Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 13 A Little Rascal with Big Abilities

Bai Shandian asked anxiously, "Tell me quickly, what happened to our son?" Xiang Quan had regained her composure by now. She smiled coldly and said in a deep voice, "Let's not beat around the bush. Tell me first, what were you up to tonight, sneaking into the manor like that? Speak!" Bai Shandian glanced around and saw that the six famous boxers, like Xiang Quan, had burning eyes, as if they wanted to devour him alive, wishing they could drill into his heart and find out everything! He knew that at this point, there was no need for either side to hide anything from each other. The most urgent thing was to find out the kidnappers' true identities and real intentions, and how to rescue his youngest son. That was the most important thing!

"Actually, I came here tonight on official business! A few days ago, the massacre of Xiang Quan, the leader of the number one martial arts sect in Jiangnan, shocked the court and the public. The current emperor specially dispatched me to assist the Hangzhou general in solving the case. Although I unintentionally captured the bandit leader of the Mo Qing Society, Stinky Feet, today, it also led to your fabricated story about the huge changes in your family, Xiang Quan. We've been married for so many years, and I never knew about this secret cave, let alone that it contained so many martial arts manuals! Tell me, what else are you hiding from me? What other earth-shattering secrets does our Xiang family hold?" Xiang Quan was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "I know you've sold yourself to the court, and your eyes and heart are only for that Qianlong! You're always running around outside! But have you ever thought about the gentle and quiet wife at home, and the two lively and lovely children who need..." We need your care and concern! Out of 365 days a year, how many days are you home? In all these years, how many Spring Festivals have you spent with us? When you're not here, your son, Xiaobaijin, may have no worries about food and clothing, and appear incredibly wealthy, but how barren is his inner world! He's cried and asked me more than once: "Mother, why do my friends say my father is dead? Is my father really dead? Why doesn't he come home for the New Year?" He's young and doesn't understand, so let's not dwell on that. But you should at least put yourself in my shoes and think about how difficult it is for me to manage this household alone while my husband is away. The nights are long and lonely, not to mention the rumors outside are like knives, people's words are terrifying, and what's even more despicable is that those petty villains in the martial arts world actually covet our Jiangnan Xiang family!"

"What's going on?" White Lightning was taken aback.

"As the saying goes, a tall tree catches the wind, and the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Our Xiang family of Jiangnan was once extremely famous and a prestigious clan. A few years ago, the Jiangnan martial arts world established a martial arts tournament, which was held every ten years. In the first tournament, our Southern Fist School won the championship, and the second tournament is coming soon! In order to retain our title as champions, I spared no expense to gather famous figures from various martial arts schools in the Jianghu. That's how I met these six masters from different schools and made them my hall masters, so we could discuss and study martial arts together—and that's how these martial arts manuals from various schools were born. Unexpectedly, today, because of your disturbance, this secret has been revealed to the public... Just think, how well-informed people are in the Jianghu. If we're not careful, our son, Xiaobaijin, will disappear!" As Xiang Quan said this, her beautiful eyes filled with tears again, and her expression was extremely agitated.

"Where did Little Gold go missing?" Bai Shandian asked anxiously. It was clear that his concern for his son was no less than that for his wife. The fact that he called his son "Little Gold" spoke volumes!

Xiangquan pulled a delicate handkerchief from her waist pocket, gently wiped away her tears, and said, "This morning, after you took my stinky feet away, Xiaobaijin kept crying and refusing to eat lunch, wanting to go find his uncle. I sent two guards and two maids to watch over him, not letting him go out, only allowing him to play in the courtyard. Unexpectedly, this little devil is clever; he lied and said he was going to play hide-and-seek in the back garden. Seeing that he was playing very seriously at first, everyone gradually relaxed their vigilance. When he played hide-and-seek, everyone looked for him again, but he was nowhere to be found! The four servants hurriedly pulled off their blindfolds and ran to the back gate of the courtyard, only to find the door wide open. It turned out he had escaped from there..."

"That brat, so cunning! How could a few servants possibly hold him back?" Bai Shandian sighed. "You haven't found a single clue yet? Then how can you be so sure that Xiao Jinzi has been kidnapped?" Xiang Quanjiao's face showed a hint of anger: "After hearing the news, I gave the four servants a good scolding and immediately organized the entire Southern Fist Sect to search. We searched all afternoon, but we couldn't find a trace of him! According to some shopkeepers outside our sect, Xiao Bai Jinzi escaped through the back door and went to the Martial Arts Sect..." He apparently wanted to go to the Hangzhou prison to find his uncle. According to the gatekeepers, they had indeed seen a young boy dressed as a young master enter the city gate with the crowd. Because the boy had a high ponytail and was dressed very smartly and elegantly, he attracted the attention of the guards. As for where he went after entering, no one knew… After much inquiry and investigation by the people in the mansion, they all came to the same conclusion: he vanished into thin air as soon as he entered the city gate, without a trace! He didn't even make it to the Hangzhou prison!

"So, our son is still in Hangzhou. I'll go back and inform the government to mobilize the Eight Banners and Green Standard Army for a full-scale search and impose martial law on the entire city! I'll dig three feet into the ground to find my son!" Bai Shandian stood up and walked out.

"Wait!" Seeing his agitation, Xiang Quan felt a sense of relief and then told the truth: "I haven't finished speaking yet. This evening at dinner, a guard outside the gate suddenly ran over and said that someone had shot a dagger at the gate with a letter stuck in it! By the time the guards chased after them, the person had vanished in a flash. Their lightness skill was so superb that they didn't even get a clear look at their face! I took the letter and read the following: If you want your son's life, give the 'Complete Guide to the Martial Arts World' to the Sun Gate! Meeting place—the Heavenly King Hall of Lingyin Temple. Time: 1:15 noon tomorrow."

"The Complete Book of Jianghu? The Sun Gate?" Bai Shandian was both surprised and delighted. It seemed that Xiang Quan was finally willing to reveal the origin of that extraordinary book! For so many years, he had had no clue about the matter personally entrusted to him by Emperor Qianlong, and even he himself had doubted the existence of the Complete Book of Jianghu! He then feigned ignorance and asked, "Back then, your great-grandfather of the Xiang family in Jiangnan gave Emperor Shunzhi a extraordinary book when the Qing Dynasty was expanding its territory. It helped the Qing Dynasty successfully conquer Beijing, advance into the Central Plains, and establish the Qing Dynasty. It is said that the book was called the Complete Book of Jianghu! But I wonder what the Sun Gate wants from you this time? Could it be that there is more than one Complete Book of Jianghu?"

"This..." Xiang Quan hesitated, secretly regretting, "I was so anxious to stop my husband from going to the government to mobilize troops that I blurted out the secret! What should I do now? If the emperor finds out, won't I be punished for deceiving the emperor?!" Bai Shandian, being so clever, smiled slightly and said, "Quan'er, I am your husband, don't worry! I will never harm you." Xiang Quan thought to herself, "When he grabbed my stinky little brother today, he could have grabbed me too, but he didn't—from this, it seems he still cares about our marital relationship!" So she could only say, "Actually, back then my great-grandfather saw..." After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, in order to strengthen its rule, it instigated literary inquisitions, the rigid eight-legged essay system, and closed the country to the outside world. The people lived in misery. He regretted his actions, feeling sorry for his ancestors and the Han people. He became depressed and ill, eventually dying from his illness. On his deathbed, his eyes were wide open, his lips were dry, and he weakly said to my grandfather: "My child, you must strive... to write a sequel to 'The Complete Book of Jianghu'! Otherwise, our Xiang family of Jiangnan... will have failed the entire Han people! We will not be worthy of being descendants of Yan and Huang!" Seeing my grandfather nodding repeatedly with tears in his eyes, he passed away with resentment. From then on, my grandfather followed his father's wishes, wandering the Jianghu, making friends with martial arts practitioners all over the world. As a result, he never obtained an official position, only writing a part of the sequel to the extraordinary book "The Complete Book of Jianghu". After exhausting himself and pouring his heart and soul into the work, he finally collapsed on his bed. Before passing away, he repeatedly entrusted his descendants to complete the sequel to this "Complete Book of Jianghu"... Through countless trials and tribulations, and after generations of diligent research, this extraordinary book was finally completed in my generation. Unexpectedly, this happened... The Sun Gate actually kidnapped our child, forcing me to go to Lingyin Temple and hand over the "Complete Book of Jianghu" to them!