Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 33 A Masterful Prison Break

When the warden saw that Red Moon dared to resist arrest, he knew things had escalated and he dared not back down! Because Qing Dynasty prison laws were very strict, if a prisoner escaped, the first person held responsible by the court would be him, the warden! So, he drew his sword and shouted, "Don't let her get away! Catch her!" and was the first to rush forward. Red Moon used him as her target; she dodged and tilted her head, and with a snap, the shackles around her neck were cleaved open by his sword. Her legs spun, and despite the heavy shackles, she kicked the three constables standing at the door away. Even in mid-air, she didn't forget to borrow something from White Lightning! White Lightning was known for his speed, but he hadn't expected Red Moon to be even faster. In the blink of an eye, she had broken the shackles, kicked the men, and drawn her sword—all in one fluid, clean, and incredibly swift motion!

"Give me back my imperial sword!" White Lightning roared, not daring to be careless. He hurriedly drew his large, golden pipe from his waist and used a move from the Shaolin Great Compassion Mantra Sword Technique—"Autumn Wind Sweeps Away Fallen Leaves"—creating a gust of wind that swept towards her head and face! Red Moon smiled coldly, unfazed. With a flick of her jade arm, she twirled her sword and unleashed three swift thrusts. One strike hit the warden's wrist, drawing blood. His sword was nowhere to be seen. The blow forced White Lightning to a standstill, forcing him to retreat and shift from offense to defense! With a sharp crack, the final strike cleaved through the iron and mud, slicing the shackles in two. Red Moon exerted her strength, flicking her golden snakes, and then, close to her body, severed the shackles on her ankles. With a leap, she soared into the air, soaring through the dark crowd towards the outer gate of the prison!

"Don't let her get away!" Bai Shandian swiftly moved, his feet barely touching the heads of the prisoners, and pursued her with his Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique). The warden hurriedly shouted, "Lord Bai, keep your distance from her! Watch out for the traps in the corridor!" Bai Shandian was startled and slowed his pace. Hong Yueliang also heard the warning and knew that the prison corridors were full of hidden dangers. She quickly circulated her inner energy and became cautious. As she was walking, she suddenly felt her foot slip. She quickly shook her arms and soared into the air like a roc spreading its wings. With a whoosh, a large hole appeared in the ground, and six beams of cold light shot out like lightning from the dark hole. While in mid-air, she quickly used her sword like the wind to knock down the cold light one by one. They were six flying knives! Hong Yueliang had just landed gracefully. After taking a few more steps, two passages appeared, one to the left and one to the right! Without saying a word, she turned into the deep alley on the left. Suddenly, she heard several loud creaking sounds, and an iron gate suddenly appeared, blocking her way. A large character for "death" was written on it! It turned out this path was blocked—a dead end! She quickly turned to the right, but after only a few steps, a warning bell suddenly rang, countless small holes appeared in the walls on both sides, and a strange fragrance wafted out, with thick smoke billowing from the holes! The fragrance was coming from the smoke! She was startled, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Knowing the white smoke contained a deadly poison, she quickly covered her nose and retreated from the alley, returning to the dead end! White Lightning had caught up, but didn't approach, coldly sneering, "I see you have no chance of escape. You might as well surrender! You won't get out of this Bagua prison!" Red Moon didn't say much, suddenly squatting down in a horse stance, secretly gathering her inner energy, and slamming her palms out. With a loud bang, the large iron gate remained undamaged! Just as she was wondering what was going on, she heard several loud creaking sounds, and the large iron gate slowly retracted into the ground! Reappearing in the deep alleyway! Red Moon was secretly pleased, and laughed and cursed, "Truth and falsehood, reality and illusion, all this mystification, it seems the Death Gate is not dead after all!" She leaped over and went straight to the front gate without any further obstacles.

As Red Moon reached the gate, countless arrows suddenly shot out from the arrow slits of the high watchtower. The arrows flew like locusts, forcing her to dart her sword with lightning speed. Although she barely avoided being hit by the arrows, the fierce wind and the close proximity forced her to retreat. Just then, White Lightning arrived, brandishing his long, golden pipe. With a move called "Flying Eagle Pecking," he used the long, golden pipe to emit a streak of golden light, aiming directly at her eyes! Red Moon quickly dodged, flipping her right wrist to stab his wrist with her longsword! This was another desperate, reckless swordsmanship move, a counterattack meant to save herself, not to protect herself, but to inflict mutual destruction! If she struck the enemy, her own eyes would be lost! White Lightning was incredibly clever. Although he had seemingly gained a great advantage by exchanging his right hand for his eyes, it wasn't what he truly desired! Everyone knows that for a swordsman, losing his right hand means the loss of all martial arts skills for life, a fate no different from death! As a secret agent of the imperial palace, a favorite of the emperor, he didn't want that! He still wanted to enjoy the life of being above ten thousand men, second only to the emperor, and feel that boundless glory! So he quickly dodged to the side, avoiding the sword strike. Seeing the jailers swarming after him, he hurriedly shouted, "Surround Red Moon! Kill him without mercy!" The jailers merely circled around, none daring to make a move. At this moment, the warden arrived. He had already had his wrist wound bandaged, snatched a long spear from a soldier, roared, and charged forward! He could no longer wield a sword, so he used both hands to hold a spear. Even so, his right wrist still ached slightly. To avenge the sword wound, he had already gone all out and made a desperate gamble. He used a move from his family's martial arts—the Yue Family Spear Technique—that went straight to the heart of the enemy. He lunged forward, his spear transforming into a shooting star that streaked across the sky. Man and spear became one, and he shot straight at the enemy!

His name was Yue Zhongyun, a descendant of Yue Fei, a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty. His family's Yue Family Spear Technique was rugged, powerful, and ruthless; he hadn't disgraced his ancestors, and to regain the face he'd just lost, he became even more vicious. A true expert's skill is immediately apparent. Seeing that he was finally using his martial arts skills, Red Moon knew that the longsword wasn't his forte, and the spear was his preferred weapon. Not daring to underestimate him, she relied on her exceptional lightness skill, merely circling the area and avoiding direct confrontation. Although the Yue Family Spear Technique was old-fashioned, Yue Zhongyun, who had practiced it for decades, wielded it with an overwhelming, majestic momentum. For a moment, the spear shadows blurred, and rows of qi pierced the air! White Lightning, ever cunning, seized the opportunity, flicking his large golden staff and suddenly launching an attack—a strange yellow light shot straight at Red Moon's back!

It was as if Yue Zhongyun was destined for disaster. Just as Red Moon dodged a spear thrust at him, she suddenly heard a whooshing sound behind her head, realizing a formidable enemy was attacking. She quickly ducked and rolled away, dodging out of the circle. Then, with a thud, White Lightning's golden staff, unable to stop its momentum, struck Yue Zhongyun squarely in the right eye! He screamed, threw down his spear, and collapsed, clutching his bleeding right eye, writhing in agony. White Lightning, holding the blood-soaked golden staff, stood frozen in place.

Red Moon sneered from the side, saying in a low voice, "Lord Bai, you've really messed things up now. How can you, a renowned detective of our time, be so clumsy? You're like a greenhorn who's just started out! If you hadn't made wild guesses and spouted nonsense today, I would rather be beaten to death by the jailers than escape!" Bai Shandian smiled coldly, "Wild guesses? You think I'm really wronging you! In today's martial arts world, in terms of ranking and skill, who could steal the extraordinary book 'Complete Book of Martial Arts' silently from the heavily guarded Southern Fist Sect, surrounded by masters?" "Leave? In my memory, only you and Black Sun have the right to do so!" Red Moon fell into deep thought, muttering to herself, "Could it be that the evil Sun Sect of Japan has learned of Black Sun's death? I knew that the Sun Sect had many eyes and ears throughout the world, and that they would seek justice for every wrong and avenge every grudge. I didn't expect retribution to come so quickly! How should I deal with this?" Seeing her expression, White Lightning was greatly puzzled and scolded, "What are you doing? Have you gone mad?" Red Moon spat and retorted, "You're the one who's gone mad!" "You're insane! Actually, the moment you arrived at the prison today, I knew something big was about to happen in the martial world! And sure enough, it was. I suspect it's the evil Sun Sect from Japan seeking revenge! They have many spies within our Qing territory and already know their leader, Black Sun, is dead. They're likely bringing their entire force to Hangzhou to cause trouble! Lord Bai, you might not know, but the Sun Sect has four elders, each with profound martial arts skills and wicked methods, known in the martial world as the Four Fiends of the Underworld! Just hearing their reputation is enough to imagine how terrifying they are! It's said that there are also..." There's a legend that the Four Fiends of the Underworld never show themselves during the day, but rather appear like ghosts in the dead of night. If they simply whisper your name from behind, your soul will be captured, and you'll be helplessly drawn to them, left to be killed. Their methods are horrific; they often rip out hearts, dismember corpses, and then cook and eat them—truly a gruesome and chilling sight! Hearing this, everyone was filled with fear and unease. The prison was already dark and damp, and now a chilling wind swept through them, sending a shiver down their spines! Bai Shandian, startled, asked, "So, you're sure you didn't touch the 'Complete Guide to the Martial World'?! Then where are the Four Fiends of the Underworld?" Hong Yueliang chuckled inwardly, thinking, "This Lord Bai is probably also terrified of the Four Fiends of the Underworld! You ask me where they are? How would I know?" Suddenly, she raised her head, her beautiful eyes sweeping over Bai Shandian's handsome face, finally settling on his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. She said seriously, "Do you have the guts to make a bet with this humble woman?" Bai Shandian was even more bewildered, laughing, "What kind of bet? Tell me!"