Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 31 A Case Outside the Case

"Afu, tell me in detail, what exactly happened?" Bai Shandian stared intently at the servant of the Xiang family. Afu raised his head and said, "Last night, the sect leader was overjoyed to have the lost book 'The Complete Book of Jianghu' recovered. After dinner, she and the master continued their lively discussion until late at night before finally going to sleep. According to the sect leader this morning, she took advantage of the quiet of the night after everyone in the mansion had fallen asleep, quietly went to the main hall, used her gecko-like wall-climbing skills to scale the wall, and then reached into her bosom, took out the book 'The Complete Book of Jianghu,' and placed it on the plaque hanging high on the wall of the main hall! That plaque was inscribed by the previous emperor, Yongzheng, with four gilded characters: 'May the Generations Prosper!' The sect leader is quite cunning; she knew that keeping the book close at hand was not safe, so she chose a different path and placed it in the busy hall." She climbed up, attracting no attention! Then, she slid down and happily went back to her room to sleep. She never imagined that in the still of the night, a pair of eyes were secretly watching her every move! The next morning, the sect leader was astonished to discover that the plaque bearing the inscription "Generations of Prosperity" had been moved! Anyone with eyes could see that the plaque was hanging askew! She knew perfectly well that she had used her gecko-like wall-climbing skills the night before and hadn't touched the plaque at all, so how could it have shifted? The sect leader quickly repeated her trick, clinging to the wall and climbing up to a high point. She saw that the plaque was empty; there was no trace of the strange book, "The Complete Book of Jianghu"...

Upon hearing this, Bai Shandian could no longer contain himself. He stood up and shouted to the yamen runners outside the door, "Quickly prepare my horse!" Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed out of the hall like a rocket.

Inside the main courtyard of the Southern Fist Sect, Xiang Quan, leading six renowned martial artists, was questioning all the servants. Her jade-like face was cold, and she sternly shouted, "I'll ask you one last question: Who among you discovered that someone entered the main hall last night? If you report truthfully, I will reward you handsomely! If you know but don't report, or if you steal from me, once I find out, you will be executed without mercy!" The servants began to murmur amongst themselves, those who had patrolled last night looking terrified, fearing they would be implicated. Just then, Bai Shandian led a troop of Eight Banner soldiers, galloping into the mansion. He leaped off his magnificent horse, and Xiang Quan rushed forward, her nose stinging, tears welling in her eyes. She said, full of grievance, "Shandian, you're finally home! You're a secret agent of the Imperial Guard, please help me investigate! This theft is too mysterious, it's chilling!"

"Let me examine the scene first." Hearing Bai Shandian say this, Xiang Quan hurriedly led him into the hall. Bai Shandian looked around and saw an octagonal table carved with dragons and phoenixes in the main hall, with an antique mahogany armchair on each side. Behind the octagonal table was a long table, on which were placed several exquisite antique sets, including an ancient ship carved from white jade with a symbol of boundless prosperity, five golden statues of the gods of wealth (representing fortune, prosperity, longevity, happiness, and wealth) symbolizing family harmony and prosperity, and a Taishan stone guardian stone symbolizing peace and protection for the home, which was placed in the center of the hall. Bai Shandian walked closer and took a closer look, and suddenly discovered that on each of the five golden statues representing family harmony and prosperity, there was a thin, shallow cut from a blade! He asked Xiang Quan, "Quan'er, do you know these five statues aren't made of pure gold?" Xiang Quan was quite puzzled, and couldn't help but get a little angry, saying, "Bai Shandian, what do you mean by asking that? I sent you home today not so you could study some pure gold or ten-thousand-fold gold, I sent you to help me solve a case!" Bai Shandian couldn't help but chuckle, and said mysteriously, "Yes, this is how I solve cases!" Xiang Quan pointed his halberd at his nose, somewhat exasperated, "My 'Complete Guide to the Martial World' was lost on the plaque above, not on this table." "Hey, White Lightning, did you even get this straight?" At this moment, Stinky Feet and Fragrant Fist also walked into the hall from the back room. Hearing the two arguing, Stinky Feet teased, "You two are really a pair of sworn enemies, always fighting as soon as you meet! No wonder my brother-in-law doesn't like staying at home." Fragrant Fist spat and scolded, "Why did you come out? Stay in the secret room! Don't you have enough trouble at home?" Stinky Feet made a face and stuck out his tongue, saying, "I was afraid you would bully my good brother-in-law, so I came out to save him!" Fragrant Fist had no way to deal with him, so he simply ignored him.

Bai Nedian then ordered a servant to bring a ladder. He placed the ladder beside the plaque, climbed up, and noticed a thick layer of dust on the back of the plaque. Because it was so high up, it must have been neglected for a long time. Upon closer inspection, there was indeed a trace of a book that had been placed there, but beneath the book's mark, in the dust, was the clear imprint of a slender woman's hand! Bai Nedian suddenly realized, blurting out, "It really was her!"

"Who? Who are you talking about?" Fragrant Fist, Stinky Feet, and Elder Fragrant asked almost simultaneously from below the ladder. White Lightning laughed heartily and jumped down the ladder, announcing to the crowd, "The world's number one thief, Red Moon!"

"How do you know?" Xiangquan asked, utterly astonished. "Isn't she currently imprisoned in Hangzhou?"

"The world of martial arts is treacherous, often catching people off guard, and unpredictable even by gods and ghosts! Red Moon is a legendary thief; how could an ordinary prison cell possibly do anything to her? Yesterday, I listened to your words and, seeing her commendable filial piety, I was moved with compassion and didn't sever her tendons and lock her in the water dungeon. A moment of carelessness led to this disaster! Alas—" White Lightning beat his chest and stamped his feet in regret, but it was too late! Xiang Quan hurriedly tugged at his sleeve: "Let's hurry back to the Hangzhou prison and find out what happened. I don't believe that a weak woman like her could escape from that heavily guarded prison!" Bai Shandian angrily shook off her hand and scolded: "Go by yourself! I'm not going with you to embarrass myself!" Then, thinking for a moment, he blurted out: "You cunning old scoundrel, you deliberately got me drunk last night to cover your daughter's escape! Humph, you old scoundrel, I won't let you get away with this!" He then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Elder Xiang and said: "Father-in-law, I take my leave!" He turned and walked away quickly. Xiang Quan hurriedly chased after him, calling out to his retreating figure, "Why are you leaving? You haven't even explained why you were investigating, so why did you immediately conclude that Red Moon was the culprit?" Bai Shandian coldly replied, "Aren't you supposed to be incredibly clever? Figure it out yourself!" He then leaped onto his steed, gave a tug on the reins, and galloped away. The soldiers also mounted their horses and followed closely behind at breakneck speed.

White Lightning didn't return to the city. Instead, he led his troops to Lonely Mountain, where they traversed mountains and valleys, searching for caves and secrets. Finally, in a deep cave, they found the corpse of a beautiful woman. Upon removing her mask, it was indeed Black Sun of the Sun Gate! The once-powerful Demon Lord was dead! A long, thin wound on her throat was extremely deep, clearly inflicted by a blade—typical of Red Moon's methods. The blood on the ground had congealed, indicating she had been dead for some time! One eye was mangled beyond recognition by a blade, a gruesome sight!

"Could it be that Red Moon wasn't lying? Isn't she the real culprit behind last night's theft? Is there someone else? Yes, what good would it do Red Moon, her parents, and her family if she did this?" White Lightning stood frozen, dumbfounded! Suddenly, he sprang to his feet, leaped onto his BMW, and led his men away. Straight to the Hangzhou prison!

The Hangzhou Prison, located on Tianmu Mountain Road, is an old prison dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is dark, damp, and heavily guarded. The entire prison is built according to the principles of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. Standing on the high watchtower at the exit, one can see all the rows of cell doors in the front, back, left, and right, making it very easy to manage. Once prisoners enter the inner cells, the high walls and deep alleys create a maze-like atmosphere. Even with the cell doors wide open, prisoners would likely find it difficult to escape, trapped in a deadly cycle, endlessly going back and forth until they finally collapse, exhausted, and die! This is the infamous Hangzhou Eight Trigrams Prison, renowned throughout Jiangnan and feared by all! Officials like Bai Shandian understood that although the Hangzhou Prison was extremely sturdy, experienced bandits could easily break through the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams formation and escape without breaking a sweat. Hence, the water prison in General Hongchen's mansion.

Bai Shandian led a group of men to the gates of Hangzhou Prison. A guard had already informed the warden and the cell boss, who came out to greet them. Bai Shandian, not wanting to go in, immediately asked, "Is Hong Yueliang, who was imprisoned yesterday afternoon, still there?" The warden, somewhat puzzled, replied, "Yes, she's been here the whole time!" After a pause, he added, "Last night, Governor Zhang of Zhejiang personally came and repeatedly instructed us to strengthen security, take precautions, and keep a close watch on Hong Yueliang! Don't let her escape! Otherwise, all prison officials will be beheaded! Therefore, as the head of the prison, I dared not relax for a moment. Last night, I personally led the guards on duty, and we didn't dare close our eyes for a single moment, keeping a close watch on Hong Yueliang's cell number 11! Thank goodness, she's still locked up there today!" Hearing this, Bai Shandian suddenly became interested and laughed, "Come on, let's go in! I want to see Hong Yueliang!"