Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 55 Grafting

Bai Shandian mustered his troops and marched out of the courtyard. Hong Chen and his daughter followed closely behind. Unexpectedly, just as they reached the gate, it creaked shut by itself! Hong Yueliang quickly leaped to the front of the group to investigate. She reached the gate and tried to pull the latch, but a large hole suddenly appeared beneath her feet. Luckily, she was agile enough to leap back to Bai Shandian with a somersault, saying anxiously, "Lord Bai, this is Huang Miwu's usual trick! I bet he's already watching us!" Bai Shandian said with concern, "He finds us without any effort, even when we've been searching for him. I ordered Zhang Kuang to lead men to search for Huang Miwu early this morning, but it's already noon and we still haven't found him. Could he have been killed by Huang Miwu? Now he's following us again!" Hong Yueliang nodded, "That's possible!" A chill ran down everyone's spines.

Just then, two figures suddenly flew in from outside the wall and landed lightly on the ground. Everyone recognized them as two captains of the Eight Banners troops stationed outside. Hongchen immediately recognized them; they were his old subordinates. One was a burly officer in his thirties, known for his exceptional staff skills and nicknamed "Mad Demon Staff"; the other was a thin man in his fifties, skilled with a nine-ringed broadsword, known in the martial arts world as "Ghost Head Saber"! Hongchen had expected them to greet him upon arrival, but to his surprise, they ignored him completely, brandishing their swords and staffs and charging straight at Bai Shandian!

"Madman's Staff, Ghost Head Saber! What are you doing?!" Hong Chen was shocked and hurriedly shouted to stop them. In the blink of an eye, Madman's Staff swung its tail, suddenly turning on its own, slashing the staff in an arc towards Hong Chen's face! Hong Yue Liang stepped forward, lightly floating to Madman's side, and with a serpentine hand, parried and grabbed, forcefully snatching the staff from Madman's grasp! Madman's Staff roared in fury and lunged forward, desperately trying to wrest the staff back! Hong Yue Liang saw that his eyes were bloodshot and blazing with ferocity, knowing he had been bewitched and had lost his sense of self, becoming a walking corpse! She quickly retaliated with her staff, striking Madman's head! A loud thud echoed, and even as he was bleeding from his head, he still yelled and charged forward desperately! Hong Yue Liang had no choice but to dart around, using her lightness skills to avoid direct confrontation, waiting for an opportunity to strike again!

Ghost Head Saber brandished his nine-ringed broadsword, the nine steel rings inlaid on its thick back clanging loudly. A gust of golden wind swept through the air as the nine-ringed broadsword slashed down at the waist! White Lightning hurriedly raised his sword to meet it, but with a loud crack, sparks flew, and White Lightning felt a numbness in his hand, his sword almost slipping from his grasp! Red Dust, watching from the side, was dumbfounded, thinking, "These two captains were originally no better than me, just second-rate characters, but now they're using reckless moves, seemingly on par with top-tier martial arts masters!?" Red Moon shouted to White Lightning from afar, "Lord White, be careful! These two captains have been bewitched by Yellow Mist, their minds are completely controlled, and they're at his mercy!" White Lightning was also secretly startled, and quickly unleashed the Shaolin Hunchen Sword Technique—the Bodhidharma Sword Technique—carefully maneuvering against Ghost Head Saber. It turns out that although Ghost Head Saber was a thin man, he possessed immense strength, a typical extraordinary figure like the "Sickly Xiang Yu." His Nine-Ring Ghost Head Saber was a legend in martial arts history. The saber is the courage of the strategist; the sword is light and agile, the saber heavy and powerful; the sword employs unorthodox methods, the saber focuses on the center. His broadsword was heavy and powerful, daring to fight and slash, directly overwhelming his opponent from the front. White Lightning, however, was different. Although his internal strength was slightly superior to his enemy's, his sword was light and agile, so how could he dare to clash with it? He could only resort to opportunistic and cunning fighting methods, employing unorthodox techniques and strange moves to restrain his enemy with exquisite swordsmanship.

Seeing that victory was unlikely, Ghost Head Saber used his inner strength to prevent the nine steel rings from making a sound. Suddenly, he accelerated, as if possessed by a ghost, employing a strategy of striking quickly and unexpectedly to win. In an instant, he disoriented his enemy, causing them to gradually reveal weaknesses. Then, the nine-ringed broadsword came crashing down from behind—

Hongchen watched from the sidelines, seeing that Ghost Head Saber had gained the upper hand in the circle. His nine-ringed broadsword slashed left and right, yet the nine steel rings on the back of the blade remained strangely silent, adding to the eeriness! Suddenly, he noticed Ghost Head Saber's movements suddenly quicken, overtaking White Lightning, who was known for and arrogant in his speed, and even launching a surprise attack from behind! Seeing that White Lightning was about to be splattered with blood and lie dead on the ground in the courtyard, he couldn't bear to watch any longer. He rushed forward, suddenly grabbing Ghost Head Saber from behind, tripping over his own feet, and the two of them fell to the ground together!

Seeing this, Bai Shandian turned around abruptly, leaped forward, and swiftly struck seven acupoints on Gui Tou Dao's body with the tip of his sword. He was imitating the acupoint striking technique of Jian Xia Shi, the leader of the Four Fiends of the Northeast. Although his acupoint striking technique was incredibly accurate, he struck too hard, leaving Gui Tou Dao with torn clothes and a bloody mess, looking like a blood-soaked figure! Gui Tou Dao groaned and fainted from the pain.

Meanwhile, the Madman's Staff and Red Moon's fierce battle had reached a fever pitch. Madman ripped off his shirt, revealing his bare chest as he fought Red Moon, his face covered in blood, roaring incessantly, clearly insane. Red Moon's staff swept across his lower body with deadly force, then struck at his eyes with its tip, truly ruthless and cunning, flashing like lightning. His Plum Blossom Fist was also subtly incorporated, ready to strike at any opportunity, chilling to the bone. The staff is considered the king of weapons; a staff at eyebrow level is called a stick, a staff at chest level is called a club. It emphasizes flexible and adaptable wrist strength, and a supple and powerful waist. Its techniques focus on sweeping, smashing, chopping, striking, thrusting, pressing, inserting, entangling, and flicking. It is one of the most primitive weapons, called "ting" by the ancients; though the names differ, they are essentially the same thing. Those skilled in staff fighting are often known for their powerful and robust techniques. Red Moon, however, was guilty of this. After practicing for a while, she began to struggle, and her lithe and graceful movements faltered slightly. Mad Demon Staff seized the opportunity, his hands transforming from fists into claws. Like a hungry tiger descending a mountain, his left claw slashed at her face, while his right hand stealthily struck from under her arm, aiming straight for her abdomen! If this move landed, her intestines would rupture instantly, and she would die a gruesome death! White Lightning, watching closely from the side, flicked his right hand. A flash of white light, and the Imperial Sword flew from his grasp, striking Mad Demon Staff squarely in the back. He collapsed to the ground, dead on the spot! Red Moon threw down her stick, bowed deeply to White Lightning, and repeatedly said, "Thank you, Lord White Lightning, for saving my life! Thank you!" White Lightning smiled slightly and said, "I'll recommend you to the Emperor later, and I'll guarantee you a high-ranking official position. From now on, you'll follow me, and I guarantee you a smooth career and a lifetime of wealth!" Seeing that he spoke like this, Hong Chen understood that her daughter was no longer a criminal suspect. From now on, she could finally escape her suffering, wipe away her past shame, and be reborn. Moreover, under White Lightning's patronage, her future was limitless! She was overjoyed and hurriedly told her daughter, "Hurry up and thank Lord White Lightning for his great favor!" Red Moon understood and quickly curtsied again. White Lightning laughed heartily and said, "We are both Manchus, different from Han Chinese. From now on, we will naturally be of one mind!"

Before he could finish speaking, countless Manchu soldiers appeared on the surrounding walls, plummeting down with a whoosh—a force of five hundred! Hongchen exclaimed in shock, "My old men have all betrayed us! They've all been brainwashed by that old monster Huang Miwu! Why didn't they come in through the gate, but instead closed it and went to the walls?" Hongyue said, "That's Huang Miwu's cunning. This way, those with low martial arts skills in the Manchu ranks are weeded out and discarded. Those with strong abilities are secretly cursed, making them obey him and come to besiege us!" Bai Shandian, feeling a lingering fear, said in a trembling voice, "If two mere captains are so difficult to deal with, how will we handle hundreds of zombie-like monsters?" Hongyue cried anxiously, "Lord Bai, quickly spread out the Green Standard Army and have all the soldiers draw their bows and fire arrows! Let's unleash a volley of ten thousand arrows!"

"That's certainly a good idea!" Bai Shandian rushed to the front of the troops, and at his command, a whistling sound arose, and arrows rained down from the sky like a torrential downpour! More than a thousand Green Standard Army soldiers surrounded and attacked five hundred Eight Banner soldiers with ease, capturing them with ease! The entire courtyard was empty; how could they hide in any direction? Faced with the locust-like flying arrows, the Eight Banner soldiers could only scream and fall to the ground; there was no way to survive. In an instant, countless corpses lay scattered on the ground! The remaining dozens of experts also wielded their weapons with lightning speed, swatting away arrows, busy as bees!

"Before they've even settled in, let's launch a lightning-fast, coordinated attack!" Red Moon suggested. White Lightning nodded in agreement. He drew his imperial sword, raised his arm, and shouted, "Brothers, grab your weapons, shoulder to shoulder, and together slay the rebels!" The crowd roared with fervor, the sound echoing throughout the ranks. It turned out that the Green Standard Army was mostly composed of Han Chinese, who had long harbored resentment towards the Eight Banners soldiers for their higher salaries, better treatment, and superior status. They had a long-standing feud with the Eight Banners. Now, seeing even their own Bannerman, Lord White, ordering them to slaughter these Eight Banners soldiers, they naturally accepted the order without hesitation. Before the enemy even approached, they charged forward, their eyes bloodshot.