Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 65 Unspoken Feelings

Suddenly, the Jonin Fujibayashi attacked, his katana flashing past Huang Miwu with a peculiar throwing technique, as if a knife had been thrown from his hand. Huang Miwu was momentarily stunned, and a large tear was sliced ​​open in his clothes, revealing his treasure pouch! Fujibayashi vanished into thin air! Huang Miwu hurriedly grabbed the pouch, searching for the enemy, but his left elbow went numb. Fujibayashi had suddenly reappeared behind him, lightly flicking his left elbow acupoint with his finger. His arm went numb, and the pouch slipped from his hand, falling to the ground. Fujibayashi caught it, quickly stuffed it into his robes, and with a twist of his body, flew away, about to disappear into the darkness.

Unexpectedly, someone blocked his path! He looked up and saw a handsome young man! He angrily shouted, "Who are you? I don't know you! Please get out of my way!" The man smiled and said, "You may not recognize me, but I do." Suddenly, he drew his long sword, pointed it south, and with lightning speed, pressed the tip against his throat, shouting, "You dog of a Japanese, hand over the 'Complete Guide to the Martial World'!" Fujibayashi Jonin hadn't expected such speed from someone so young, it was unbelievable! Who was he? How could he be so powerful! He had defeated him in a single move!

This man was none other than the Imperial Envoy, Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, Bai Shandian. To protect Hong Yueliang, he had been meticulous, stealthily moving without leaving a trace. Seeing Hong Yueliang unexpectedly poisoned by snake venom, he was heartbroken, filled with both pain and pity. Just as he was about to leap out to rescue her, he saw her entrusting Huang Miwu to him. Seeing two Japanese pirates chasing after Huang Miwu, and fearing the theft of the *Complete Book of Jianghu*, he followed them. Seeing Fujibayashi Jonin indeed steal the treasure and flee, he jumped out to block their path! Extremely worried about Hong Yueliang's situation, he immediately used his trump card, subduing Fujibayashi Jonin with a single move, forcing him to hand over the *Complete Book of Jianghu* and the treasure pouch. Having successfully completed his mission, he immediately stunned the Japanese pirate with a pressure point and, along with Yagyu Densei, imprisoned them in the palace for temporary guard by the soldiers. This imperial palace was originally the residence of Qing emperors during their southern tours, and a troop of Eight Banner soldiers was usually stationed there. Although none of these soldiers had ever seen Bai Shandian before, the events that had transpired in Hangzhou these past few days as the imperial envoy Bai Shandian had witnessed were all earth-shattering. The moment Bai Shandian revealed his identity, the Eight Banner soldiers' captains bowed and scraped, extremely respectful and obedient. Then, together with Huang Miwu, they flew back to the plum blossom grove. Unexpectedly, what happened next enraged him, and a murderous intent arose within him—

Red Moon's right foot was poisoned, her head gradually spinning, her vision going black, and she fainted. Musashi Ichiro and Kameda Ryuu, both ravenous wolves, were immediately captivated by Red Moon's unparalleled beauty upon their first sight. They thought, "No wonder the sect leader, Black Sun, was bewitched to death by him; this little girl is indeed as beautiful as a flower, a celestial being! To have shared a night of passion with her, even death would be without regret!" Now, seeing her lying on her side on the rocks, her face slightly flushed, as if drunk, two rosy clouds rising on her cheeks, making her face appear as delicate as a flower bud, her neck snow-white, exuding a captivating fragrance like cream… the two Japanese pirates, driven by lust, pounced on her and began tearing at Red Moon's clothes!

At this critical moment, White Lightning arrived, roaring, "You lecherous thief, prepare to die!" He drew his imperial sword with a thunderous strike, the longsword carrying a fierce and powerful aura as it thrust forward! Two sharp tearing sounds rang out, and both Musashi Ichiro and Kameda Ryuu felt a sharp pain in their shoulders, quickly dodging and turning back to see their clothes stained crimson with blood. Kameda Ryuu, enraged, drew his katana with a clang, stabbing and slashing fiercely! White Lightning somersaulted into the air, executing a twelve-move sword technique, the moonlight illuminating the sky with a flurry of cold sword shadows. This was a signature move from the Shaolin Great Compassion Sword, a twelve-move technique executed in mid-air! One could imagine how fast, accurate, and ruthless it was! With a snap, Kameda Ryuu's katana was broken by the gust of wind that slashed down from the sky. With a scream, he felt a chill on his left ear. He quickly touched it, only to find his left ear gone, leaving him with a hand full of blood! Terrified, he yelled and ran away like a madman!

Meanwhile, Huang Miwu was also engaged in combat with Musashi Ichiro. Huang Miwu, like an eagle plunging off a cliff, feinted with his left claw while his right claw was the real weapon. With lightning speed, he swooped down like an eagle, his right claw flashing out and seizing Musashi Ichiro's right arm. With a twist and pull, he snapped Musashi Ichiro's arm in two! Then, with a thud, he tripped Musashi Ichiro, knocking him to the ground! Huang Miwu stomped on his chest, roaring, "Hand over the antidote for the snake venom! Otherwise, I'll take your life!" Musashi Ichiro pleaded, his face full of pleas, "If I hand over the antidote, can you guarantee I'll go? Huang… Sect Leader." Huang Miwu looked at Bai Shandian, his eyes full of inquiry. Bai Shandian had already helped the disheveled Red Moon to her feet and was straightening her clothes. Seeing that she was still unconscious, he quickly nodded, "Hand over the antidote, and I can guarantee you won't die!"

Musashi Ichiro cried out, "He stepped on me! How can I get the antidote to save people?" White Lightning said, "Let him get up!" Seeing Huang Miwu lift his foot, Musashi Ichiro quickly stood up, reached into his robes, and pulled out something, pretending to hand it to Huang Miwu. Just as Huang Miwu reached out to take it, Musashi Ichiro suddenly and violently tossed it away. A cloud of smoke rose, and the unsuspecting Huang Miwu was splashed with white powder. A pungent, burning pain shot through his eyes, causing him to scream and crouch on the ground, crying out, "My eyes! Ah, my eyes!" White Lightning was shocked and quickly placed Red Moon gently on a large blue stone. Turning his head, he saw that Musashi Ichiro was nowhere to be seen! He quickly used his lightness skill to leap around, but couldn't find the traitor. Fearing for Hong Yueliang and the others, he turned back, picked up Hong Yueliang, and asked Huang Miwu, "Sect Leader Huang, can you still walk for now?" Huang Miwu endured the excruciating pain in his eyes and sighed, "I can walk, but I'm afraid I'll lose my eyes!" Bai Shandian comforted him, "It's alright, don't worry! We'll hurry back to the General's Mansion in Hangzhou and find a renowned doctor to treat you both!" Huang Miwu's expression was very serious. He said, "Lord Bai, you may not know, but this Musashi Ichiro is known as the leader of the Four Fiends of the Underworld. Beneath his smiling face lies an extremely vicious and skilled poison user! What he threw into my eyes this time must have been laced with sulfuric acid..." "Lime powder!" Bai Shandian looked at his face and saw that his eyes, which were full of white powder, were still filled with tears, but there was no blood seeping out. He said, "We can wash them with water when we get back. It's nothing serious." Huang Miwu said anxiously, "Lord Bai, you don't know this: it's best not to wash them with water. The more you wash them, the faster they will rot, because the sulfuric acid powder turns into sulfuric acid liquid when it comes into contact with water, which corrodes the flesh even more!" Bai Shandian was also horrified when he heard this and hurriedly said, "So this Musashi Ichiro is really a devil! After I get you two settled, I will definitely find a way to catch that bastard and get you the antidote so you can get better." Huang Miwu could only nod silently and followed him and Hong Yueliang, stumbling and falling, to the Qing Palace.

Bai Shandian summoned the Eight Banners general and ordered him to prepare two carriages for Hong Yueliang and Huang Miwu to ride in. He also ordered two prison carts to be prepared to escort Fujibayashi Jinin and Yagyu Densei back to the General's Mansion's water dungeon. For safety reasons, all five hundred soldiers in the palace, except for ten who remained to guard the gate, set out overnight, heading straight for the General's Mansion.

In the carriage, White Lightning and Red Moon shared a room—partly out of concern that Musashi Ichiro and his men might use another trick to launch a sneak attack; and partly because he was genuinely worried about her! The first time he saw her in the misty brothel, he was stunned by her ethereal, fairy-like beauty! Could there really be such a beautiful person in the world? Was she a fairy or a fox? At the execution ground, when Red Moon disguised herself as a man, looking exactly like him, almost indistinguishable from him, she thoroughly tricked him, leaving him helpless. He had indeed felt resentment towards her, but mostly admiration! Then, Red Moon's exposure of Stinky Feet's embezzlement and her subsequent rescues from danger made him feel an overwhelming sense of regret for not having met her sooner! For so many years, although his wife, Fragrant Fist, was also dignified, beautiful, and poised, she had never truly considered his feelings for him, even though they shared a bed. She has her own thoughts, and I have my own ideals. We're like grasshoppers on the same rope—you can't escape, and you can't jump over him, but our hearts can never truly connect! It's rare to find a true friend in life, and even rarer to find a soulmate! Red Moon... isn't she a soulmate sent to us by fate?