Secret Codes

I will definitely do everything in my power to escape with her. Forget about the highest bond between ruler and subject, forget about high office, wealth, and glory—let them all go! I now understand that having family by my side and a loving wife who understands me is the most important thing in life!

"So you've finally figured it out, huh? Too late!" Heshen sneered cruelly. "You two's words just now have further confirmed your crimes of colluding with the bandits of western Sichuan! Haha, you even thought you could have a family reunion with the bandit leader Xiang Quan? Heh heh, too bad, that beautiful thing won't happen. You'll have to do it in your next life! Three days from now, the new Grand Coordinator, Fu Heng, will lead 200,000 troops to Dajinchuan to wipe out the remnants of the eighteen chieftain alliance! When we capture the bandit leader Xiang Quan, he'll be escorted to the capital with you all to meet the Emperor. A true family reunion, then we'll all be taken to the execution ground and beheaded together! Heh heh, you'll have finally fulfilled your wishes, dying together!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Shandian felt more relieved than angry. After all, he finally knew Madam Xiangquan's whereabouts! She was still alive! It was truly a miracle that Heaven had opened its eyes and hadn't allowed the Sticky Rod Bureau to exterminate her! This news was undoubtedly exhilarating! At least it gave him the motivation and hope to live on even more urgently!

Hong Yueliang suddenly said softly, "The new Grand Coordinator is Lord Fuheng? Excellent! Lord Heshen, do you know the relationship between Lord Fuheng and me?" Heshen thought hard for a moment, then his heart skipped a beat, and he exclaimed in surprise, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten! General Hong, you and Lord Fuheng belong to the same lineage of the Shajifucha clan! Back then, you and Lord Fuheng's sister, Empress Xiaoxianchun, the first empress of His Majesty, were like sisters, and you could freely enter and leave the palace! At that time, you were incredibly powerful and influential, the envy of countless princes and princesses!"

Unexpectedly, the tone shifted, becoming somewhat disdainful: "It's a pity that Empress Xiaoxianchun was frail and sickly, and passed away early. General Hong has lost his backing; what can he rely on? Are you implying that you have an affair with Lord Fuheng, and that your relationship is unusual?"

"Insolence!" Seeing his rudeness, Red Moon suddenly twirled her tongue, and with a whoosh, a white light shot out from her delicate cherry-like mouth. A scream of pain rang out, and Heshen felt a chilling wind pass through his right ear. He hurriedly touched his right ear, only to find his hand covered in blood, and his right ear had been torn off! This startled him so much that he screamed like a pig being slaughtered! He fled the dungeon in a panic, rushing to bandage his wound! His followers scattered like birds and beasts, hastily following him.

"Damn it, in all my years, no one has ever dared to take advantage of me! That Fatty is shameless, daring to be so sarcastic, he must have a death wish!" Red Moon cursed angrily, watching their departing figures. White Lightning laughed and teased, "While Fatty's words may be a bit reckless, they're not entirely without merit. But I wonder what exactly is the relationship between my wife and Fucha Fuheng?"

Red Moon's almond-shaped eyes widened as she glared at him fiercely, snapping, "White Lightning! What do you mean? Do you really doubt my character?" White Lightning laughed heartily, teasing, "My wife's character is beyond reproach, but I wonder what kind of person Fu Heng is? Is he a gentleman? Or a lecherous fiend? That remains to be seen!"

Hong Yueliang spat, amused herself. After a while, she said, "To be honest, this Fu Heng is quite a character. Young and promising, very ambitious. In just a few years, he rose from an insignificant blue-feathered guard to Minister of Revenue and Associate Grand Secretary, then soared to Acting Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and finally was promoted by the Emperor to Military Commissioner, granted the title of Grand Secretary of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, posthumously awarded the title of Grand Guardian, and given three ranks of military merit!"

Bai Shandian couldn't help but praise, "I know a little about this person. Although he rose rapidly through the ranks, it wasn't because of his family background or his sister who was once an empress. This person is truly capable. He is not only well-versed in both literature and martial arts, well-versed in military strategy and tactics, but also a first-rate swordsman. He performs the Tianshan Sword Technique flawlessly, making him famous throughout the capital. What's even more commendable is that he is humble, polite, and easy-going. He enjoys making friends with heroes of the martial arts world and has many friends in the martial arts community."

Red Moon grew anxious and whispered, "With such a formidable enemy arriving, isn't Sister Xiangquan in danger at Dajinchuan?! We can't just sit here and wait to die; we must break free quickly and let them prepare for battle!" As she spoke, she used her shrinking technique, instantly transforming into a tiny figure. The chains binding her became loose and unusable. She freed her hands from the shackles, quickly unlocked the chains, and painfully pulled them from her shoulder blades, throwing them heavily to the ground. Then, she pulled a slender hairpin from her hair, gently inserted it into the lock of her shackles, and with a twist, the shackles clicked open—she was free!

White Lightning unconsciously gave a thumbs-up in praise: "My lady truly deserves to be called the number one thief in the world! No matter how sturdy the prison is, it can't hold you!" Red Moon's expression suddenly changed, and she turned her head as if to leave, coldly saying: "Weren't you just trying to strangle me? You can stay here and wait to die! Since we've severed all ties, why should I save you? I'm leaving!" In a flash, she disappeared!

White Lightning was stunned, completely at a loss, wondering when she had offended Red Moon again, causing her to turn on her so ruthlessly! She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "No wonder Confucius said: 'Only women and petty men are difficult to deal with. A woman's face is like the weather in May, changing in an instant! A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea, unfathomable.'"

Just as he was wallowing in self-pity, a fragrant breeze wafted over. Turning his head, he saw Red Moon standing before him with a grin! She had changed into her "Sticky Pole Worshiping Tang" battle attire, wearing a bamboo hat, shorts, and a clean, neat outfit, and carrying a package. White Lightning knew her fastidiousness; her clothes had been tattered and stained with blood, making her look quite unsightly. That's why she had easily opened the cell door with her hairpin and slipped out silently. In a short while, she had already returned with some stolen goods.

White Lightning deliberately gave her a stern look: "Didn't you say you didn't care about your husband? Why did you come back?!" Red Moon made a face and said in a childlike voice like a naughty child: "I can't live without you, who told you to be so charming!" This made White Lightning burst into laughter.

Red Moon removed the hairpin from her hair, gently unlocked the clasp, and instantly removed the restraints from White Lightning's body. She then undressed him, opened the package, took out liniment for bruises and sprains, applied medicine, and bandaged him. She then gave him another set of "Sticky Pole Bai Tang" clothing to change into, transforming White Lightning into an ordinary soldier, though his charisma was so striking that he exuded an air of domineering power. Red Moon took two face masks from her waist, covering herself with one and handing the other to White Lightning, laughing, "Use this to cover yourself, and no one will recognize your true face!" White Lightning took the mask and smiled, "You've thought of everything!"

The two quickly slipped out of the cell and arrived at the main hall. They didn't see a single guard along the way, and White Lightning knew that Red Moon had already dealt with them all and hidden their bodies in the shadows. The two looked around and spotted four new "Sticky Pole Worshipping Tang" guards at the entrance of the hall. They exchanged a glance and calmly strode forward.

Unexpectedly, the four guards swarmed around them as soon as they saw them. A tall man raised a blood-dripping dagger and asked sternly, "Who are you? Why have you infiltrated the council hall of the Sticky Rod Bureau?" Red Moon and White Lightning exchanged bewildered glances, wondering how this young man had seen through their true identities so quickly!

Red Moon didn't want to fall out with them, so she smiled ingratiatingly and bowed, saying, "We're both from the same sect, can't you tell? We were sent down the mountain on business by the Grand Secretary!" The tall man sneered, "Are you one of our fellow disciples? Do you know the special internal code words of our Sticky Pole Bureau?" Red Moon scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly, "To be honest, my brother and I haven't been in the Sticky Pole Bureau for long, and there are some rules we don't know. Please enlighten us, brother!"

The tall man suddenly realized, "Oh, I see! You two were so careless! You know, we officers in the Sticky Pole Unit wear masks all year round. Even our own people sometimes don't know what the other looks like. So, our superiors have established a series of rules and regulations. According to the higher-ups, when we're on duty, we must be in our uniforms and have our 'blood-dripping guillotine' in hand. And when we meet, we have a unified set of questions: For example, if you have a mission to go out, you must tell the guard at the gate: 'I heard cicadas and birds chirping outside, it's very noisy, so I went out to cast nets.' This is code language, meaning that your superiors have sent you out on a mission. The guard will ask you: 'Are you catching cicadas? Or catching birds?' This is also our code language. 'Catching cicadas' means monitoring suspicious targets or gathering intelligence. 'Catching birds' means capturing targets."

Red Moon clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Thank you for your guidance, fellow disciple. Farewell!" He was about to leave with White Lightning when the tall man reached out and stopped him, shouting, "Wait!" White Lightning, already harboring murderous intent, quietly moved behind him, channeling his inner strength into his palm, intending to defeat him in one strike! He was about to use the Shaolin Mighty Vajra Palm to smash the man's head! However, Red Moon stopped him with a wink, forcing a smile, and bowed, saying, "Brother, do you have any further insights? Please give your orders!"

"Look at you two greenhorns, acting so recklessly! It's fortunate you ran into me, a kind soul. If you had rushed down the mountain like this, you would have been scolded by those ill-tempered Blue-feathered Guards halfway down, and might even have lost your lives! Further down, you'll likely pass many checkpoints, encountering our third-class and second-class guards one after another. Finally, at the gate of the official residence, you'll meet our first-class guard, none other than Lord Jin Qiu, the chief of the Sticky Rod Office in the western region of our Great Qing!"

(End of this chapter)