Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 48 Assassins Emerge One After Another

The onlookers were astonished. They all knew that the Mingmen acupoint was the most important acupoint on the human body; even a light touch with a finger would cause the person to collapse to the ground. How much more so a finger-sword strike from a master like Jianxia Shi would surely break the spine and kill instantly!

"Great! This is going to be interesting. I bet our boss will win today!" Kunlun laughed loudly, discussing with Yinshan Tiebushan. Bai Shandian, like the disciples of the Southern Fist School, was greatly disgusted by what he heard and was even more worried about Xiangquan's safety! He focused intently on every move in the fighting arena.

Unexpectedly, Xiang Quan seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. Suddenly, she fell forward, barely dodging the finger strike. She braced herself with her hands on the ground, bent her legs, and unleashed a series of unexpected moves, like a rabbit kicking an eagle. With a loud thud, her feet slammed heavily into Jian Xia Shi's chest! Even with his superior martial arts, he staggered back several steps before regaining his footing! A dull pain lingered in his chest. Bai Shandian and the Southern Fist disciples erupted in cheers. Dan Du Kunlun, who happened to be next to Bai Shandian, felt a pang of resentment upon hearing this and said with a hint of anger, "Lord Bai, didn't your wife break off relations with you? Why are you cheering for her?" Bai Shandian thought to himself: This henchman of the court, relying on his superior martial arts, has humiliated me countless times with the other three villains! Today, I must teach him a lesson! He smiled slightly and said, "We martial artists, regardless of friend or foe, believe that any extraordinary, ingenious, or unique move we discover is worth learning and praising! Unlike some people who are always arrogant and disdainful of everyone, never giving up until they face dire consequences. Hmph, they'll regret it when they suffer the consequences!" Kunlun knew that he was being insulted indirectly, so he snorted and simply ignored him.

Sword Poetry asked curiously, "Master Xiang's fist style doesn't seem to be your Southern Fist style? What school's advanced techniques are you referring to?" Xiang Quan smiled slightly and said, "It's a move from the Drunken Eight Immortals style of the Red Flower Society's leader, Stinky Feet." Sword Poetry found this even more intriguing and couldn't help but ask, "In our martial arts world, there has always been a strong emphasis on sectarianism and factional disputes. Master Xiang, how could you secretly learn the Red Flower Society's leader's martial arts? Aren't you afraid he'll seek revenge? Stealing someone else's skills isn't honorable!" Xiang Quan's face hardened as he explained... He said, "In truth, the true pinnacle of martial arts isn't confined to the framework of a single school. One should absorb the strengths of many, compensate for one's own weaknesses, draw inferences from similar cases, and create new techniques to achieve invincibility." Sword Poetry coldly chuckled, "So you say your style is eclectic? But have you considered that different schools have different internal energy cultivation methods? If you practice them all together, you'll suffer a qi deviation!" Fragrant Fist laughed, "No moves are better than moves; everything returns to nature, following one's heart, without any disadvantage. This is the true essence of martial arts!"

Sword Poetry, enraged, snorted and said menacingly, "Sect Leader Xiang, this old man would like to experience your sect's ultimate technique of 'no moves are better than moves' once more!" He then formed a sword shape with his fingers and loudly recited a five-character quatrain: "Riding a horse and brandishing a sword, I fight against the heavens; eating raw meat and drinking blood, I slaughter cities. The brave warriors go forth, never to return; drunk, I light a lamp, and my warhorse neighs!" As he recited the first line, his fingertips flashed, his body as swift as a cat, suddenly pouncing on Xiang Quan, his fingers like swords, aiming for her eyes! Xiang Quan tilted her head, her body remaining still, her right foot suddenly flying out, aiming for his right shinbone! Sword Poetry's attack was too old; how could he stop it? He felt a sharp pain in his right shinbone and couldn't stand, collapsing to the ground with a thud!

What a poem under the sword! The moment his body touched the ground, he pressed down on the ground with both hands, and then his body flew up again. With a clang, he drew his long sword in mid-air, and with a flick of his right hand, a rain of swords filled the sky, their cold light flashing, and they covered Xiang Quan!

"Sword Poetry is shameless! He said he wouldn't use a longsword, but now he's drawn it again. Isn't that breaking his word and being completely untrustworthy?" Hung Kuen shouted. Mo Quan said angrily, "Actually, he's already lost. He's lost two moves already, yet he's still shamelessly attacking! Utterly shameless!" The one-man swordsman Kunlun retorted coldly, "What do you know? Our boss is letting your sect leader taste some sweetness first, and then striking back! Do you know why he's known in the martial world as 'Poetry Under the Sword'?" Mo Quan was genuinely puzzled and asked, "Why?" The one-man swordsman Kunlun said smugly, "Normally, he doesn't use a sword. But once he does, and recites some ancient poems with a strong killing intent, he'll definitely kill! It's said that since he started his career, no one has ever seen anyone walk out alive after his poetic swordplay! Therefore, in the martial world, he's also known as 'Death Under the Sword'!" Mo Quan was somewhat skeptical and sneered, "You're just bragging! We'll see who dies later!"

Unexpectedly, Xiang Quan rolled eighteen times on the spot, burrowing under the octagonal table, grabbing the two legs, and hurling it into the rain of swords! Jian Xia Shi had only recited the third line of his poem when a loud cracking sound rang out, and the octagonal table was shredded into countless pieces by Jian Xia Shi's longsword, flying in all directions! It was like a bomb exploding in mid-air! As everyone dodged, Xiang Quan leaped into the air, and in a flash, reached above Jian Xia Shi's head, delivering a pressure point kick—using Liu Quan's style—striking his Baihui acupoint on the top of his head with her toe! It turned out that when she was writing the "Complete Guide to the Martial World," she had conducted a detailed study of the martial arts of all the schools in the martial arts world. Unbeknownst to her, her martial arts had made rapid progress. These past few days, she had been training with masters, benefiting immensely and reaching an even higher level of skill!

With a scream of agony, Jianxia Shi felt a deafening boom in his head, his vision went black, and he plummeted headfirst from mid-air, instantly losing consciousness! In the blink of an eye, Xiang Quan landed with a thunderous crash, delivering a powerful, piercing kick that struck Jianxia Shi squarely, crushing him into a bloody pulp. Blood gushed from all seven orifices, and he died a gruesome death!

DanDan Kunlun screamed in terror, wanting to rush out and fight, but a sharp pain shot through his back. Turning around, he saw Bai Shandian had pulled out Zhang Kuang's sword and plunged it into his own back! Shocked and furious, he pointed at Bai Shandian and yelled, "How could you..." He didn't finish his sentence before dying. Yinshan Tiebushan, seeing Bai Shandian's betrayal, was even more terrified. He ran frantically towards the door, trying to escape, but heard a whoosh behind his ear as a long rope dart tightened around his neck. He felt his large body fly up, then slammed heavily to the ground. His neck tightened again, and he lost consciousness, drifting into the underworld to meet Yama, the King of Hell!

Seeing this, Zhang Kuang trembled violently, his legs shaking with fear, forgetting all about running away. Seeing the Southern Fist Sect disciples approaching one by one, his face contorted with rage, he cried out in terror, "For the sake of my colleague, Lord Bai, spare my life! I will obey any order from Master Xiang!" Bai Shandian said to Xiang Quan, "I've entrusted our two children to Lord Zhang; they're currently being cared for by his family." Xiang Quan glared fiercely at Bai Shandian, saying nothing, but turned to Zhang Kuang and said, "Lord Zhang is not one of those four treacherous villains like those in 'Sword Under the Poem.' He has always been an upright official, always acting in the best interests of the people—this is common knowledge in the martial world! Fine, as long as today..." "You remain still and let my family peacefully and smoothly bury my parents. Then you'll have nothing to do with it!" Zhang Kuang hurriedly bowed and said, "Sect Leader Xiang, rest assured, I will definitely protect the safety of the funeral procession! Even if the Eight Banners soldiers come, I will not let them get close to the front! At worst, I'll fight them to the death! Actually, I am also a Han Chinese, and I have long had enough of the filth of the Manchu dogs! Especially that Hongchen... Oh, I've said a bit too much." Bai Shandian secretly chuckled. Xiang Quan turned to the six famous boxers and said, "Sirs, please prepare to offer incense and close the coffins for the master and madam!"

In the mourning hall, white candles burned brightly, and incense smoke wafted through the air. Xiang Quan, Bai Shandian, and the six head priests, all dressed in mourning clothes, knelt beside the coffin, weeping. A dozen or so members of the Xiang clan, representing the village, opened the coffin of the deceased's mother, dressed the deceased's father in his final clothes, and placed him inside as well—a custom known as joint burial. This is a tradition passed down from the Jiangnan region. Then, relatives and friends gathered in the courtyard to perform elaborate rites for the deceased, including eight bows and nine kowtows, or twenty-four bows (three times eight), depending on local customs. Accompanied by the mournful music of a band, groups of guests performed their rites in an orderly fashion, and the village members, each fulfilling their duties, returned the greetings and burned paper money and paper ingots. Outside the hall stood orderly ranks of Green Standard Army soldiers, lined up on both sides, their weapons flashing, their expressions solemn.