Let's rush out!" He then turned to storm the prison gate!

But Liang Erji grabbed him, calmly asking, "Where do you think you're going? Not only are there layers upon layers of Japanese ninjas surrounding us, but those thousands of cold arrows flying from both sides of the passage are enough to keep us going! How are we going to get out of the dungeon?!" Senggesang's small eyes reddened with anxiety as he shouted, "What should we do? We can't just sit here and wait to die, can we?!"

Seeing that Mei Ruyan was also looking at him with an inquiring gaze, Liang Erji hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Look up at the narrow skylight in the roof. We can try to cut through the steel bars and then crawl out! The lobby on the first floor is right above!"

Mei Ruyan looked up, then around, her face filled with worry. "This cell is about ten feet high. The roof and the four walls are all made of huge stones, as stable as Mount Tai! Although a person can barely squeeze through the skylight, it's blocked by nine steel bars as thick as a child's arm. Who could jump that high and break those steel bars? Let alone not having such superb lightness skills, how could ordinary swords and knives cut through those nine steel bars?!"

Senggesangti leaped upwards, only to fall two meters down, landing flat on his back! Liang'erji sneered, "You two are both pigs! Can't we do a human pyramid?" Meiruyan suddenly realized, "That's indeed a good idea, but how do we cut those steel bars?"

"That's none of your business. Just focus on forming a human pyramid with Sang'er!" Liang Erji snapped. Mei Ruyan didn't dare say a word, hurriedly squatting down to let her son climb onto her shoulders before standing up. Liang Erji lightly tapped the ground with his crutches, leaping into the air and landing steadily on Senggesang's shoulders. He must have used a light-footed technique, as Senggesang didn't feel his weight at all, as if he were only wearing a long robe.

Liang Erji drew his sword, secretly channeling his inner energy through the blade. With two sharp hissing sounds, the nine steel bars snapped as if struck by lightning, falling into the air. Unexpectedly, Liang Erji twirled his sword, ensnaring the nine broken steel bars with the blade, and casually flung them out. With a whoosh, the broken steel bars flew through the window, and amidst a series of crackling sounds and sparks flying outside the skylight, Liang Erji had already leaped out!

He looked closely and realized he was standing behind the door to the left of the hall entrance. There were more than a dozen arrow slits in the wall behind the door, and the ground was littered with short-feathered arrows and the nine broken steel bars! If he had rashly crawled out of the skylight, he would undoubtedly have been riddled with arrows!

The hall was brightly lit, as if it were daytime. A group of ninja leaders, led by Fujibayashi Toshikaku, were listening to Tokugawa Munetake speak. Undoubtedly, the sound of Ryōji throwing the short steel bar, which triggered the hidden arrow, had alerted everyone!

"Ah, Liang Erji has actually escaped! Quick! Quick! Don't let him get away, surround him!" Fujibayashi Shunke exclaimed in surprise, and the samurai and ninjas jumped up in a hurry, drew their weapons, and surrounded him in a whoosh!

Liang Erji hurriedly shouted into the dungeon, "Senggesang, you and your son, jump out of the skylight! The Japanese are coming!" Although Mei Ruyan was as venomous as a snake, she loved her son dearly and her affection was touching. She quickly raised her arms and channeled a powerful internal force into her body, forcefully throwing Senggesang out of the skylight!

As soon as the child was freed from his cage, he opened his eyes to find a dark mass of Japanese soldiers rushing towards him in the hall. Still shaken, he suddenly realized, "The door is right in front of me! If I don't escape now, when will I ever get another chance? But if I run away, my mother's life will be over! But if I don't escape now and try to help her, there's no way I'll buy her any more time to escape! There's no such thing as having it all; life and death hang in the balance!"

Lost in thought, Liang Erji suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder and yelled, "Are you out of your mind? Run!" He felt a sudden lightness as Liang Erji tucked him under his arm and they dashed out the door, disappearing like the wind! As they left, the child cried out, "Mama, my Mama! She hasn't come out yet!"

It was this heart-wrenching scream that steadied Fujibayashi Shunkaku, halting his pursuit and immediately deploying a battle plan: He divided his forces into three groups. One group of ninjas was ordered to capture Mei Ruyan in the dungeon. Another group would occupy the main passes and strategic points of the official residence, heavily guarding them and preparing for battle. The final group, led by himself and flanked by the young lord Tokugawa Munetake, would head to the main gate of the Kogane River official residence to confront the White Lightning army!

Three flowers bloom, yet only one stands out in splendor. Fujibayashi Shunke led his troops to the gate of the stronghold, carefully welcoming the young lord Tokugawa Munetake into the gate tower before leading his own leaders to stand behind him. Looking down, he saw the stronghold brightly lit, a troop of chieftain soldiers holding torches aloft, lined up to greet him. The ranks were perfectly aligned, their swords and spears gleaming coldly. Though a dense mass of men, they were utterly silent; you could hear a pin drop!

At the head of the procession were two tall, imposing horses, each carrying a peerless hero, a man and a woman. The man, in his fifties, wore silver helmet and armor, with a striking imperial sword hanging at his waist, and rode a magnificent Akhal-Teke steed. Without a doubt, he was the renowned court official, Bai Shandian!

The woman, dressed in red, though past her prime, still possessed a captivating charm. Her almond-shaped eyes were wide open, and her jade-like face held a frosty expression. Like Mu Guiying leading the army, she was heroic and imposing, her aura so intimidating that no one dared to look directly at her! It was none other than the invincible martial arts master, Red Moon, who had stolen from everyone in the world and roamed freely throughout the martial arts world!

Red Moon waved his hand from horseback, and two soldiers stepped out from the ranks, one of them holding a prisoner! Fujibayashi Junke stared in shock and blurted out, "Isn't this Xue'er? How did you get captured again?!"