Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 18 Guanyin with Hands

The man at the front was dressed entirely in green brocade, his armor gleaming, wielding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and riding a chestnut-red Red Hare. He was none other than Zhang Kuang, the Governor-General of Zhejiang, known as the Martial Saint with the Magnificent Beard.

Everyone was secretly alarmed: "This man's command is skillful; the Green Standard Army, though numerous, is well-organized and possesses excellent military qualities. They are a formidable enemy!" It turned out that Zhang Kuang had suffered a setback at Huoshaoyun, and today, after receiving a report from the Hangzhou General's Mansion that the twelve hall masters and one incense leader of the Moqing Society had mobilized their entire forces to seize the Water Prison, he knew this was no small matter. Therefore, upon seeing the enemy appear, he immediately ordered his men to form the Crane Wing Formation to meet them. What is the Crane Wing Formation? This formation was created by Guiguzi, a man from Chu during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. It was later passed down to the Japanese Warring States general Takeda Shingen, who included it in his "Eight Formations of Zhuge Liang," making it one of the eight formations. Zhang Kuang was positioned in the center and rear of the formation, heavily protected by his troops, his left and right sides spread like the wings of a crane—a formation that combines offense and defense.

Long Juanfeng roared, "Kill Eagle Claw Sun! Those who stand in my way shall die!" Wielding his spiked club, he whipped up a gust of wind and charged straight into the formation. Unexpectedly, Zhang Kuang waved his command flag, and the Crane Wing Formation activated immediately. The soldiers on both wings, running as one, suddenly closed up like two giant wings, unleashing a barrage of swords, spears, and clubs at Long Juanfeng. Some aimed to behead him, some to stab his chest, and some even aimed for his groin. Long Juanfeng was overwhelmed, frantically parrying and leaping about, completely disorganized. In a moment of carelessness, he was kicked by someone and tumbled more than ten feet away, falling out of the formation!

Seeing that even he had been defeated, Pi Liangban roared, "Brothers, let's charge together! When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break metal!" He swung his axe and charged forward! Shangxin Yidao helped Long Juanfeng up and joined the brothers, brandishing their swords and spears, in the attack! Unexpectedly, Zhang Kuang, commanding the Green Standard Army, calmly activated their formation, just like before, their wings folding together, suddenly encircling the Mo Qing heroes. A dozen men against one, they were defeated one by one! No matter how powerful the heroes were, it was all in vain, and they all eventually fell. Choujiao sighed deeply on Pi Liangban's shoulder, "Is Heaven going to destroy the Mo Qing Society?" Before he finished speaking, dust suddenly rose behind them, and a cavalry force with red flags and white flags, banners waving and iron hooves flying, charged forward like lightning. The heroes of the Red Flower Society were terrified, surrounded by enemies on both sides—a cardinal sin in warfare. Yet, knowing the dangers, they knowingly marched into the lion's den. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and fight on! One of them, carrying a huge man on his back, suddenly leaped up and chopped off the head of an Eight Banners soldier with an axe. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine. He ducked and saw a Green Standard Army spear thrusting at him. With a swift movement of his right hand, he sliced ​​the Green Standard Army soldier in two! Then, another Green Standard Army soldier's broadsword came crashing down. There was no time to dodge; it struck his thigh with a thud, embedding itself deep in the bone. The soldier struggled to pull it out but couldn't. He hastily dropped the sword, trying to escape, but the man who had been cleaved in two roared and swung his axe. With a whoosh, his head was severed from his body, and he fell dead on the spot!

The Green Standard Army's Crane Wing Formation activated, accompanied by the faint sounds of wind and thunder. Zhang Kuang, seeing that he no longer had his axe, was overjoyed. He waved his command flag and shouted, "Whoever captures the stinky foot will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!" The crane's wings suddenly took flight again, surrounding the two halves of the cleavage. Then, it closed its wings, appearing as if it were opening a gaping maw, ready to devour its prey. Even the stinky foot on the back of the two halves seemed to exude the faint scent of death...

At this critical moment, a dark figure descended from the sky, landing lightly beside the man who had been split in two. Without a word, the figure suddenly threw a punch at the man's eyes. The man panicked and hurriedly tried to block, but it was a feint. The figure changed its fist into a claw, snatching the man's smelly foot from his shoulder and grabbing it into its arms. In a flash, the figure moved as fast as a shooting star, leaping towards the roof of a shop on the side of the street. Under the slanting shadow of the setting sun, the figure darted across rooftops and ridges as if walking on flat ground, disappearing among the undulating eaves and brackets of the building.

Gazing at the high rooftop, Split Half stomped his feet in anger, for he lacked the skill to leap and bound with such agility. He could only shout and curse, "Damn it! Where are you taking my leader? If you have the guts, fight me!" Heartbroken Blade advised, "Don't curse, Eighth Brother. Perhaps it's a good thing that he's taken the leader!" The remaining members of the Moqing Society shared this thought. A cold-faced scholar used a gleaming golden flute to poke the eye of a Manchu soldier, who then somersaulted and landed gracefully, saying, "This person is masked; he doesn't want the officials to know. It's a good thing!" Split Half roared, "Damn it! He's even masked!" "Wow! I didn't even see it! This kid's too fast! So fast!" The cold-faced scholar sneered, "Eighth Brother, with your skills, if they hadn't held back, you wouldn't be alive!" He cleaved in two, snatched a soldier's steel knife, and cut him down in the waist. He said solemnly, "Fifth Brother is right. It seems this guy is really one of us!" It turned out that this cold-faced scholar was from Penglai Island in Shandong. He was known in the martial arts world as the "Shadowless Flute of Penglai." It was said that when fighting, he would often play beautiful flute music, his body moving with his steps, his steps following the rhythm of the music. When the music reached its climax, he would suddenly shoot out countless flying needles from the flute, killing people invisibly! He was extremely powerful. He held the fifth seat in the Moqing Society.

Just then, a female Taoist priest in her fifties, dressed in blue robes, shot up from the enemy ranks like an arrow. Hanging in mid-air, she unleashed a flurry of cold, sharp blades, scattering them downwards! Cries of agony filled the air; the right wing of the Crane Wing Formation seemed to snap, several Green Standard Army soldiers having their throats severed by throwing knives as thin as cicada feathers! The female Taoist priest landed and soared again, her entire body radiating a thousand cold rays of light, like blood bathed in the setting sun—truly a beautiful and ethereal sight. More screams rose and fell; the left wing of the Green Standard Army's Crane Wing Formation had also snapped!

"Could it be that you are the third leader of the Moqing Society, the Thousand-Hand Guanyin?" Zhang Kuang asked in surprise, clasping his hands in greeting. The female Taoist priest laughed loudly in mid-air and said in a clear voice, "Lord Zhang's array formations are renowned far and wide. If you were to use them in the Sino-Burmese War, I would greatly admire you. But if you were to use them on our Han brothers, I would look down on you, Lord Zhang!" Although Zhang Kuang was from an official family, he came from the martial arts world and was good at making friends among them. Therefore, he never bullied the weak or feared the strong, nor did he cheat or swindle. He paid great attention to his personal cultivation and had a small reputation in the martial arts world. He said, "I am Zhang, but I am not talented. I am in a government position and have no choice in what I do. I know that the leaders of the Moqing Society are all heroes, and I would like to befriend them. However, soldiers are duty-bound to obey orders, so I have no choice but to offend them!" He threw down the command flag, drew his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and shouted to his men, "Brothers, we must capture the prison break criminals even if it costs us our lives! Kill—" He shook the reins of his chestnut-red steed, Red Hare, and charged forward first.

With the Crane Wing Formation broken, the Green Standard Army was utterly dejected. They shouted empty slogans, but instead of advancing, they automatically parted to make way for each other! The heroes of the Moqing Society were overjoyed. They all used their lightness skills to snatch horses from the Eight Banner soldiers, leap off their backs, and whipped their horses away as fast as the wind! Intimidated by their power, the government troops dared not pursue them any further and hastily withdrew.

The Xiang family of Jiangnan, specializing in Southern Fist martial arts. As night fell, the gate was brightly lit, as if it were daytime. At that moment, a carriage sped along the path by West Lake. Reaching the Xiang residence, the carriage stopped, and a man lifted the curtain, peering out and whispering, "It's me! Open the gate!" The twenty burly men, upon seeing him, immediately bowed and greeted, "Greetings, son-in-law!" The leader quickly ordered the gate opened and the carriage let in. When the coachman stopped the carriage inside the Xiang residence, Xiang Quan and his wife, the Xiang family elders, rushed out upon hearing the commotion. Initially, the Xiang family elders were reluctant to acknowledge Bai Shandian, but when they saw him helping someone down from the carriage, they were overjoyed and exclaimed, "Son, is that you?" The Xiang family mother also rushed forward, tightly embracing the man—none other than the leader of the Mo Qing Society, Stinky Feet! The current escaped convict!

"What happened? Lightning!" Xiang Quan was overjoyed and looked at her husband with gratitude. Bai Lightning could sense the tenderness in her eyes. Before he could speak, Chou Jiao laughed, "This morning, my men came to the General's Mansion prison to rescue me, but the soldiers outnumbered us and attacked from both sides. It seemed we were in grave danger, but thankfully my brother-in-law jumped out masked and used his lightning-fast lightness skill to rescue me..." Old Master Xiang couldn't help but shed tears, and said to Bai Lightning with emotion, "Thank you so much, son-in-law. I misunderstood you before!" Xiang's mother was also happy and tearful, saying repeatedly, "I told you long ago, his son-in-law is our good son-in-law. Who else would he be close to if not us?" Bai Lightning smiled and said seriously, "The government is still searching everywhere for my brother-in-law. It's best to let him hide until he recovers from his injuries before making any further plans!"