Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 39 Shaving Hair and Changing Clothes

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Stinky Feet shouted, "Third Brother, you go first! Our men will be here soon, and they'll be more than capable of dealing with this little thief!" Thousand-Hand Guanyin was dressed entirely in black, her face covered with a black cloth, like a night owl. Stinky Feet was still dressed as a Han Chinese from the Southern Ming Dynasty, except he wore a turban, a feather fan, a purple robe, and brocade trousers, looking like a young master. Seeing that his words made sense, Thousand-Hand Guanyin let out a long cry, soared into the sky like a crane, leaped onto the wall, and with a light tap of her toes, darted away like a shooting star, leaping across the rooftops! Red Moon wanted to give chase, but was entangled in a fierce fight with Stinky Feet, and could only watch helplessly as Kong Dun and the other five went straight after Thousand-Hand Guanyin without looking back. These despicable people!

Just then, the alarm bell rang, the lights came on, and Xiang Quan led six famous boxers and their servants over, quickly surrounding the toilet. Hong Yue Liang had no choice but to leave the men's restroom with Chou Jiao. Upon seeing that it was Red Moon, Xiang Quan was greatly surprised and asked, "Miss Red, weren't you arrested and imprisoned? What are you doing in my humble abode?" Red Moon coldly smiled and said, "Why would a young lady disturb your esteemed residence so late at night? You'll have to ask your precious little brother! Let him tell you the details!" Then she sarcastically said to Stinky Feet, "Great hero, as the leader of the Mo Qing Society, please—" Stinky Feet, being a leader of his own rank, remained calm and said in a slow, gentle voice, "Miss, we've never met before, have we? What brings you to our residence today? I happened to be in the men's restroom just now and saw you, so naturally I couldn't let you go!" Seeing that he lied without batting an eye, Red Moon became furious and scolded, "You shameless scoundrel! You stole the rare book 'Complete Book of Jianghu' and tampered with the crime scene!" "You deliberately framed me, trying to pin the blame on me! You made everyone think that I stole the 'Complete Book of Jianghu.' If I hadn't just discovered that you had just handed the book to the third leader of your Moqing Society, that Thousand-Hand Guanyin, I would still be completely in the dark!" Upon hearing this, Xiangquan and the others were all shocked. Xiangquan said in disbelief, "Miss Hong, my brother... could it be?" Hong Yueliang sneered, "Stinky Feet is your own brother, of course you'll protect him! Since things have come to this, I don't need to explain anymore. You should hurry and go invite Lord Bai Shandian. I have important matters to discuss with you!" Xiangquan thought to herself, "My husband is secretly suspicious of you. Go and invite him... hehe, just what I wanted! My husband is a secret agent of the Imperial Guard. He is always observant and meticulous. Then it will be clear who is right and who is wrong!" She immediately ordered her servant Afu to hurry and go to the post station to invite Bai Shandian. Then invite Red Moon and Stinky Feet to the living room for a chat.

Before long, White Lightning arrived on horseback. As soon as he stepped into the living room, he anxiously asked Red Moon, "Who stole the legendary treasure, the 'Complete Book of Jianghu'? Has the book been found?" Red Moon pointed at Stinky Feet and said righteously, "It was him! Your brother-in-law stole the book and handed it over to his subordinate, Thousand-Handed Guanyin, overnight!" White Lightning was also greatly surprised and speechless with astonishment. Turning his head, he saw that Stinky Feet seemed somewhat unable to contain his anger, but his eyes were shifty and evasive, avoiding direct eye contact. He immediately understood everything. Deliberately stepping forward, he feigned concern and asked Stinky Feet, "Brother-in-law, how's your recovery going?" Stinky Feet smiled and replied, "Thank you for your concern, brother-in-law. I'm much better now." White Lightning sneered, "No wonder you're so agile and daring!" Before he finished speaking, his hands suddenly shot out, a move like a hungry eagle seizing its prey, swiftly grabbing Stinky Feet's collarbones and locking them firmly in place. This sudden turn of events caught him completely off guard. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. Stinky Feet felt his arms go numb and his blood rush to his head, leaving him utterly powerless to resist!

"White Lightning, what do you want to do?" Xiang Quan couldn't stand it anymore and immediately stood up with the six famous fists, surrounding White Lightning and Red Moon. Bai Shandian ignored them completely, and with a sudden tightening of his grip, Stinky Foot was in so much pain that cold sweat poured down his forehead. He demanded in a deep voice, "Tell me the truth! How did you get your hands on the 'Complete Book of Jianghu'? And how did you hand it over? Where is the book now? Speak!" Stinky Foot spat and cursed, "You Tartar lackey! You actually used deception to trick me! Come on! Come on! Come on! Let me go, and we'll have a fair fight, see who's afraid of you!" Red Moon smiled coldly and scolded, "If we're talking about deception, no one can beat you! You actually deceived everyone, stole from your own residence! How dare you stand here and talk so arrogantly? Don't you have any shame?!" These words were witty and carried weight. Stinky Foot was so angry that he was speechless, and even Xiang Quan and his group were stunned, not knowing what to do next!

At this moment, the Xiang family elders arrived upon hearing the news. Seeing the chaotic situation, they were momentarily stunned. Suddenly, they both approached Bai Shandian. The Xiang family elder said, "My dear son-in-law, as the head of the family, I know a little about my son's habits. Although he left home at a young age, his character is still good! I absolutely agree with that. As the saying goes, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. As long as this child admits his mistake, makes a statement, and hands over the 'Complete Book of Jianghu,' that will be enough!" Seeing that even his father didn't believe him, Chou Jiao became truly angry and ashamed. He still wanted to deny and argue, so he hurriedly said, "Father, don't listen to..." "He's just a Tartar lackey spouting nonsense! I certainly didn't steal anything from my own family!" Unexpectedly, a sharp crack rang out, and five finger marks appeared on his face. The old man, enraged, roared, "You beast! How dare you speak to your brother-in-law like that? Even now, you still won't admit it?" Seeing his father trembling with anger, the boy could only shout, "I did steal the 'Complete Guide to the Martial World,' and I gave it to my subordinates! But I didn't do it for myself; I did it for the common people, for our Han people!" Upon hearing this, everyone was horrified. In an era rife with literary inquisitions, every word was undoubtedly reactionary!

"Brother, stop talking nonsense. The 'Complete Book of Jianghu' belongs to our Xiang family. You took it, so what? Who can do anything to you? Why demean yourself like this!" Xiang Quan's implication was clear: he didn't need to be afraid; he would forgive him and not pursue the matter, as long as he didn't touch on sensitive topics! However, Chou Jiao had other thoughts. Seeing his family still living in constant fear and trembling before Bai Shandian, the Qing government's henchman, he felt it was his responsibility and obligation to wake them up, to make them recognize the current situation, and to stop harboring any illusions about the Qing government! Little did they know that the Qing were merely barbarians who, from the bottom of their hearts, never treated the Han people as human beings. They were endlessly killing, exploiting, and bullying, with a strong sense of ethnic discrimination! Imagine, in such an environment, if the Han people didn't rebel, when would they ever have a chance to rise up! Filled with righteous indignation, he passionately declared: "It is now the thirty-fifth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, which is 1770 AD. Yet, in 1645 AD, a horrific tragedy occurred on this rich and vast land of China! Going back over a hundred years, the Qing government had just been established and was still weak. In the first year of the Hongguang Emperor's reign, which was the second year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign (1645 AD), the Qing court dispatched Prince Dodo as the Grand Marshal of the Southern Expedition, leading a large army to the south to quell the remnants of the Ming Dynasty's Southern Expeditionary Army. The Qing army marched south, their momentum..." Like a hot knife through butter, they quickly surrounded Yangzhou. Shi Kefa, the Minister of War and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, led four thousand troops to the city walls to defend against the enemy, determined to live and die with the people of Yangzhou! A few days later, outnumbered, they finally fell. Ren Yumin, the prefect of Yangzhou, refused to surrender and was killed; his entire family threw themselves into a well and perished. Shi Kefa, captured but facing death without flinching, died a martyr's death. Commander Liu Zhaoji led his remaining four hundred men, fighting alongside the city's civilians in street battles against the Qing army until his entire army was wiped out; not a single soldier surrendered, all dying heroically…” At this point, the hall fell silent. People seemed to be transported back to that ancient battlefield, filled with the smoke of battle and the heat of the moment. The shouts of fighting, the clashing of swords and spears, the flowing blood, the groans and screams… rose and fell, never ceasing.

Continuing with the story of the stinky feet, it continued: "After the Qing army occupied Yangzhou, Commander Dodo, seeing the heavy casualties on his side, and hating the resistance of the city's soldiers and civilians, issued a brutal edict ordering all citizens to shave their heads and wear Manchu clothes, completely submitting to the Qing court. This implemented the bloody policy of 'Keep your head, lose your hair; keep your hair, lose your head'..."