Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 71 Ancient Yuelong Mountain

Even the Thousand-Hand Guanyin looked troubled and didn't know what to do when faced with this frail old scholar. Suddenly, Tie Suanpan sighed and said, "Gu Yue Long Shan, the crown jewel of yellow wine, such a large jar of wine, yet no one is drunk? Could the wine be fake? Diluted? No! I must report this to the authorities and have them verify whether this wine is real or fake!" He then made a gesture as if to leave. Sure enough, this tactic worked wonders. The old shopkeeper immediately stopped his incessant nagging, grabbed his collar, and said with a fawning smile, "Brother, don't go! Let's talk this out!" Iron Abacus coldly retorted, "How can we talk this out?" Knowing he'd met his match, the old shopkeeper lowered his voice and said humbly, "Isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar? It's a rare opportunity for us to meet today. I've decided to befriend you all! Since we're friends, how can we ask for money for a meal? Here's what we'll do: this feast is on me! Friends, if you have anything urgent to attend to, please feel free to leave." This was undoubtedly like a pardon, and Iron Abacus was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear, and said, "That's more like it, old shopkeeper!" "Fine, I've decided to be your friend!" He strode off, turning to leave, but was stopped by Thousand-Hand Guanyin's stern rebuke: "Where are you going?! Our Moqing Society has always been upright and honest, never bullying the weak or engaging in monopolistic practices! If you leave like this, won't you give others something to talk about and become a laughingstock among our fellow martial arts practitioners?" Iron Abacus said seriously, "Old Manager, friends are friends, business is business. Tell me how much silver we should pay?" The old manager couldn't help but feel a surge of respect and said, "You gentlemen are of noble character and chivalrous spirit, which cannot be tarnished. I have been wandering the martial arts world since childhood, and I have never seen anything like this before. I admire you all! Well then, for the sake of your noble character, I will only charge you the cost price. You can pay me two gold ingots."

"What?!" Split in two rushed up to him, his teeth itching with hatred, baring his teeth and claws, "After all this time, you still want us to take so much!" The old shopkeeper looked embarrassed and stammered, "Actually, every dish you ordered is a famous Hangzhou delicacy, so the price is naturally higher. Gu Yue Long Shan wine is the finest of all; this jar wouldn't be enough without at least one or two ingots of gold! My friend." Iron Abacus hurriedly pulled out two gold ingots from his pocket and placed them on the table! He cupped his hands to the old shopkeeper and said, "Farewell!" Without another word, he turned and left. Thousand-Hand Guanyin waved her hand, and the heroes hurriedly followed. As Split in two left, he glared fiercely at the old shopkeeper with his bull-like eyes and muttered, "We have important business to attend to today; you got lucky! Damn it!" He then hurriedly chased after his brothers.

Bai Shandian thought to himself, "No wonder the Mo Qing Society is so popular in the martial arts world and is always known as a chivalrous gang! This small incident alone is enough to show that the Mo Qing Society truly abides by the rules and always thinks of the common people in their daily lives—this is something the government should learn from in the future!" He quickly paid the bill, mounted his horse, and followed the Red Flower Society heroes at a distance until they arrived at the Yue Wang Temple.

The group entered the temple gate one by one. Bai Shandian knew that the monks inside Yue Wang Temple were all members of the Mo Qing Society, so he dared not go in through the gate. He handed his horse over to a craft shop on the street for temporary care and gave the shopkeeper some loose silver. Then, he stealthily moved to a secluded spot, leaped up the high wall, and used his light-footed agility to dart and leap across the layers of eaves and brackets. Finally, he noticed the Mo Qing Society members and quickly lay prone on the roof ridge, peering down.

A group of thirteen people, led by a monk, arrived at the main hall of the Martyrs' Shrine. Bai Shandian's heart skipped a beat: "What a small world! Could the Emperor be trapped here? My 'Complete Guide to the Martial World' is hidden behind that huge plaque that says 'Return My Rivers and Mountains'!" He quickly spread his arms and, like a giant eagle, lightly landed by the side door, quietly jumped into the main hall, and hid behind a screen.

A flurry of footsteps filled the air as the crowd parted in the main hall. The head monk reported to Iron Abacus and Thousand-Hand Guanyin, "Second Brother, Third Brother, a strange thing happened today: early this morning, Imperial Envoy White Lightning suddenly appeared at Yue Fei Temple!" Upon hearing this, White Lightning, hidden in the shadows, was startled: "I was dressed as a commoner, yet they recognized me? Oh! It must be that Ferghana horse that betrayed me; that's my most prized possession! Just think, even a commoner, even a wealthy young man, would find it difficult to own such a peerless steed!"

Tie Suanpan and Thousand-Hand Guanyin exchanged a smile, then lowered their voices and said, "It seems that White Lightning is quite clever, and also quite annoying. He's everywhere! Did you notice him at the restaurant entrance just now? His Akhal-Teke horse was tied up there!" Thousand-Hand Guanyin nodded and whispered, "He's probably hiding in the shadows watching us right now! Don't worry about him, just be careful!" Tie Suanpan turned to the steward monk and asked, "What's White Lightning doing here?" The steward monk said, "He just walked around the main hall and then left, very quickly!" Tie Suanpan said "Oh," and White Lightning felt a weight lifted from his heart, thinking, "So someone was watching me when I hid the 'Complete Guide to the Martial World'! Luckily, I'm quick, it was only a blink of an eye, otherwise I would have been a lamb to the slaughter!" Thinking of this, he broke out in a cold sweat! But he still couldn't relax, and unconsciously glanced at the "Return My Rivers and Mountains" plaque.

Tie Suanpan looked up at the "Hundred Cranes" painting on the ceiling, where 373 white cranes, each unique and lifelike, were depicted. He lifted his robe, revealing an abacus made of cast iron hanging from his waist. He took it in his hand, pressed the trigger, and a string of beads shot out, five in total, striking the heads of the first, third, seventh, ninth, and eleventh cranes on the ceiling. With a clattering sound, the statue of Yue Fei suddenly moved to the side, revealing a large, dark hole! Led by a monk carrying lanterns, the group descended the steps one by one. Seeing everyone go down, Bai Shandian hurriedly followed. Because it was pitch black below, none of the heroes noticed his presence. Soon they reached the bottom of the cave, took a few more steps forward, turned a left corner, and suddenly the view opened up; they had entered another large cave.

The cave was brightly lit, with countless lanterns embedded in the stone walls. Inside, twenty men dressed as Song Dynasty generals were arrayed in battle formation, surrounding five modern people! These five were none other than the current Emperor Qianlong and his four elite guards. However, they were still dressed in commoner's attire, resembling a wealthy tycoon with four apprentices. Bai Shandian was greatly surprised. Seeing everyone enter the cave, he hid in the shadows at the entrance, peering inside. Gradually, Bai Shandian discerned something amiss. The twenty generals in Song Dynasty armor were not real people, but bronze figures controlled by mechanisms! Due to the meticulous design and precise arrangement, the bronze figures were indistinguishable from real people, not only forming a flawless and impenetrable formation, but also possessing extraordinary striking and resistance capabilities, making them incredibly powerful. The twenty bronze figures are based on the twenty generals of Yue Fei from the novel *The Complete Biography of Yue Fei*. In order of appearance, they are: Gao Chong, Lu Wenlong, Zhang Xian, Wang Gui, Yue Yun, Yang Zaixing, Niu Gao, Xu Qing, Dong Xian, Wang Jun, Ji Qing, Li Dao, Yao Zhen, Huang Zuo, Fu Xuan, Kou Cheng, Li Bao, Liang Xing, Li Shan, and Hao Zheng. Each wields their usual weapons—swords, spears, halberds, axes, hammers, and forks—each gleaming coldly, standing ready like a fierce demon. They are arrayed in a nearly lost art called the "Heaven-Collapse and Earth-Sinking Mysterious Light Formation."

"Qianlong, I advise you to obediently surrender, otherwise you'll be exhausted to the point of vomiting blood and eventually die from exhaustion!" Tie Suanpan shouted with a grin into the formation. Qianlong and the four warriors were all exhausted and haggard, but he was, after all, the emperor of a country. Even with Mount Tai collapsing before him, he remained calm and said, "Azure Dragon, you attack the east; White Tiger, you strike the west; Black Tortoise, you cut down the north; Vermilion Bird, you kill the south! I will be in the middle to support you. Let's charge again!" At his command, the four burly men brandished their weapons and charged into the formation.