Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 81 Unparalleled Beauty

Bai Shandian shouted, "As the abbot of Yue Wang Temple, don't you know what crimes the Mo Qing Society has committed?" The old abbot feigned deafness and muteness: "What Mo Qing Society? I've never even heard of it! Besides, what connection does the Mo Qing Society have with my temple?" Bai Shandian couldn't help but sneer repeatedly, angrily cursing, "You pretentious old bald monk, you're all in cahoots! According to my spies, Yue Wang Temple is merely a secret contact point for the Mo Qing Society! In your temple, your Mo Qing Society actually imprisoned His Majesty the Emperor! Tell me, what crime should you be charged with?!" The old abbot was clearly taken aback, his face turning pale with fear. "Such a thing? It must be the work of the supervisor! They never listen to my advice, always sneaking around and secretly making friends with people from the martial arts world... Now they've brought trouble upon themselves!"

Seeing that he was indeed clueless, Bai Shandian scolded him, "Look at how incompetent you are as abbot!" The old abbot looked indignant and sighed deeply, "Alas, I, Kongming, have devoted my life to Buddhism, always studying Buddhist teachings, pursuing the Buddhist principles of non-action, non-anger, and non-greed, transcending the three realms and the five elements, yet in my old age, I have destroyed this ancient temple! Why? It's all because I trusted those around me too much!" As he spoke, tears streamed down his face, his heart filled with immense pain. Bai Shandian, unable to bear it any longer, said loudly, "I didn't realize you were such a wise old monk! I was blind! Here's what we'll do: go find your abbot and discuss it with the Mo Qing Society. If they release the current emperor, I, Bai Shandian, will publicly announce one thing: I guarantee that not a single brick, tile, blade of grass, or tree in your Yue Wang Temple will be damaged!" The abbot, Kongming, beamed with joy and chanted a Buddhist prayer, "Amitabha! I'll go and do it right away!" He then led his followers to their feet and hurried away.

Before long, the old abbot and a group of monks returned, followed by Tie Suanpan, Thousand-Hand Guanyin, and the rest of the Mo Qing Society's heroes. It turned out the effects of the Seven-Colored Cloud's drug had worn off; Tie Suanpan and the others had woken up and returned to normal. Upon seeing Bai Shandian, Thousand-Hand Guanyin immediately began to mock him: "Well, you, Bai Shandian, Imperial Envoy Bai, it seems your words were wasted!" Bai Shandian blushed slightly, his voice sharp but weak: "You'd better release the Emperor immediately, or none of you will leave here alive!" Tie Suanpan coldly laughed: "Very well, to die alongside His Majesty is a kind of luck! Hmph, as long as Qianlong is in our hands, I doubt you'd have the guts to fire a cannon at Yue Fei Temple!"

"You—" Bai Shandian was momentarily speechless. This was indeed the truth; he truly didn't have the courage! The old abbot, Kongming, however, was anxious and loudly rebuked a large, fat monk beside him, saying, "Abbot! Quickly tell your Moqing Society members to agree to the official's request to release the Emperor! You must know that privately imprisoning the Emperor is a heinous crime, punishable by death, and the execution of nine generations of his family!" The abbot was also somewhat apprehensive. Although he was a member of the Moqing Society, he was only responsible for handling some ordinary affairs within the society; his position was very low, and he had no say in anything with the Twelve Hall Masters and the One Incense Master—he could only stand by and wait for orders!

Thousand-Hand Guanyin coldly said, "Lord Bai, weren't you just so adamant about releasing our Grand Master? How come you've changed your mind so quickly, going back on your word?" Bai Shandian was speechless and could only remain silent. Zhang Kuang roared, "This is our Imperial Envoy! Watch your words! Are all the people in the Moqing Society ignorant of the rules?!" Thousand-Hand Guanyin retorted, "Rules? Your Lord Bai dares to talk about rules? Bah! He's two-faced and goes back on his word. He promised our Moqing Society brothers that once he released the two 'Fragrant Fist and Stinky Feet,' and then presented us with the 'Complete Guide to the Martial World,' we would release Qianlong and the other four! Now, he dares not go back on his word, and has even brought a..." "Are these government soldiers trying to bully others and use their numbers to oppress the weak? Bah! We, the Moqing Society, are going all out today! If that Bai fellow dares to act recklessly, we will perish together with Emperor Qianlong, burning ourselves to the ground, rather than compromise!" Seeing that although she was a woman, her words were resounding and powerful, Zhang Kuang secretly gave her a thumbs up and praised, "The Moqing Society truly lives up to its reputation as the number one gang in the Central Plains. Everyone is fearless and a hero! Even this old Taoist nun has such generosity and integrity; one cannot help but feel awe and a chill down one's spine!"

Seeing that he was caught in a dilemma, Bai Shandian gritted his teeth and said, "Times have changed. I've always heard that the members of the Moqing Society are chivalrous and bring good fortune to the martial world. I never imagined that today, for the sake of a mere sect leader, they would be so heartless as to let the tomb of a hero like Yue Fei suffer the ravages of war, and let some innocent monks be buried with him! Tell me, is this something you so-called great heroes should do? Can you face your conscience by doing this?!" Seeing that he was spouting nonsense, Thousand-Hand Guanyin spat in anger and turned her head away, ignoring him.

Tie Suanpan said meaningfully, "From the perspective of Zen Master Kongming and his disciples, our Moqing Society should indeed release Qianlong and his entourage as soon as possible. However, from the perspective of the interests of the vast majority of ordinary people, we cannot release Qianlong! The Qing government is currently in a state of divine wrath and popular resentment, with the people suffering immensely from a severe drought. Not only does the Qing government refuse to open granaries to provide relief, but it also imposes exorbitant taxes and levies under various pretexts. Furthermore, it has closed the country off from the outside world, strictly prohibiting trade and communication with foreign countries, and forcing people to seek a living abroad, essentially driving the people to their deaths." "You're forcing us! As the saying goes, things reach their extremes and then reverse; when officials force people to rebel, they rebel. The purpose of our Moqing Society is: to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, to overthrow the tyrannical Qing regime! To give the common people a way to survive, to fill their stomachs, and to stop them from suffering in misery!" After hearing these words, Abbot Kongming felt as if he had been enlightened, his mind cleared, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Amitabha! Everything in the world has its destiny. Those who follow it prosper, those who defy it perish. Those who go against the will of Heaven will inevitably lead to the destruction of their country and its people! This has been true throughout history. Our Buddha is merciful and will protect those who follow the will of Heaven."

Seeing that the Mo Qinghui heroes were determined not to release Qianlong and his group, Bai Shandian was hesitant and at a loss for what to do. Zhang Kuang stepped forward and whispered in his ear, "Lord Bai, brute force is not an option; we must outsmart them!" Upon hearing this, Bai Shandian had a sudden inspiration and smiled at Tie Suanpan, "How could I not know the current situation! Unfortunately, a Cheng Yaojin has appeared out of nowhere. Qi Caiyun has altered the imperial edict, adding a few strokes to the end, and now even the two Japanese pirates we just captured are to be released! How can I make this decision? I need to consult the Emperor before making a decision!" Tie Suanpan was startled and blurted out, "Could it be that Qi Caiyun is from Dongying? Otherwise, why would he be in such a hurry to..." "Release the two Japanese pirates?" Bai Shandian sighed. "I had the same thought, but that man's martial arts are extremely strange, and I couldn't subdue him for the time being! I have a feeling he's hiding nearby, ready to strike at any opportunity! Everyone must be careful! Now you must take me to see the Emperor and report this matter to him. Let him decide what to do!" Tie Suanpan and Qian Shou Guanyin whispered and discussed for a while. In the end, in order to rescue their leader, Chou Jiao, they decided to let Bai Shandian go to see the Emperor for his opinion. But there was one condition: to prevent Bai Shandian from having any ill intentions, his hands must be bound behind his back and his eyes blindfolded with a black cloth, just in case!

Bai Shandian cursed inwardly, "That Mo Qing Society is truly full of talent, a veritable sea of ​​experts! What I've thought of, they've thought of too! But to save the Emperor, I have no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it!" He stepped forward, had Long Juanfeng tie his hands behind his back, and blindfolded him. This time, he had specially chosen a brightly colored brocade rope, as it was exceptionally strong and extremely difficult for an ordinary person to break. Only then did he follow the Red Flower Society heroes into the underground cave. Stumbling along, he finally reached the trap. Bai Shandian demanded that the veil be removed so he could see the Emperor's condition. Mo Qingfeng, however, cursed, "Don't be ungrateful! Do you think this is your Bai Mansion? You can't just do whatever you want! Stay put and don't cause any trouble!"

White Lightning had no choice but to use his telepathic abilities to shout loudly towards the bottom of the cave, "Your Majesty, it's me, Lightning! Are you alright?" He heard Qianlong's weak reply: "Lightning, my condition is terrible! I'm starving and thirsty, dizzy and lightheaded. I'll die if I wait any longer! Didn't you go to release the Fragrant Fist and Stinky Feet siblings? Did you...do you succeed? When will the Moqing Society let us out? Huh?" His voice was so mournful that it was heartbreaking to hear: who would have thought that such a powerful and influential emperor would fall to such a state!