Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 45 Four Fiends Beyond the Pass

Zhang Kuang brandished his broadsword, shouting nervously, "Release Lord Bai immediately! Surrender and lay down your arms! Otherwise, the entire prefecture will be wiped out without mercy!" Xiang Quan and her men stood opposite him, their eyes gleaming like lightning, fixed on him for a long time. Zhang Kuang realized how chilling and sinister those eyes were! They were filled with resentment towards the injustices of the world, despair at the coldness of human relationships, and a desperate cry of accusation against the darkness of the government! Yes, she was indeed pitiful; overnight, she had fallen from the clouds to the depths of hell! Such a drastic change, such a huge fall, was unbearable for anyone!

"Lord Zhang, has anyone in your family died?" Xiang Quan suddenly asked in a chilling tone. This question was so unexpected and so sinister that it startled everyone present, leaving them wondering what she meant.

"What...what do you mean?" Zhang Kuang was somewhat breathless, and even more so, angry. He thought to himself, "Don't think that just because you're Lord Bai's wife, you're a saint. Once you turn against your husband and oppose the government, nobody will treat you like a human being!"

"Then let me ask you, what does the saying 'Of all things, the dead are the most important' mean?" Xiang Quan's face remained cold, her gaze clear and icy as she spoke.

"That's simple. It means that although everything is important, nothing is more important than a dead person. Otherwise, the imperial court wouldn't have made murder the most important case in the country. The murderer must pay with his life; this is a legal rule that no one can escape!" Zhang Kuang deliberately showed off his cultural knowledge in front of people, speaking with great eloquence.

"Since even the laws of the Qing Dynasty explicitly state that death is a matter of utmost importance, the most important of all matters, then, my esteemed sect leader, may I ask Lord Zhang, given that two elders of our Xiang Mansion have passed away in succession, according to the customs of our Qing Dynasty, shouldn't we first hold a funeral procession to allow the deceased to rest in peace before discussing other matters?" Xiang Quan's words revealed the crux of the matter. Truly incisive and thought-provoking! The entire audience secretly erupted in applause.

"This..." Zhang Kuang, seeing that her words were irrefutable, was speechless for a moment. He quickly turned to the Four Fiends of the Pass and whispered, "Can you all accept the suggestion made by Xiang Quan? If none of you dare to make a decision, should we send someone to report to the Emperor and ask him to decide?" The Four Fiends of the Pass looked at each other with a sigh. This was the first time they had encountered such a situation. Who dared to make a decision on their own? If the Emperor asked about it later, who would bear the responsibility! At that moment, the leader of the Four Fiends of the Pass, Jian Xia Shi, said, "Go and inform the Emperor quickly." Zhang Kuang hurriedly summoned a captain and sent him to see the Emperor. The captain mounted his horse and rode away in a cloud of dust.

Jianxia Shi was short and thin, looking at first glance like a child, except for his sallow complexion, wrinkled face, and a mustache that perched above his large mouth, which gave him a more mature and composed appearance. Unlike most people who wore long braids, his hair was disheveled and unkempt. He wore a coarse blue robe, and a long sword hung at his waist. The sword was about three feet long, probably taller than him when standing upright. He always held the hilt with his left hand, keeping the entire blade horizontal at his waist, which looked somewhat comical. He silently walked to Bai Shandian's side. His escorts, Mo Quan and Hong Quan, saw Jianxia Shi and, mistaking him for a child, paid him no attention. Unexpectedly, as soon as they approached, Jianxia Shi suddenly drew his sword in a flash, and with a flick of his wrist, unleashed four swift, powerful strikes! Mo Hong and Bai Shandian felt a blur before their eyes, then a numbness in their Weizhong acupoints, and their legs involuntarily convulsed, causing them to kneel down! When they looked at Bai Shandian again, he was already being carried under the arm of the "child" and swiftly returned to Zhang Kuang's side!

Xiang Quan was greatly surprised and rushed over to check the wounds of the two men. He saw that both Mo Hong and his companion had small holes pierced at the bend of their knees by the sword tip on their four brocade trouser legs, but no blood was seeping out! Xiang Quan exclaimed in surprise, "This old man actually used the sword tip to strike pressure points with lightning speed and accuracy, without harming the skin in the slightest! His control is just perfect. If I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes today, I would never have believed that there was such a highly skilled martial artist in the world! It is said that the Sword Poetry of the Tianshan Sect, one of the four great martial arts families that are as famous as us, once had a set of swordsmanship known throughout the martial arts world called the Poetry Recitation Sword, which can be compared to this! I wonder which master this old man is?" He then asked loudly, "May I ask which peerless master you are, senior? You came to my residence without a word and did not come to greet me. Please forgive me!"

"Not at all, not at all, this humble old man is Tianshan Jianxia Shi." Tianshan Jianxia Shi cupped his hands in greeting. Xiang Quan quickly curtsied and said respectfully, "A person's name is like a tree's shadow. Just now, upon seeing your esteemed skills, my sect leader knew it must be you! Speaking of which, we are both from one of the four great families of the martial arts world, so we should be considered family. As a guest from afar, please come into the living room for a chat. Please—" Seeing her sincerity in making him an acquaintance, Jianxia Shi was not going to miss the opportunity. He exchanged glances with the three fierce men from beyond the pass, and the four of them laughed heartily as they entered the hall first. Zhang Kuang hurriedly ordered someone to untie Bai Shandian's ropes. Seeing that the ropes were extremely tough, Zhang Kuang couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder Lord Bai couldn't break free with his internal energy. What kind of rope is this? It's so tough!" Bai Shandian smiled coldly and threw the rope directly to Mo Quan, causing Xiang Quan's heart to stir, and she couldn't help but glance at him a few more times. Zhang Kuang instructed several captains to keep an eye on the Xiang family members, and then he and Bai Shandian entered the living room. As Xiang Quan turned around, he casually pointed his halberd fingers at the backs of Mo Quan and Hong Quan's legs, and the two men immediately felt their blood flow smoothly and slowly stood up. Supported by the other hall masters, they followed Xiang Quan into the room.

The group sat down in two groups according to their status as host and guest. Zhang Kuang noticed that the Four Fiends from beyond the pass looked down on Bai Shandian and even sat at the head of the table. He was secretly surprised: "Logically speaking, these people should all be under Lord Bai's command. How can they be so ignorant of the ways of the world and so disregard their superior?" Bai Shandian, however, did not take offense and sat down at the lower table without saying a word.

Xiang Quan glanced coldly at Bai Shandian and said to Jian Xia Shi, "Senior, could you please introduce these reclusive masters?" Jian Xia Shi pointed to the red-haired fat man in Mongolian attire and said, "He's known in the martial arts world as Rolling Dragon, and his Ground-Lying Fist is incredibly skillful." He then pointed to another strangely dressed, tall and imposing middle-aged man and said, "He's a Uyghur from Xinjiang, named Yinshan Iron Shirt. His external hard skills are mastered to perfection, and he's known in the northern martial arts world as the Copper Body Vajra!" At this point, someone in the hall chuckled.

"Who's laughing?" Jianxia Shi was somewhat annoyed, while the one called Yinshan Tiebushan was even more enraged. He leaped out of the hall with his towering body and walked straight to the center, shouting, "Who was laughing just now? Don't you believe in my skills? Come on, come down and play a few moves with me!" He mumbled something in Uyghur dialect, which the crowd couldn't understand, but they roughly understood what he meant.

Xiang Quan deliberately asked, "Senior, why is your friend so angry? What is he saying? I can't understand a word he said." Jian Xia Shi sneered, "It seems your subordinates are a bit unconvinced by my friend! How about this, whoever is unconvinced can come down and have a match!" Before he finished speaking, a person had already somersaulted into the circle and shouted, "Northern barbarian, who's afraid of you! Come on, let's spar! What bronze body and steel, I'll turn you into a blood-spitting steel!" Xiang Quan looked up and saw that it was Cai Li Fo Quan!

Yinshan Iron Shirt glanced at Cai Li Fo Quan's hunchbacked, withered appearance, then burst into wild laughter, saying, "You're no good, almost sixty, aren't you? Go back now, or I'll punch you to death!" Although Cai Li Fo Quan didn't understand what he was saying, he knew it wasn't anything nice. With a roar, he lunged forward with a punch. Unexpectedly, Yinshan Iron Shirt neither dodged nor evaded, but instead assumed a horse stance, taking the punch squarely to the chest. A loud thud resounded, and Cai Li Fo Quan felt an immense surge of internal force, involuntarily staggering back three steps, his arm throbbing! He then realized this kid wasn't overconfident; it seemed he really had some skill! He cautiously moved around, waiting for an opening to strike again.

Yinshan Iron Shirt unbuttoned his embroidered robe, revealing his bronze skin. He slapped his broad chest and roared, "Come on, I'll let you hit me! Give me a few more punches!" Cai Li Fo roared, leaping into the air and unleashing a scissor kick aimed at his opponent's neck! This was the signature move of Cai Fu, a master of the Putian Shaolin Temple in Fujian. After being passed down to Cai Li Fo, he incorporated it into his own style. Through years of meticulous refinement, this move had become incredibly varied and powerful! Instantly, countless giant scissors materialized in the air, whistling through the air, slashing towards the enemy's neck with lightning speed! Unexpectedly, Yinshan Iron Shirt remained motionless, taking the thunderous blow head-on… People instinctively closed their eyes in shock; what followed was undoubtedly a horrifying scene of splattering blood and severed heads—