Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 74 Listed

Tie Suanpan gave a wry smile and said, "Looking for a sedan chair in Yue Fei Temple? Isn't that a pipe dream? Just think, the country is suffering from a severe drought, and the people are destitute. Even the monks in the temple are having trouble getting food. How could they dare to dream of riding in a sedan chair?" Qianlong, who was standing to the side, was shocked upon hearing this and couldn't help but ask, "Is there a severe drought this year? When did the drought begin?" Tie Suanpan didn't even look at him, nor did he address him as "Your Majesty" or "Emperor," but simply said, "Actually, it hasn't rained a single drop since March of last year! The people are suffering. Every household has no harvest, and they don't know where their next meal will come from. They are starving, but the government still has to pay all sorts of exorbitant taxes and levies. If they can't pay, they'll be arrested!" "This has caused countless ordinary people to be displaced and forced into exile, leaving them with no way to survive..." Qinglong glared at him fiercely and roared, "This is the Emperor himself! Don't you dare incite public unrest and spread alarmist rumors!" Tie Suanpan sneered and retorted, "I've heard that the Emperor enjoys traveling incognito to the south of the Yangtze River. After all these days in Jiangnan, has all he seen and heard been sensual pleasures and brothels? What have you been secretly investigating? What have you been secretly investigating? Not prioritizing the well-being of the people is tantamount to self-destruction, plunging yourself into utter ruin. How can you expect the people to respect you, how can you secure your throne? As the old saying goes, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it!' That's the truth!"

"How dare you! You're too presumptuous, Iron Abacus!" Bai Shandian stepped forward to reprimand him for his rudeness. Unexpectedly, Qianlong wasn't angry. Instead, he waved his hand to stop him, smiled slightly at Iron Abacus, and said, "Good medicine tastes bitter but cures the disease; honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial. I have no shortage of sycophants and flatterers around me, but someone as bold and outspoken as this gentleman is truly rare and precious!" He suddenly stepped forward and asked seriously, "What's your name? Are you willing to be an official?" Upon hearing this, everyone stared in astonishment at Qianlong's face, thinking, "What's wrong with this emperor? Has he lost his mind? Does he want an anti-Qing, Ming-restoring patriot to be his official?!" But Iron Abacus coldly... He chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, the court is full of talented and extraordinary people. This old man is not worthy to attend!" Qianlong looked at him with eyes full of affection, growing more and more fond of him with each glance. He said with admiration, "I can tell from your words that you are knowledgeable, well-versed in astronomy and geography, and skilled in both literature and martial arts. You are very capable, having even created and set up the Heaven-Collapsing and Earth-Sinking Mysterious Light Array here! You are a true talent!" Seeing all the praise, Tie Suanpan felt that this emperor was not so unpleasant after all. On the contrary, he thought that he must be a great emperor, otherwise, he would not have been praised by some pedantic scholars of the time as the "Qianlong Prosperity"! He said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty! What? You also recognize this 'Heaven Collapses, Earth Shatters' Mysterious Light Formation?" Qianlong smiled and said, "Years ago, I read a book called 'The Complete Book of Martial Arts,' which detailed the arrangement of various formations from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign. It included this 'Heaven Collapses, Earth Shatters' Mysterious Light Formation, supposedly written by Guiguzi. However, it didn't explain how to break it." Tie Suanpan's heart skipped a beat. So this was the first volume of the "Complete Book of Martial Arts" that the Xiang family ancestors had given to the court! He'd heard the Grand Master, Stinky Feet, mention it. If he obtained both volumes of the "Complete Book of Martial Arts," wouldn't he be invincible, unhindered by any obstacle? Then, not only would he be the sole ruler of the martial arts world, but overthrowing the entire Qing Dynasty would be a piece of cake!

Thinking of this, he gave a wink to the Mo Qing Society heroes and said, "Let's carry Third Brother out first, and quickly tell the monks in the temple to prepare some vegetarian food for the Emperor, so that he can make do with it for now! Then we can find a sedan chair outside." Then he deliberately turned to Bai Shandian and asked, "Lord Bai, what do you think of this order?" Bai Shandian was very clever and, to guard against any trickery, said, "Let's go together! You let your brothers go first, the Emperor and the others in the middle, and the two of us will bring up the rear!" Tie Suanpan cursed inwardly, "That Bai fellow is a real old fox! No wonder he became such a high-ranking official! Hmph, good! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! It seems I have to be prepared to die with him!" Long Quanfeng and Pi Liangban understood each other perfectly and quickly lifted the Thousand-Hand Guanyin and the Mo Qing Society heroes and rushed out of the cave. Four warriors, one of whom was supporting Qianlong, also walked out of the cave.

Tie Suanpan's right wrist was grabbed by Bai Shandian, who coldly laughed and said, "Let's go too!" Tie Suanpan was furious and retorted, "Isn't Lord Bai being a bit too meticulous? How could he be so wary of me!" Bai Shandian snorted and tightened his grip, shouting in a deep voice, "Go!" Tie Suanpan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his wrist, as if it were bound by an iron clamp, and his entire right arm went numb with an electric shock. He had no choice but to quickly follow him.

As he emerged from the large cave entrance, he looked up and saw that all the heroes of the Moqing Society had ascended the steps. He grinned maliciously and suddenly turned around, shouting in alarm, "Lord Bai, what's that behind you?!" Bai Shandian was indeed startled and instinctively glanced back. In that split second, Tie Suanpan slammed his left elbow with his left hand, causing Bai Shandian's arm to go numb and forcing him to release his grip! Tie Suanpan then pushed Bai Shandian's ribs with both hands, sending him stumbling two steps away! They crashed into Qianlong's back, both falling to the ground! Then, Tie Suanpan pressed his finger on a protrusion on the left side of the cave entrance. With a cracking sound, a large hole suddenly appeared beneath Bai Shandian and his group of six, plunging into darkness below! It took them quite a while before their feet touched the ground! Because the trap was so deep, Qianlong was immediately knocked unconscious! Bai Shandian landed on top of him, but was unharmed. The four warriors also used their lightness skills and were not injured. In the midst of their fall, two of them did not forget to grab Qianlong's clothes and pull him up! It was thanks to their pull that Qianlong was able to avoid being smashed to pieces on the spot!

Tie Suanpan burst into wild laughter. The heroes of the Moqing Society turned around and were all overjoyed. They happily returned to peer into the deep cave. Tie Suanpan laughed loudly, "Second Brother, you truly are the strategist of our Moqing Society! You really have a way with things! I wonder if that dog emperor is dead yet?" Long Juanfeng also laughed, "They're probably all dead. Listen—there's not a sound down there!" Tie Suanpan said, "Sixth Brother, do you know how deep this cave is? It'll shock you! It's twenty-six meters deep! That's equivalent to the height of an eight-story building! Even if they were talking, we wouldn't be able to hear them! When I designed this trap, I thought of the lightness skills of martial arts practitioners. It's so deep, and the walls are all made of large stone slabs, making it extremely slippery. No matter how skilled they are, they wouldn't be able to escape! It's pitch black inside, so you can't see their current situation, right? Just wait—" He leaped through the air across the deep cave and came to the group of heroes. He hurriedly ordered the steward monk to fetch two torches from above.

A short while later, the steward monk arrived carrying two blazing torches. Iron Abacus took one and tossed it into the deep cave. The torch streaked across the dark sky like a shooting star, only to be caught by White Lightning just before reaching the ground! Although the distance was great, the torchlight illuminated the assembled heroes of Moqing. They were astonished to find that, apart from Qianlong, White Lightning and the other four were completely unharmed! Iron Abacus, split in two, cursed, "These scoundrels actually survived such a calamity! Good people don't live long, but evil ones live a thousand years!" Tornado asked worriedly, "Second Brother, is there a way to kill them?" Iron Abacus smiled slightly, "Of course! But the best way, the most satisfying way to see them die, is to let them fend for themselves! Don't worry about them; given time, they'll naturally starve to death in the cave! For the dog emperor and his gang, wouldn't that be the cruelest, most unbearable way to die?" The heroes erupted in laughter.

Split in two, she jumped high like a child, laughing, "Wonderful, wonderful, truly wonderful!" Iron Abacus laughed, "Don't call it wonderful, our third brother isn't so wonderful. Come quickly, let me release his pressure points!" The group put Thousand-Hand Guanyin down and let her sit on the steps. Iron Abacus's two fingers moved like lightning, striking her several times. She groaned and slowly woke up. Tornado asked somewhat strangely, "Second Brother, weren't you also struck on the waist pressure point by White Lightning? How come... you're completely unharmed?"